Introducing the Geode GNS2 sub-meter GPS receiver
Juniper Systems is excited to announce the release of the Geode GNS2 Sub-meter GPS Receiver. This new release of the Geode now features connectivity with a range of iPhone and iPad devices providing users with an even more versatile and powerful tool. This is made possible by the Geode's new MFi certification. MFi stands for Made For iPhone, iPad. The Geode GNS2 retains all the features and connectivity of the original Geode while adding this support for iPhone and iPad. [See Juniper media release] -- Posted Tuesday, September 24, 2019 by chb

Full review: MobileDemand's rugged case for the 9.7-inch iPad
iPads remain hugely popular. Lots of people would use them on the job, if they just weren't so fragile and easily broken. MobileDemand offers a compelling solution with their Rugged Case for iPad 9.7, one that completely protects the iPad (it survived 26 10-foot drops in their testing!!), offers numerous handle and mounting options, yet still provides add-on capability for PCI-compliant point-of-sale magstrip readers and PIN pads. [See full review of the MobileDemand Rugged Case for iPad 9.7-inch] -- Posted Wednesday, January 23, 2019 by chb

2Q18 worldwide smartphone sales stagnating
According to IDC, 342 million smartphones were shipped worldwide in 2Q18, down from 348 million 2Q17. In terms of marketshare, Samsung led with 71.5 million, then Huawei with 54.2 million, Apple with 41.3 million, then Xiaomi (31.9 million) and Oppo (29.4million). This was the first quarter since the iPhone that Apple wasn't #1 or #2. [See IDC press release] -- Posted Wednesday, August 1, 2018 by chb

Review: MobileDemand's Rugged case for iPad
Lots of people would love to use an iPad in the field or on the job, but the iPad is fragile and cannot easily be mounted in vehicles or the workplace. MobileDemand's new rugged iPad case changes all that. Building on its experience with rugged cases for Surface tablets, the new iPad case, initially available for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, can be mounted almost anywhere with RAM Mount and other mounting hardware, and it passed the MIL-STD-810G drop test from an amazing eight feet! [See our review and analysis of the MobileDemand rugged case for iPad] -- Posted Monday, June 11, 2018 by chb

Ultimate rugged xCase for iPad Pro 10.5" model with industry-leading functionality introduced by MobileDemand
MobileDemand continues to lead the way in the rugged tablet industry, constantly innovating and developing new products for mobile workforce productivity. The company is introducing its military-grade rugged xCase for the iPad Pro 10.5" model, its first rugged case for iPad users following tremendous success with its rugged case for the Microsoft Surface Pro tablet. [See MobileDemand press release] -- Posted Thursday, May 17, 2018 by chb

IDC: Chrome OS detachable tablets paint a brighter future while tablet market struggles
According to IDC, global tablet shipments in the first quarter of 2018 (1Q18) reached 31.7 million, declining 11.7% from the prior year. However, the growing niche of detachable tablets like the Microsoft Surface and iPad Pro did experience more than 2.9% year-over-year growth and captured 15.3% share as newer models came into play. Meanwhile, the decline for traditional slate tablets continued as vendors managed to ship 26.8 million units, down 13.9% from the prior year. Apple's leading position remained unchallenged during the quarter as the company managed to ship 9.1 million iPads. Of that, 1.8 million were iPad Pro tablets, making Apple the leader in the detachable market as well. [See IDC press release] -- Posted Friday, May 4, 2018 by chb

IDC: 334 million smartphones shipped Q1 2018
According to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, smartphone vendors shipped a total of 334.3 million units during the first quarter of 2018 (1Q18), resulting in a 2.9% decline when compared to the 344.4 million units shipped in the first quarter of 2017. Samsung was on top with 78.2 million, Apple second with 52.2 million, and then the Chinese trio of Huawei, Xiaomi and OPPO. For comparison, back in 2010, it was 55 million phones, with the ranking Nokia, RIM, Apple, HTC and Motorola. [See IDC release] -- Posted Wednesday, May 2, 2018 by chb

Apple passes Samsung to capture the top position in the worldwide smartphone market
According to IDC, a slower than expected 2017 holiday quarter closed out the year bringing minimal change to the worldwide smartphone market when compared to 2016. According to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, smartphone vendors shipped a total of 403.5 million units during the fourth quarter of 2017 (4Q17), resulting in a 6.3% decline when compared to the 430.7 million units shipped in the final quarter of 2016. For the full year, the worldwide smartphone market saw a total of 1.472 billion units shipped, declining less than 1% from the 1.473 billion units shipped in 2016. Developed markets such as China and the United States both witnessed a decline during the quarter as consumers appeared to be in no rush to upgrade to the newest generation of higher-priced flagship devices. [See IDC press release] -- Posted Monday, February 5, 2018 by chb

IDC: tablet unit sales dropping, but detachables grow
According to IDC, the worldwide detachable tablet market was 49.6 million units in Q4 2017, down from 53.8 million in Q4 2016. Of those, detachables grew about 10% to 6.5 million, which means that pure tablets dropped from about 48 million to 43 million. Apple remained the clear leader both in Q4 2017 and for all of 2017. But in Q4, Amazon passed Samsung. Overall, the big 5 (Apple, Amazon, Samsung, Huawei and Lenovo) grew even more dominant, accounting for 2/3 of all tablets in 2017. [See IDC press release] -- Posted Monday, February 5, 2018 by chb

Review: Bezalel wireless charging products
Bezalel is a company that concentrates on wireless power. Their goal is "empowering all people to live free from the entanglement and chaos of all cords." Here at RuggedPCReview we've been using several of Bezalel's products for a few months, and so we'll report on our thoughts about wires and cord cutting first, and then of our experiences with Bezalel's wireless charging technology and products. [See Bezalel's wireless power products — Wire-free charging is coming of age] -- Posted Sunday, January 7, 2018 by chb

The impact of iPhones on the rugged handheld market
Apple has been selling well over 200 million iPhones annually for the past several years. This affects the rugged handheld market both directly and indirectly. On the positive side, the iPhone brought universal acceptance of smartphones. That accelerated acceptance of handheld computing platforms in numerous industries and opened new applications and markets to makers of rugged handhelds. On the not so positive side, many of those sales opportunities didn't go to providers of rugged handhelds. Instead, they were filled by standard iPhones. There are many examples where aging rugged handhelds were replaced by iPhones, sometimes by the tens of thousands. That happened despite the relatively high cost of iPhones and despite their inherent fragility. [read The impact of iPhones on the rugged handheld market] -- Posted Wednesday, September 13, 2017 by chb

Apple Watch Series 2 after three weeks
It's been three weeks since I finally gave in and bought a Series 2 Apple Watch. While the Apple Watch isn't a rugged device and thus not something we'd normally report on, it is a wearable device and wearable computing power is playing an increasingly prominent role. That's because unlike even handhelds, a wrist-mount is always there, always handy and it doesn't need to be stowed away. So what's been my experience over the first three weeks with the watch? [Read Apple Watch Series 2 after three weeks] -- Posted Friday, June 16, 2017 by chb

Initial impressions of an Apple Watch holdout
So I finally got an Apple Watch. Series 2, the one that's waterproof and has onboard GPS. I chose the larger one with the 42mm screen. When you need reading glasses every millimeter counts. That meant a $400 investment for a bottom-of-the-line watch with the aluminum case (as compared to the much more expensive stainless steel and ceramic ones). I picked space-gray with a black Nike sport band. And here's how it's been going so far. [Read Initial impressions of an Apple Watch holdout] -- Posted Tuesday, May 30, 2017 by chb

Apple second quarter 2017 financials
Apple reported that it sold 50.8 million iPhones, 8.9 million iPads, and 4.2 million Macs in its fiscal 2017 second quarter that ended April 1, 2017. Total revenue for the quarter was US$52.9 billion, up 4.6% from a year ago. Net profit for the quarter was US$11 billion, slightly up from US$10.5 billion same quarter last year. [See Apple financials Q2/2017] -- Posted Thursday, May 11, 2017 by chb

RuggedPCReview blog: Are "mobile" sites really needed?
A few days ago I used one of the readily available website analysis tools to check RuggedPCReview.com. The resulting report gave me a stern "site not mobile-optimized" lecture. "Mobile-optimized," of course, refers to the fact that sites on the one-size-fits-all world wide web are being viewed on a very wide range of devices with a very wide range of screen sizes. And it is certainly true that viewing a webpage on a 27-inch display is a very different experience from viewing it on a 4.7-inch smartphone... [read blog article] -- Posted Friday, March 10, 2017 by chb

SquareTrade Labs breakability test on iPhone 7
SquareTrade, which sells electronics protection plans, performed their "breakability" test on the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhones passed the dunk test (1 meter for up to 30 minutes) but did "suffer some audio muffling afterward." In the tumble test, the iPhone 7 had scuffed corners and a camera lens crack, the 7 Plus just a small crack. The iPhone 7 bent at 170 pounds of pressure, the iPhone 7 Plus at 180. Both iPhones shattered on their first facedown drop and were unusable after three drops. [See SquareTrade iPhone 7 & 7 Plus Breakability test result] -- Posted Wednesday, September 21, 2016 by chb

IDC: Basic wearables soar, smart ones not so much
IDC reports that shipments of wearable devices reached 22.5 million in the second quarter of 2016, growing 26% year-over-year as new wearable uses (including enterprise productivity potential) slowly emerge. However, while basic wearables (mostly fitness trackers) surged ahead, smart wearables declined. Fitbit stayed in first place with 5.7 million shipped, but Apple tanked from 3.6 million down to just 1.6 million. [See IDC media release] -- Posted Tuesday, September 6, 2016 by chb

Wacom releases reflective electrostatic Bamboo Omni pen
Projected capacitive multi-touch is terrific, unless you want to write, do art or do anything else that requires a precise pen. Wacom is now addressing this issue with their new 5.6-inch long Bamboo Omni pen with a super-fine 1.9mm tip. It uses Reflective Electro Static (RES) technology that does not need a Bluetooth connection, but does have a rechargeable battery. The pen is supposed to work with most iPads, the iPhone 6, and most Android devices without pairing. Available November 016 for US$49.95. [See Wacom Bamboo Omni] -- Posted Thursday, September 1, 2016 by chb

Disappointing iPhone sales Q1/2016
Apple shipped 42 million iPhones in the first quarter 2016, down 44% from Q4/205, which is understandable, but also way down from the 55 million shipped Q1/2015. This means Apple's marketshare is down from 21% to just 14.4%. To make matters worse for Apple, Samsung shipped over 80 million units, actually up from Q4/2015. Why did Apple do poorly? Probably because the iPhone 6s/6s Plus just didn't offer enough new and improved features to excite customers. -- Posted Tuesday, April 19, 2016 by chb

An assessment of the Apple Pencil
A few weeks after the Apple iPad Pro began shipping, the Apple Pencil is now available also. Steve Jobs was adamantly opposed to pens, but 5-1/2 years after the iPad was first introduced, the Apple Pencil is here, at least for the big iPad Pro. It's expensive (US$99), but it may well change what users expect from a tablet. How well does the Apple Pencil work, and has Apple learned from history? [Read our assessment of the Apple pencil] -- Posted Monday, December 7, 2015 by chb

Digitizes sees move to larger size tablets
DigiTimes predicts that Apple's iPad Pro and Microsoft's Surface 2-in-1 devices will boost demand for large-size tablets (more than 30 million units in 2016), partly offsetting shipment declines in small-size segments. This will result in global tablet shipments dropping only 4.8% on year to reach 196 million units in 2016. DigiTimes also sees China-based white-box players gradually forced out the tablet market as profit margins decline due to lack of differentiation. -- Posted Tuesday, December 1, 2015 by chb

Strategy Analytics: Windows gaining on tablets
Strategy Analytics projects that Windows will gain significant market share in tablets as enterprise tablet adoption and the demand for a premium OS on tablets grows. Strategy Analytics sees Windows tablet market share grow from the current 10% to 18% by 2019, mostly at the cost of Android which will fall from 68% to 58%, with iOS share staying at around 23%. [See Strategy Analytics media release] -- Posted Sunday, November 29, 2015 by chb

Will the Apple iPad Pro herald an era of "pro" use of tablets?
A look by RuggedPCReview's Editor-in-Chief Conrad Blickenstorfer at the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, what the extra size means for productivity, split-screen use, what to make of the Apple Pencil, and what impact the new big iPad might have on the future of tablets. [read more] -- Posted Friday, November 20, 2015 by chb

iOS and Android command 97.8% of all smartphone sales
Gartner reports that worldwide smartphone unit sales were 352 million for Q3/2015, up from 305 million Q3/2014. Samsung sold the most smartphones with 84 million, followed by Apple with 46 million and Huawei with 27 million. In terms of operating platforms, Android and iOS commanded 97.8% market share, with Microsoft fading from 3% to 1.7%. [See Gartner media release] -- Posted Thursday, November 19, 2015 by chb

Apple posts another huge quarter
Apple announced financial results for its fiscal 2015 fourth quarter ended September 26, 2015. Apple sold 48 million iPhones, 9.9 million iPads and 5.7 million Macs. The company posted quarterly revenue of $51.5 billion and quarterly net profit of $11.1 billion. These results compare to revenue of $42.1 billion and net profit of $8.5 billion, in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 62% of the quarter’s revenue. Overall, fiscal 2015 was Apple’s most successful year ever, with revenue growing 28% to nearly $234 billion. [See Apple media release] -- Posted Thursday, October 29, 2015 by chb

Component costs to manufacture an iPhone
Research firm IHS reported the total cost to manufacture a 16GB iPhone 6S Plus, which has a retail price of US$749, to be US$236. The screen is the most expensive part at US$52.50. The 8mp camera is US$22.50, the new 3D pressure touch adds US$10, 16GB of RAM is just U$5.50.
-- Posted Thursday, October 1, 2015 by chb

Apple quietly adds a degree of water sealing to latest iPhones
Without drawing any attention to it, Apple has apparently made their new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus a little more rugged and considerably better sealed and protected. The folks at fixit.org opened up the iPhone 6s and found a newly widened lip around the perimeter upon which sits a gasket. It's not exactly an advanced tongue-and-groove pressure seal like we see on rugged devices, but far better than nothing at all. ifixit also found that every cable connector is now protected by its own silicone seal. A YouTube video by Zach Straley shows the 6s and 6s Plus sitting in shallow bowls of water for an hour, and still working just fine afterwards. [See fixit.org analysis and YouTube water test] -- Posted Wednesday, September 30, 2015 by chb

Apple introduces 12.9-inch super-high definition iPad Pro with active "Apple Pencil"
Apple introduced new iPhones (the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus), a new iPad mini (the mini 4), a new Apple TV, and, perhaps most importantly, a larger iPad geared towards business and enterprise use. Featuring a 12.9-inch display with 4:3 aspect ratio and "retina" level 2,732 x 2,048 pixel resolution (265 dpi), the new iPad Pro offers an optional active "Apple Pencil" whose dual tilt sensors allow shading and pressure effects like a conventional pencil. While the super-thin iPad Pro is fragile, its high resolution and active narrow-tip pen will undoubtedly have an impact on industrial and vertical market tablet devices. [See Apple iPad Pro] -- Posted Wednesday, September 9, 2015 by chb

Gartner: iPhone up in worldwide smartphone growth slowdown
According to Gartner, worldwide smartphone sales had their lowest growth rate in Q2 2015 since 2013. A total of 330 million were sold, compared to 290 million in Q2 2014. Samsung's marketshare fell from 26.2 to 21.9%, Apple's rose from 12.1 to 14.6%. In terms of OS marketshare, Android fell from 83.8 to 92.2%, iOS rose from 12.2 to 14.6%, Windows fell from 2.8 to 2.5%. Once prominent smartphone vendors like Motorola and HTC were no longer in the top-10 of overall cellphone sellers. [See Gartner media release] -- Posted Friday, August 21, 2015 by chb

IDC: Worldwide tablet market continues to decline
According to IDC, the worldwide tablet market declined 7% on year in the second quarter of 2015 with shipments totaling 44.7 million units. Marked by little hardware innovation and limited vendor portfolio updates, the market also declined 3.9% compared to the first quarter of 2015. In terms of shipments, Apple remains first with a 2Q15 24.5% marketshare (2Q14 27.7%), Samsung is second with 17% (2Q14 18%), Lenovo third with 5.7% (2Q14 4.9%), Huawei 4th with 3.7% (2Q14 1.7%), tied with LG. -- Posted Friday, July 31, 2015 by chb

Digitimes voices concerns about tablet sales
In an article about supposed upcoming Apple products, Digitimes expressed general concerns about the tablet market: "With demand for tablets weakening a lot faster than expected, sales of iPad, white-box and brand tablets have all been seriously impacted recently. Strong popularity of smartphones with 5-inch and above displays plus the fact that [the] tablet is lacking new innovative applications are also major factors seriously undermining tablet sales." -- Posted Monday, July 13, 2015 by chb

Wearable market remained strong in the first quarter despite the pending debut of the Apple Watch, says IDC
According to IDC, the worldwide wearable market recorded its eighth consecutive quarter of growth in 1Q15. Vendors shipped a total of 11.4 million wearables in 1Q15, a 200.0% increase from the 3.8 million units shipped in 1Q14. In terms of marketshare, Fitbit, Xiaomi, Garmin, Samsung, and Jawbone were the top 5. While current devices primarily cover health and fitness, functionality is certain to soon include numerous other applications. [See IDC release] -- Posted Thursday, June 4, 2015 by chb

IDC: Samsung reasserts global smartphone shipment lead with focus on lower-cost models in 1Q2015
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), vendors shipped a total of 336.5 million smartphones worldwide in 1Q2015, up 16.7% from the 288.5 million units in 1Q14 but down by 10.9% from 377.5 million in 4Q14. In the overall mobile phone market (smartphones plus feature phones), vendors shipped 458.9 million units worldwide, flat from the 459.3 million units shipped in 1Q14. Samsung led in smartphone markets share with 24.5%, followed by Apple with 18.2%. Lenovo, Huawei and LG Electronics fill the top 5, each with about 5% share. [See IDC media release] -- Posted Wednesday, April 29, 2015 by chb

Apple keeps charging ahead
Apple keeps going strong, very strong. The company sold 61 million iPhones in their second quarter, up from 44 million the same quarter a year ago. They also sold 12.6 million iPads and 4.6 million Macs. Quarterly sales came in at $58 billion, up from $45 billion last year, and quarterly net profit was $13.6 billion. Who'd have thought when Apple was facing extinction in the mid90s. -- Posted Tuesday, April 28, 2015 by chb

Apple Watch has strong initial pre-order weekend
It appears that Apple recorded about a million pre-orders for its Apple Watch on the first weekend. That compares to about 4 million pre-orders within the first day of iPhone 6/6+ availability. The Apple Watch will officially become available April 24. -- Posted Monday, April 13, 2015 by chb

Average iPhone price 2.7 times average Android phone price
Forbes reports that the price gap between iPhone and Android smartphones widened this past quarter, according to data compiled by ABI Research and The Wall Street Journal. While the average price of an iPhone jumped to $687, the price of Android devices dropped to $254. This means that the average price of the iPhone is about 2.7 times more than Android devices. [See Forbes article] -- Posted Tuesday, February 3, 2015 by chb

iPhone 6 Plus isn't so big after all
Blast-from-the-past department: while Apple's iPhone 6 Plus is considered huge, it is actually dwarfed by Apple's Newton MessagePad 2000, which was introduced in 1997. Equipped with two full-size PC Cards and four AA batteries, the MP2000, which was considered small and handy at the time, weighs 1.48 pounds, almost four times as much as the sleek iPhone 6 Plus. Also of note: last used in 1998, the MP2000 came right up upon inserting four new AAs, all data intact. Will the 6 Plus do that in the year 2032? -- Posted Tuesday, February 3, 2015 by chb

Study: 91% of iPhones have 16GB or less, run out of space frequently
Business Insider reports that 91% of all iPhones used in the UK have 16GB or less storage, meaning that users frequently run out of storage space, given that iPhones do not have memory card slots. This presumably includes a large number of older iPhones where 16GB was either a mid-range (3GS and 4) or even the high-end option (as in the original or 3G). But it's also a result of Apple's steep premium for higher storage models (and is likely a built-in incentive to upgrade). [See Business Insider article] -- Posted Monday, December 15, 2014 by chb

IDC: Worldwide tablet growth slows to 7.2% in 2014
According to IDC, worldwide tablet market growth slowed to 7.2% in 2014 as device lifecycles for tablets have continued to lengthen, increasingly resembling those of PCs more than smartphones. Of OS platforms, the worldwide marketshare in tablets and 2-in-1 devices saw Android in the lead with 67.7% (159.5 million devices), then Apple's iOS with 27.5% (65 million), and Windows with 10.9% (10.9 million). IDC expects Windows' marketshare to grow to 11.4% by 2018, at equal expense of Android and Apple. [See IDC press release] -- Posted Wednesday, November 26, 2014 by chb

3rd party keyboard apps
iOS 8 finally allows 3rd party keyboards as alternates to Apple's own. Macworld did a nice feature on what's available at this point (see Meet the first crop of third-party keyboards for iOS 8). We're still looking for a keyboard that better separates the space bar from the letter keys so that sloppy typing won't be misinterpreted so often... -- Posted Monday, October 6, 2014 by chb

8 Ways to Automate Your Home with Your Phone
It can seem difficult to keep track of all the new apps and technologies that make your life easier. Fortunately, there are a variety of technologies and apps available for your home that can help you manage your manner remotely. Whether you are looking for convenience, safety or are looking out for the planet, there are a variety of ways to automate your home through your phone... [See 8 Ways to Automate Your Home with Your Phone] -- Posted Tuesday, September 23, 2014 by chb

The unpredictable nature of screen sizes
It's a mad, mad, mad world as far as the screen size of mobile devices goes. To witness, for smartphones, 4.7 inches or so now seems the least customers will accept, and 5.5 inches or larger is better. When Apple introduced its iPhone 6 (4.7 inch) and iPhone 6+ (5.5 inch), the demand was such that both Apple's and AT&T's websites couldn't keep up. Dial back a couple of decades to the dawn of handhelds. The first Apple Newtons and Tandy/Casio Zoomers and such all had displays...[read more] -- Posted Monday, September 22, 2014 by chb

Apple introduces new iPhones, Apple Pay, and Apple Watch
Apple introduced the iPhone 6 with a 1334 x 750 pixel 4.7-inch screen and the iPhone 6+ with a 1920 x 1080 pixel 5.5-inch screen. Powered by a new A8 chip and M8 co-processor and running iOS 8, the new 802.11ac and NFC-equipped iPhones, which can be pre-ordered on Sept. 12 and ship on Sept. 19, have powerful new cameras with optical image stabilization, will come in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB versions, and start at US$199 (4.7") and US$299 (5.5") with 2-year contract. Apple also announced Apple Pay for secure payments via finger touch and NFC. And Apple announced the US$349 Apple Watch, available early 2015, which has a novel crown and sensor driven user interface and works in conjunction with iPhone 5 and 6. Judging by Apple stock movement, Wall Street seemed excited over the new iPhones, very excited over Apple Pay, but not excited over the watch. -- Posted Tuesday, September 9, 2014 by chb

Microsoft cleans up Windows app store
Customers of Apple's AppStore can pretty much rely on knowing what they get in an app, and that it won't be against any of Apple's rather stringent rules. That's not always the case with other app stores where apps have been known to be badly mislabeled/misleading at best, and entirely inappropriate at worst. Microsoft has now announced in its blog that Windows Store requirements have been modified and that more than 1,500 apps have been removed. [See Microsoft blog "How we’re addressing misleading apps in Windows Store"] -- Posted Friday, August 29, 2014 by chb

IDC: Smartphone market strong and still growing, with emphasis on emerging markets
IDC reports that smartphone outlook remains strong, with over 1.25 billion smartphones to be shipped worldwide in 2014, and 1.8 billion in 2018. Considering that smartphones are really PDAs, John Sculley's 1990s' prediction that this will be a trillion dollar market no longer looks foolish at all. Note that according to IDC smartphone mature market share in 2014 is just 26.5% and will drop to 20.5% by 2018, which means the challenge for phone makers will be to maintain a (profitable) presence in high-margin mature markets while also compete in the much higher volume low-margin emerging markets. -- Posted Thursday, August 28, 2014 by chb

Smartphone sales pass 300 million Q2 2014, Android dominates
According to IDC, the worldwide smartphone market reached 301.3 million a new milestone in Q2 of 2014, up 25.3% from the 240.5 million units shipped in Q2 of 2013. Android and Apple's iOS, saw their combined market share swell to 96.4% for the quarter, leaving little space for competitors. In fact, Android alone accounted for 255 million devices, dwarfing even Apple's 35 million. Windows Phone marketshare was 2.5%, down from 3.4% Q2 2013. "With many of its OEM partners focusing on the sub-$200 segments, Android has been reaping huge gains within emerging markets," said Ramon Llamas, Research Manager at IDC. [See IDC press release] -- Posted Thursday, August 14, 2014 by chb

Apple stock split
Apple stock split 7:1, so stockholders will now own seven times as many shares at 1/7th the value. Companies often do that when their stock goes up so high that it may discourage investors from buying. In Apple's case, right before the split, its shares were US$646. After the split they'll start in the low 90s, still high for many small investors, but much more manageable. -- Posted Monday, June 9, 2014 by chb

Otterbox goes after counterfeit cases
OtterBox, which makes rugged cases for smartphones and tablets, reports that the company continues its fight against intellectual property theft. In the last six months, with the assistance of law enforcement and government agencies, OtterBox has raided 162 retail stores worldwide and seized approximately 30,000 counterfeit cases. [See Otterbox press release] -- Posted Tuesday, May 20, 2014 by chb

Digitimes on Q2/2014 tablet shipments
Digitimes predicts that in the second quarter of 2014, 61.4 million tablets will be shipped globally, increasing 4.9% on quarter and 30.9% on year. The shipments will consist of 13.5 million iPads, 24.6 million non-Apple tablets and 23.3 million white-box units, Digitimes Research indicated. Apple will be the largest vendor accounting for 22% of sQ2shipments, followed by Samsung with 20%, Asustek 6.3%, Lenovo 6.1% and Acer 1.7%. Android models will account for 58.9% of branded tablet shipments, iOS 35.4% and Windows 5.7%. -- Posted Saturday, May 17, 2014 by chb

Farewell Nokia
Excellent CNET article on the rise and fall of Nokia. -- Posted Friday, April 25, 2014 by chb

Apple sales, financials beat estimates for fiscal Q2 2014
On April 23, 2014, Apple reported quarterly sales of US$45.6 billion, with a net profit of US$10.2 billion. The company also announced a 7:1 stock split to make shares more affordable. Apple sold 43.7 million iPhones, 16 million iPads, and 4 million Macs. All figures were beating expectations. For the first time, Apple also revealed Apple TV sales: a total of 20 million Apple TVs have been sold overall. -- Posted Wednesday, April 23, 2014 by chb

CDW and leading developers deliver enterprise mobile apps via new App Marketplace
Business-oriented technology solutions provider CDW announced its new App Marketplace — a single, online destination that connects its customers with leading developers and enterprise mobile apps across multiple business functions. Unlike apps designed for individual users, the App Marketplace provides customized enterprise apps created by developers with proven and relevant experience. These include Avnet, Canvas, IBM, Lextech, SAP, Symphony Teleca and WillowTree, with more being added. [See CDW's App Maketplace] -- Posted Monday, March 24, 2014 by chb

Samsung Galaxy S5: impressive tech and now even waterproof
At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Samsung revealed the Galaxy S5, its new flagship smartphone. While after all those years of ever-smaller and handier phones the wisdom of giant phones is debatable, the specs and capabilities of the new Galaxy S5 are most impressive. Android "KitKat" 4.4.2, 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, 5.1-inch 1920 x 1080 Super AMOLED screen, dual cameras (16mp camera, 2mp, 4K video), USB 3.0, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, BT 4.0, NFC, 2GB RAM, 16/32GB storage, 10-12 hours battery life, fingerprint scanner, pulse sensor, 5.6 x 2.9 x 0.32 inches, 5.1 ounces. And it is IP67-sealed. -- Posted Tuesday, February 25, 2014 by chb

Apple reports record financials for fiscal Q1 2014
Apple reported record revenues of US$57.6 billion for Q1 2014, with a net profit of US$13.1 billion. Apple sold 51 million iPhone in the last quarter, a new record, 47.8 million for Q1 2013. Apple also sold 26 million iPads, also a new record, compared to 22.9 million in Q1 2013. Mac sales reached 4.8 million, up from 4.1 million a year ago. Despite all of this, Apple shares dropped by 5% after the company lowered its sales outlook for 2014. Can't please everyone. -- Posted Friday, January 31, 2014 by chb

iPad Air teardown -- the cost of thinness
The crafty folks at ifixit.com (whose terrific tools we use at the RuggedPCReview.com's lab) tore down a brand-new iPad Air to see what's inside and how easy it is to repair. As far as the latter goes, not very. They found impressive feats of miniaturization, but at the cost of a "repairability score" of just 2 out of 10. And a diminished battery. Such is the cost of excessive thinness. [See ifixit.com's iPad Air Teardown] -- Posted Thursday, November 7, 2013 by chb

Apple remains on top of tablet market for Q3/2013
According to market analysts IHS, for the third quarter 2013, Apple shipped 14.25 million tablets (down a bit from the prior quarter), Samsung 10.7 million (up 23%). Asus, Lenovo and Acer followed, all shipping fewer than 2 million tablets. Total tablet shipments were at 48 million, up 5 million from Q2/2013, and mostly contributed by inexpensive 7-inch white box tablets from China. Rhoda Alexander, director, tablet research for IHS said "Cheaper almost always wins the volume race, and competitors were quick to adjust pricing when it became clear that it was impossible to achieve anything close to Apple's shipment growth at the same price level. The resulting surge in sub-US$250 alternatives catapulted Android to the leading operating system in tablets in the third quarter of 2012, but left vendors searching for profit in an increasingly competitive market." -- Posted Thursday, October 31, 2013 by chb

Apple event: new MacBook Pros, new iPads
At Apple's media event in San Francisco, the company mentioned that 65% of all iOS devices are running iOS7 already, and that a total of 60 billion apps have been downloaded, resulting in US$13 billion for developers.

Apple said over 170 million iPads have been sold to-date, and introduced a new iPad mini with a retina 2048 x 1536 display that's a bit smaller at 7.9 inches. It has a A7 chip, and the 16GB WiFi version is US$399, available November. The original iPad mini remains, now starting at US$299.

Apple also introduced the iPad Air that's thinner (7.5mm vs. 9.4 mm) and lighter (1 pound instead of 1.35 lbs.) than the 4th gen iPad. It has the 64-bit A7 chip and M7 motion processor (same as iPhone 5S), and still a 9.7-inch retina display, but with a smaller side bezel. There is now a 5mp iSight camera. The iPad Air replaces full-size iPads and starts at $499 for the 16GB WiFi version, and 16GB/cellular for $629. The iPad 4 is gone but the iPad 2 remains available at $399. The iPad Air can be ordered (and ships) November 1. -- Posted Tuesday, October 22, 2013 by chb

BlackBerry reports second quarter fiscal 2014 results
BlackBerry reported revenue for Q2 of fiscal 2014 of approximately $1.6 billion, down 49% from $3.1 billion in the previous quarter and down 45% from $2.9 billion in Q2 of fiscal 2013. There was a loss of $965 million (including a large charge against Z10 inventory), compared to a loss of $84 million in the prior quarter. While Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of BlackBerry, expressed disappointment and the need for necessary changes to create the best business model for our hardware business, he said BlackBerry remained a financially strong company with $2.6 billion in cash and no debt. [See press release] -- Posted Friday, September 27, 2013 by chb

IHS: iPhone 5s costs US$199 to make
According to IHS, the complete bill of materials (BOM) and manufacturing costs of a 16GB iPhone 5s amount to US$199 (the original iPhone 5 ran to US$197). Of components, the 64-bit A7 processor costs US$19, the camera US$13, the battery US$4, the display US$41, the user interface part with the fingerprint scanner US$15, and a gig of LPDDR3 RAM US$11. The 32GB and 64GB models cost US$208 and US$218 to make, respectively, so it's pretty clear which 5s model makes Apple the most money. The 16GB and 32GB 5c models, by the way, cost US$166 and US$176 to make. [See detailed teardown and breakdown of the new iPhones] -- Posted Thursday, September 26, 2013 by chb

Apple event: free apps, iPhone 5c iPhone 5s
Apple held its annual Fall new product event and announced the iPhone 5c and 5s. The low-end 5c has an A6 processor, a better FaceTime camera, is black in the front and green, white, blue, red or yellow in the back. With a ubiquitous 2-year telco contract, it'll run US$99 for 16GB and US$199 for 32GB. The new iPhone 5s comes in silver, gold and grayish, has a 64-bit A7 CPU that's up to twice as fast as the iPhone 5 chip, a new M7 motion-sensing chip, a new camera with a 5-element F/2.2 lens, a larger sensor, auto white balance and exposure, auto image stabilization, dual LED flash (warm and cool). There's 120 frame per second slow motion in 720p video, and there's a fingerprint sensor built into the home button. The 5s, with 2-year contract, is US$199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, and $399 for 64GB, all in stores September 20. Oh, and the Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iPhoto, and iMovie apps are now free. -- Posted Tuesday, September 10, 2013 by chb

Microsoft buys Nokia's phone business
Microsoft announced it will purchase Nokia's Devices & Services business, which includes their smartphone and mobile phone businesses, design team, manufacturing and assembly facilities, and teams handling operations, sales, marketing and support. That means that just like Google did with its acquisition of Motorola Mobility, Microsoft takes over a once high-flying but now struggling cell phone pioneer, thus joining Apple as an all-in-one hardware/software vendor. It should be interesting to see what this will mean to vertical market/industrial handhelds, most of which still use Windows CE or variants of Windows Mobile. What's left for Nokia? The company says it will be "focused on enabling mobility through its leadership in networking, mapping & location, and advanced technologies." [See Steve Ballmer email to Microsoft employees on Nokia Devices & Services acquisition and Nokia announcement] -- Posted Tuesday, September 3, 2013 by chb

Tablet adoption reaches nearly 50% of U.S. broadband households
Park Associates reports that 48% of U.S. broadband households own at least one tablet. Tablet ownership increased by nearly 33% in one year, with 22% of households reporting a tablet purchase, while only 7% purchased an e-reader in 2012, down from 9% in 2011. Growth in tablets will continue as OEMs release more tablets aimed at the high and low ends of the tablet market. "Amazon has expanded the low end of the tablet market with the Kindle Fire, whereas Microsoft is making a credible push at the higher end," said Jennifer Kent, senior analyst, Parks Associates. [See Park Associates press release] -- Posted Friday, July 26, 2013 by chb

Apple reports fiscal 3Q13 results
Apple announced quarterly revenue of US$35.3 billion and net profit of US$6.9 billion for its fiscal 2013 third quarter ended June 29, 2013, compared to revenue of US$35 billion and net profit of US$8.8 billion in the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 31.2 million iPhones, a record for the June quarter, compared to 26 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple also sold 14.6 million iPads during the quarter, compared to 17 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple also sold 3.8 million Macs, compared to four million in the year-ago quarter. -- Posted Wednesday, July 24, 2013 by chb

iOS inching closer to Android in smartphones
According to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, US smartphone sales have remained stable in the three months ending May 2013, compared to the same period 2012. Android marketshare stayed at 52%, while iOS rose from 38.4 to 41.9%, benefitting from Blackberry's collapse from 4.6 to 0.7%. Windows increased its share from 3.7 to 4.6%. In network share of smartphone sales, Verizon pulled farther ahead, increasing from 32.0 to 34.6%, mostly at the expense of T-Mobile, which dropped from 13.5 to 10.1%. While AT&T's OS sales share remained at 2:1 in favor if iOS, Verizon, at Verizon Android is ahead 50.5 to 43.8% over iOS. [See report] -- Posted Monday, July 8, 2013 by chb

Apple's DoCoMo predicament/DoCoMo's Apple predicament
Smartphone historians will remember that Japan's NTT DoCoMo had created a rich set of apps and an interface optimized for smartphones when the rest of the world still used WAP, and years before the iPhone and Android redefined smartphones. DoCoMo is still Japan's largest mobile provider with 60 million customers. Problem for DoCoMo is that it isn't carrying the the iPhone, which had a commanding 43% marketshare in Q4 2012. Working together would seem a win-win for DoCoMo and Apple, but DoCoMo wants its logo and proprietary apps on the iPhone, and Apple won't allow that. Stalemate. But for how long? [See Reuters press release] -- Posted Friday, July 5, 2013 by chb

1Q13: 1st time majority of all mobile phones sold were smartphones
According to IDC, the worldwide mobile phone market grew 4% year over year in Q1 of 2013. Vendors shipped 418.6 million mobile phones in 1Q13 compared to 402.4 million units in 1Q12 and 483.2 million in 4Q12. In the worldwide smartphone market, vendors shipped 216.2 million units in 1Q13, which marked the first time more than half (51.6%) the total phone shipments in a quarter were smartphones. The smartphone market grew 41.6% compared to the 152.7 million units shipped in 1Q12, but 5.1% lower than the 227.8 million units shipped in 4Q12. Samsung held the smartphone top spot with 32.7%, before Apple with 17.3%, with Samsung greatly extending its smartphone lead. -- Posted Friday, April 26, 2013 by chb

Apple reports fiscal 2Q13 results
Apple announced financial results for its fiscal 2013 second quarter ended March 30, 2013. The company posted quarterly revenues of US$43.6 billion and quarterly net profits of US$9.5 billion, or US$10.09 per diluted share. These results compare to revenues of US$39.2 billion and net profits of US$11.6 billion, or US$12.3 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 37.5% compared to 47.4% in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 66% of the quarter's revenues. -- Posted Wednesday, April 24, 2013 by chb

Smartphones outselling regular cellphones in 2013
More smartphones are forecast to be shipped globally than feature phones in 2013, the first such occurrence in the mobile phone market on an annual basis. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors will ship 918.6 million smartphones this year, or 50.1% of the total mobile phone shipments worldwide. -- Posted Wednesday, March 6, 2013 by chb

Apple becomes largest mobile phone vendor in United States in Q4 2012
According to Strategy Analytics, mobile phone shipments grew 4% annually to reach 52 million units in the United States during the fourth quarter of 2012. Apple became the number one mobile phone vendor for the first time ever, capturing a record 34% market share. -- Posted Friday, February 1, 2013 by chb

News Corp to shut down "The Daily" tablet newspaper
CNN Money reports that News Corp is shutting down its "The Daily" tabled-based publication. Launched with an initial US$30 million investment, 100 staffers, and a US$26 million annual running cost, The Daily turned out to be financially unfeasible despite a claimed over 100,000 paying subs. [See CNN's article] -- Posted Monday, December 3, 2012 by chb

Socket Mobile adds iPhone 5 support for its cordless hand scanners
Socket Mobile announced iPhone 5 support for the Socket Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) line of portable barcode scanners. Socket Mobile also said it has updated the SocketScan 10 SDK to take full advantage of the new A6 processor and taller screen of the iPhone 5. The ScannerSettings and SocketPad utilities for the CHS have also been updated on the Apple App Store with iPhone 5 and iPad mini support. -- Posted Monday, December 3, 2012 by chb

Apple doubles iPad launch weekend sales record
Apple said sales of the new iPads were three million the first weekend they were available, doubling the sales of the third gen iPad 3 during its first weekend of availability in march of 2012. Apple did not disclose how many of them were iPad 4s and how many iPad minis. -- Posted Monday, November 5, 2012 by chb

BlackBerry losing more large accounts
Reuters reports that ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, will end its contract with BlackBerry maker Research In Motion and switch to Apple iPhones instead. This means that the ICE will get iPhones for its more than 17,600 employees. This comes a week after consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton said it was dropping BlackBerry and switching to iPhone and Android smartphones for its staff of around 25,000. [See Reuters release] -- Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2012 by chb

Almost overlooked: in-cell touch in iPhone 5
One interesting change in the new iPhone 5 (introduced September 12) that has hardly gotten any attention is that it is using in-cell touch technology instead of standard projected capacitive touch. There isn't much of a difference (or any) as far as users go, but since in-cell combines the touch sensing layer with the cover glass instead of using separate layers, there are a) fewer surfaces that can reflect light, b) the same intensity of backlight seems brighter, and c) eliminating a layer can reduce cost and thickness. For a detailed discussion of in-cell touch, see LCD In-Cell Touch by Geoff Walker and Mark Finh. For even more detail, see US patent #8,243,027 granted to Apple on August 14, 2012. -- Posted Monday, September 24, 2012 by chb

iOS 6 available for download
On September 19, 2012, Apple made iOS 6 available for download. The new version of the OS coincides with the release of the iPhone 5 which will be shipping as of September 21, 2012. Among major changes and new features are a new Apple-made Maps application, an improved Siri that is now also available on the iPad, Facebook integration, shared Photo Streams, a Passbook app for boarding passes and other cards, and numerous improvements in FaceTime, Mail, Safari, and throughout the OS. [See Apple's iOS 6 page] -- Posted Thursday, September 20, 2012 by chb

MacNeill on the new Apple EarPods
David MacNeill likes the new Apple headphgones. A lot. Here's what he says: "Run, do not walk to your friendly neighborhood Apple Store and buy the new Apple EarPods for your iPhone/iPad. One of the best headphones of any kind I've ever tried, owned or reviewed. The are stunningly sweet sounding, comfortable, and practical and they cost $29." [See the new headphones at the online Apple store] -- Posted Friday, September 14, 2012 by chb

iPhone alone bigger than all of Microsoft
According to CNNMoney, the iPhone alone is bigger than all of Microsoft, with US$74.3 billion in revenues for June 211 to June 2012, compared to Microsoft's overall revenues of US$73 billion. CNNMoney also said that the iPhone business alone would make a Fortune 50 company. [See CNNMoney article] -- Posted Friday, September 7, 2012 by chb

DigiTimes Research: Android widens lead in 2012
DigiTimes Research predicts that Android's market share will reach 67% for the full year of 2012, amounting to 426 million units. They project that Apple will ship 125.6 million iPhones, good for a share of 19.8%. Everyone else is pretty much also-rans: BlackBerry with 4.7%, Symbinan 4.1%, Windows Phone 3.4%, and the rest a paltry 0.8%. -- Posted Monday, August 20, 2012 by chb

Google laying off 4,000 Motorola Mobility employees
With the RAZR Moto once was on top of the world, and with the Droid the company rang in Android's smartphone dominance. Times quickly changed. First, tradition-rich Motorola Mobility got bought out by Google, and now Google is laying off 20% of Moto Mobility staff, 4,000 people. Moral of the story seems that being in the cellphone and smartphone business is an exceedingly bumpy, unreliable ride. -- Posted Monday, August 13, 2012 by chb

iPad has 72% marketshare in China in Q2 2012
DigiTimes reports that, according to Chinese Analysys International, the Apple iPad grabbed 72% tablet marketshare in China for Q2 of 2012. Lenovo was a very distant second at just 8.4%, Samsung, Acer, Asus, etc., all had under 4%. Given the large number of Chinese "white box" tablets, the iPad's dominance is surprising. -- Posted Wednesday, August 8, 2012 by chb

Nokia's dire situation
Things look dim for Nokia, the former undisputed Number 1 in cellphones. Completely sleeping through the smartphone revolution, Nokia's stock dropped 98% since 2000, and the upcoming release of the latest financials on July 19 could make things worse. The flagship Lumina 9000 phone is selling poorly, according to market researcher Asymco only about 330,000 units in the all-important US market where Nielsen says the Windows Phone market share has dropped to just 0.3%. Add to that the fact that the upcoming Windows Phone 8 is incompatible with any older versions of Windows Phone, including the 7.5 version installed on the Lumina 9000, and Nokia will have to pull a major rabbit out of its hat to remain relevant. -- Posted Monday, July 16, 2012 by chb

iPhone 3GS battery replacement: not for the timid
With millions of people replacing their older iPhones with newer ones, what happens to the old ones? Well, some are sold to one of the several used electronics merchandisers, others directly on eBay, or they may be passed on to friends or family less obsessed with having the latest and greatest. Many iPhone users simply keep their old one, either letting it gather dusk in a drawer somewhere, or perhaps actually using it via WiFi as a fancy iPod Touch. But there is one problem with older iPhones: the battery. [read more] -- Posted Saturday, June 16, 2012 by chb

IDC releases Q1 2012 smartphone numbers and report
According to a press release by IDC on their latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, 152 million smartphones were shipped in Q1 2012. In smartphones, Android commanded a 59.0% marketshare (up from 36.1% a year ago), with Apple's iOS second with 23.0% (up from 18.3%). The big losers were Symbian with 6.8% (down from 26.0%) and RIM with 6.4% (down from 13.6%). Microsoft came in 6th with 2.2%, down from 3.1%. (Compare these figures to the Gartner figures we reported on May 16; the difference may be because Gartner reported "sold to end users" whereas IDV reported "shipped".) IDC noted that almost half of all Android phones came from Samsung, that Symbian will further decline, that upcoming BlackBeryy 10 phones "have shown improvement," and that Windows Phone has yet to make significant inroads. [See IDC press release] -- Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 by chb

Gartner releases Q1 2012 smartphone numbers
According to a press release by Gartner, 144 million smartphones were sold to end users in Q1 2012, which means that over a third of all cellphones sold are now smartphones. In smartphones, Android commanded a 56.1% marketshare (up from 36.4% a year ago), with Apple's iOS second with 22.9% (up from 16.9%). The big losers were Symbian with 8.6% (down from 27.7%) and RIM with 6.9% (down from 13.0%). Microsoft came in 6th with 1.9%, down from 2.6%. [See Gartner press release] -- Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2012 by chb

HCSS launches mobile apps that improve field entry and productivity
Construction software developer HCSS has introduced a suite of new mobile applications for collecting and reviewing data on construction field operations. These apps can be run anywhere using iPhones, iPads and Android-based phones and tablets. With just a few swipes on a mobile device, contractors can record an entire time card including diaries, photographs and cost-coded employee and equipment hours, as well as production quantities. [See HCSS mobile apps] -- Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2012 by chb

Moprise announces new version of Coaxion
Moprise, a provider of mobile software for accessing and organizing enterprise documents from mobile devices, announced its newest version of Coaxion with a re-designed user interface is available for download from iTunes for iPads and iPhones. Coaxion, allows seamless navigation between enterprise-hosted and personal document storage, and organizes documents related to specific meetings. Mobile users can view and share Office documents in their original form on iPads - including embedded charts, graphics, annotations, and security watermarks - features that consumer document reader applications are unable to support. -- Posted Tuesday, May 8, 2012 by chb

Evernote buys Penultimate
Evernote, the company whose very popular software lets you take and archive notes, has bought the Penultimate digital handwriting app for the iPad. The Evernote blog describes the transaction and how everyone feels about it. Evernote, which has just raised another US$70 million, is clearly thinking big. Now if they could only come up with a stylus that really works on projected capacitive screens, and apps that include palm rejection smarts. -- Posted Monday, May 7, 2012 by chb

IDC on Q1/2012 tablet sales: Apple shines, Android struggles
According to IDC, a steep drop in Android-based tablet shipments offset a strong quarter by Apple. A total of 17.4 million media tablets were sold worldwide in Q1 2012, 1.2 million below IDC's estimates. Of those 17.4 million, Apple shipped 11.8 million, for a 68% marketshare, up from 54.7% in Q4, 2011. Amazon, which had sold 4.8 million tablets in Q4, 2011, fell sharply and is now in 3rd place behind Samsung. Our take: Given Android's stellar performance in smartphones, the platform's struggle in tablets clearly represents a missed opportunity. Android's platform fragmentation seems a much bigger issue in tablets than in smartphones. And soon there will be further fragmentation when Windows 8/RT arrives. [See IDC release] -- Posted Friday, May 4, 2012 by chb

Nokia loses cellphone crown after 14 years, Apple and Samsung tops in smartphones
Cellphone and smartphone sales numbers for Q1 2012 are in, and it looks like for the first time in 14 years, someone other than Nokia is holding the #1 overall cellphone spot. That'd be Samsung with, according to iSuppli, 92 million shipped versus Nokia with 83 million. In the smartphone segment, iSuppli has Apple #1 with 35 million shipped versus Samsung with 32 million. The definition of "smartphone," though, is somewhat fluid, and so another research firm, Strategy Analytics, has Samsung ahead with 44 million versus Apple with 35 million. [See IHS iSuppli release and Strategy Analytics release] -- Posted Monday, April 30, 2012 by chb

In Ticketing launches InHand Mobile Box Office for mobile ticketing at live events
In the early days of PDAs, expanded functionality (such as storage, wireless, scanning, etc.) was often provided in the form of a sleeve or caddy that accommodated the handheld. Now we're starting the same approach again with sleeve and and caddies for smartphones. An example is the iAPS sled from Daily Systems, an all-in-one mobile POS solution for iPhone and iPod touch that adds bar code scanning, credit card reading and receipt printing to those Apple handhelds. Using the iAPS, In Ticketing has now introduced the InHand Mobile Box Office, enabling sale-to-receipt ticket sales transactions. -- Posted Thursday, April 26, 2012 by chb

Almost 80% of all smartphones sold by AT&T Q1 2012 iPhones
In Q11 of 2012, AT&T sold 5.5 million smartphones, and of those 4.3 million were iPhones. Off the cuff, that seems surprising as Android devices have a larger overall marketshare than the iPhone, and a trip to the local AT&T store shows the displays filled with dozens of different Android smartphones. The report also said that Verizon sold 3.2 million iPhones the same quarter, out of a total of 6.3 million smartphones sold. -- Posted Wednesday, April 25, 2012 by chb

Top medical apps
The folks at iMedicalApps.com present a terrific resource with their attractively designed "Top Apps" section where healthcare professionals can find lineups and reviews of medical apps. [See iMedcialApps.com's Top Apps} -- Posted Friday, April 13, 2012 by chb

Allscripts introduces iPad app for EHRs
Allscripts announced the release of Allscripts Wand, which provides users of Allscripts Electronic Health Records a unique, native iPad application that extends the most commonly used functions of Allscripts Professional and Enterprise solutions. -- Posted Thursday, April 5, 2012 by chb

Smartphone OS marketshare by OS platform
FierceMobileContent published a most informative chart that shows the rising and falling US marketshare of the different smartphone OS platforms since September of 2009. The composite graph, which is based on monthly data released by comScore shows how quickly a platform can rise to dominance, or fall from favor. [See FierceMobileContent's US monthly smartphone OS marketshare] -- Posted Thursday, April 5, 2012 by chb

Garmin launches iOS/Android Garmin Pilot aviation app
Garmin announced Garmin Pilot, a new aviation app for iOS and Android-based mobile devices. The app brings Garmin's aviation features to tablets and smart phones, offering pilots complete navigation, trip planning, DUAT(S) filing, weather and electronic flight bag capabilities. It's free for 30 days, then pilots can pay $9.99/month or an annual subscription of $99.99. Geo-referenced FliteCharts are available for an additional $49.99 annually. Geo-referenced SafeTaxi diagrams are available for an additional $29.99 annually.[See Garmin Pilot product page] -- Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 by chb

Mobile processor market to reach almost 2 billion by 2016
According to a new research report by NPD In-Stat, for 2011 ARM is the dominant processor architecture with over 73% of all units shipped and is growing. Thanks to the iPhone and iPad, Apple is second place for the entire mobile processor market just behind industry leader Intel, and in 2012, Apple will likely capture the top spot in terms of unit shipments. In-Stat also says that the release of Windows 8 later this year will be a pivotal point in the competition between the ARM and x86 processor architectures. -- Posted Wednesday, March 28, 2012 by chb

Apple sells 3 million new iPads in 3 days!
Apple announced it has sold three million new iPads in the first three days of its official release on March 16, 2012. That's roughly ten times as many as Apple sold of the original iPad during its first few days. [See Apple press release] -- Posted Tuesday, March 20, 2012 by chb

The new iPad -- First impressions
On Friday, March 16, 2012, at 9:30AM, Fedex delivered our two new iPads. The Fedex guy actually gave us three packages by mistake. We get a lot of stuff via Fedex, but since all three looked the same, I checked and saw that this was probably a third iPad. I called after the departing Fedex guy. "You saved me life," he told me as I handed him the third package back. [read more] -- Posted Sunday, March 18, 2012 by chb

Socket Mobile launches Apple-certified 1D barcode scanner
Socket Mobile announced that the Socket Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) 7Ci barcode scanner has been certified by Apple for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The pocket-size, lightweight CHS 7Ci uses long-range Bluetooth to connect to the Apple devices, creating a general purpose data collection solution for the mobile workforce. [See 7Ci scanner product page] -- Posted Sunday, March 18, 2012 by chb

When our new iPads shipped
We ordered two new iPads (one black, one white, both 64k and AT&T) on March 7, 2012, the day the new iPad was announced. The black one shipped March 10 and the white one on March 12, both marked for delivery on March 16. -- Posted Wednesday, March 14, 2012 by chb

New Apple iPad: dual/quad-core, retina display, 4G, 1080p video, iSight cameras, voice dictation
Apple announced the new iPad with a 2048 x 1536 pixel "retina" display, a A5X quad-core processor, iSight camera technology similar to the iPhone 4s, 1080p video, voice dictation, Bluetooth 4.0, and 4G LTE. The new iPad looks very much like current models, but weighs a bit more than the iPad 2 (1.4 lbs). Battery life will remain at 10 hours for general use and, amazingly, 9 hours on 4G. Pricing remains at the same level (i.e. US$499 ($629 with 4G) for 16GB models; US$599 ($729 with 4G) for 16GB models; and US$699 ($829 with 4G) for 64GB models). The iPad 2 remans available with lowered prices. Apple also introduced iPhoto for iPad and a new 1080p-capable Apple TV (US$99). -- Posted Thursday, March 8, 2012 by chb

Panasonic shows 5-inch IP57-rated smartphone
After prolonged silence from Panasonic in the smartphone space, the company showed the Panasonic Eluga Power at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona. There's plenty of power with a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, Android 4.0, as well as the obligatory 8mp camera, 1080p video, secondary front camera, speedy wireless and microSD card slot. What's interesting is the giant, for a phone, 5-inch 1280 x 720 pixel screen, larger than many automotive GPS units, and as large as "tweener" devices between phones and tablets were just a year ago. Time for bigger pockets. The other interesting thing is that the Eluga Power is IP57 rated, which the press release considers dust and waterproof (IP67 would be much better, as IP57 still permits limited dust ingress, which could not possibly make it waterproof). [See Panasonic press release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 29, 2012 by chb

Socket Mobile introduces low-cost barcode scanner for Apple devices
Socket Mobile announced the upcoming availability of the Socket Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) 7Ci, a low-cost barcode scanner for the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The CHS 7Ci expands upon Socket Mobile's CHS Series 7 line of barcode scanners by providing an affordable option for reading 1D barcodes into Apple devices that is also backed by an optional software development kit. The CHS 7Ci is expected to be available in Q2 2012 following certification by Apple at an MSRP of US$260. [See Socket Mobile scanners] -- Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 by chb

Apple posts record results
Apple's Q4 2011 financials may well go down in history. Apple's stock is at US$450 (as of January 25, 2012), Apple's market value is US$420 billion, highest in the world. Q4 2011 revenue was at US$46.3 billion, with a record profit of US$13.06 billion. Apple sold 37 million iPhones, up 128% from a year ago. Apple also sold 15.4 million iPads, up 111%, and Mac sales also rose 26% to 5.2 million units. On top, Apple has no debts and almost US$98 billion in cash. -- Posted Wednesday, January 25, 2012 by chb

3M introduces 3M SmartPen
Capacitive touch screens have taken the world by storm, but unless they are combined with some sort of active pen technology, they rely on finger input, and that may not always be enough. You can buy pens, but none that we have tried work very well. Well, 3M Touch Systems has now introduced the 3M Smart Pen that's supposed to provide the accuracy other capacitive pens are lacking. [See 3M Smart Pen] -- Posted Friday, January 13, 2012 by chb

iPad continues to dominate in Q3 of 2011
It's almost two years after the iPad's introduction, and Apple's blockbuster tablet continues to rule. According to IDC, Apple sold 11.1 million iPads in Q3 of 2011 for a 61% market share. That's compared to a combined total of just six million for all Android tablets combined, for a 32.4% share, down from 33.2% in Q3 of 2010. Android, though, seems poised to benefit from the new generation of hybrid tablet/book readers such as the Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble Nook that may boost Android market share over 40%. -- Posted Tuesday, December 27, 2011 by chb

Tablet survey says connection speed is everything
European network solutions provider Brocade research suggests that while 85% of consumers in their survey use their smartphones or tablets to do their holiday shopping, almost 70% were only prepared to wait a maximum of 20 seconds for a web page to load before going to another retailer. And 13% said they'd only wait a maximum of five seconds for a retailer's web page to load before giving up and trying another site. [See Brocade press release] -- Posted Sunday, December 18, 2011 by chb

DisplaySearch predicts curved cover glass on high-end touch screens
DisplaySearch predicts that curved cover glass on projected capacitive touch screens will become a differentiating feature in high-end models. Curved or shaped cover glass--referred to as 2.5D if along one axis and 3D if along both axes--is a new design trend. Due to its more complicated processes and costs, the ability to handle cover glass finishing will be an increasingly strategic issue for the industry. This and other findings are described in the DisplaySearch 2011 Touch Panel Market Analysis. -- Posted Thursday, October 27, 2011 by chb

A peculiar Apple patent award
On October 25, 2011, Apple was awarded US patent #8,046,721 (see here for "A device with a touch-sensitive display may be unlocked via gestures performed on the touch-sensitive display. The device is unlocked if contact with the display corresponds to a predefined gesture for unlocking the device. The device displays one or more unlock images with respect to which the predefined gesture is to be performed in order to unlock the device." It's peculiar because Neonode used swiping and that unlock feature in its Neonode N1 that came out in 2002. We did a full review of the N1 in early 2006 (see here) and described the unlock feature like this: "To give you an idea of how this works, once you turn the phone on, you'll be greeted by the "locked" symbol. After all, you wouldn't want random touch to generate commands or calls. A set of small triangle arrows show where and in what direction to swipe to unlock the phone." So on the surface it looks like Neonode used the swiping before Apple even applied for the patent in December of 2005. -- Posted Wednesday, October 26, 2011 by chb

Global tablet shipments 18.7 million in Q3 of 2011
According to Digitimes Research, gobal tablet PC shipments reached 18.7 million units in the third quarter, with Apple iPad shipments accounting for 13 million units of that. Non-iPad tablet PCs suffered from high inventory issues in the third quarter and many new tablet PC product launches have been delayed. In terms of components, for tablet PC CPUs, Nvidia has become the second-largest supplier in terms of shipments with Texas Instruments dropping to fourth. As for ODMs, Inventec is currently the second-largest with Quanta Computer dropping to fifth. -- Posted Wednesday, October 19, 2011 by chb

Should I get the new iPhone 4S?
My wife and I write about technology for a living, and so it behooves us to stay up-to-date and always carry around the latest and greatest. Yet, I still have my old iPhone 3GS, and my wife hasn't yet complained about her lowly 3G. Truth be told, what both of us anticipated more than the new iPhone was getting off the AT&T contract. We're both off contract now, so that's good. However, why is it that we're told new phones are subsidized and are essentially paid off during that 2-year contract commitment when the charges stay the same when the contract ends? That's as if you're paying the bank a monthly sum for your mortgage, taxes and maintenance, and then the bank continues to charge you the same when the mortgage is paid off! [Read more...] -- Posted Friday, October 7, 2011 by chb

Goodbye, Steve. Thanks for everything!
Steve Jobs has died at the far-too-young age of 56. There will never be another like him. The impact Steve had not only on technology, but on our lives in general, was monumental. Thanks for everything, Steve. We'll miss you more than you'll ever know. -- Posted Wednesday, October 5, 2011 by chb

Apple announces iPhone 4S
Apple ended months of speculation by introducing the iPhone 4S. It looks virtually identical to the iPhone 4, but has a faster Apple A5 dual core chip, up to 8 hours talk time (6 hours browsing), an 8mp camera with a wide angle F2.4 lens with five elements and digital image stabilization that can also do 1080p video. A new "Siri" voice assistant acts as sort of an intelligent agent, conjuring up memories of Newton Intelligence. The iPhone 4S can handle GSM or CDMA networks and auto-switches between two antennas for better voice quality. Pre-orders begin October 7 for a October 14 release on AT&T, Verizon and, new, Sprint. With the usual 2-year contracts, the iPhone 4S will be available with 16GB (US$199), 32GB (US$299), and 64GB (US$399). [See iPhone 4S tech specs] -- Posted Tuesday, October 4, 2011 by chb

EMEA tablet shipments robust
According to IDC, media tablets did well in the EMEA market during the second quarter of 2011. The Apple iPad maintained and enforced its leading position with a 67% market share, followed by Samsung with 7% and Acer with 6.1%. Q2 tablet shipments were up 82% on the previous quarter and grew to over 4.4 million units. -- Posted Tuesday, September 20, 2011 by chb

United Airlines launches paperless flight deck with 11,000 iPads
United Continental Holding announced that it is converting to paperless flight decks and deploying 11,000 iPads to all United and Continental pilots. The electronic flight bags (EFB) replace paper flight manuals, and as a first for major network carriers, provide pilots with paperless aeronautical navigational charts through an iPad app. Distribution of iPads began earlier this month, and all pilots will have them by year end. -- Posted Wednesday, August 24, 2011 by chb

Apple global smartphone leader Q2, 2011
According to IHS iSuppli, global smartphone shipments for Q2 2011 had Apple leading with 20.3 million and 18.4% marketshare, ahead of Samsung (19.6 million, 17.8%), Nokia (16.7 million, 15.1%), RIM (13.2 million, 12.0%), HTC (12 million, 10.8%), and Motorola (4.4 million, 4.0%). -- Posted Thursday, August 18, 2011 by chb

Apple now most valuable company in the world
On Tuesday, August 9, 2011, Apple became the most valuable company in the world in terms of market capitalization, replacing Exxon. Who'd have thought this would happen just 14 years after the company seemed doomed and headed for extinction. -- Posted Wednesday, August 10, 2011 by chb

Rugged ToughShell for iPhone 4: protection on the job
The folks at Speck Products, who already make the ToughSkin cases for iPhones, introduced the impressive ToughShell for iPhone 4. It's a three-layer silicone & TPE & Polycarbonate affair that provides maximum protection. For US$49.95 it's easy insurance against breaking your iPhone 4 on the job! [See ToughShell for iPhone 4 product page] -- Posted Sunday, August 7, 2011 by chb

Android grabs almost 50% worldwide smartphone share, Apple leading vendor
Canalys published its worldwide country-level Q2 2011 smart phone market estimates, showing substantial market growth in all regions. The market grew 73% year-on-year, with over 107.7 million units shipping in Q2 2011. Of 56 countries Canalys tracks, Android led in 35, with a global market share of 48%. Asia Pacific remained the largest regional market, with 39.8 million units, compared with 35.0 million in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and 32.9 million in the Americas. Android-based smart phone shipments were up 379% over a year ago to 51.9 million. Apple shipped 20.3 million iPhones for a 19% market share, passing Nokia’s Symbian for second place worldwide. Apple also became the world’s leading individual smart phone vendor, stripping Nokia of its long-held leadership position. -- Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 by chb

Android tops US smartphones, but Apple #1 manufacturer
According to Nielsen, as of June 2011, Android made up for 39% of all US smartphone subscribers, topping Apple's 28%. Apple, however, is by far the #1 manufacturer with 28%, leading RIM and HTC with 20%, Motorola with 11% and Samsung with 10%. Windows Mobile/Windows Phone 7 only has 9% of the market, and HP and Nokia 2% each. [See Nielsen blog] -- Posted Friday, July 29, 2011 by chb

Apple iOS stats
In a July 7, 2011 press release, Apple announced that there now are more than 200 million iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users worldwide, more than 425,000 apps available, more than 100,000 native iPad apps, Apple has paid more than US$2.5 billion to developers, and more than 15 billion apps have been downloaded. Apple sure has come a long way since cartoonist Garry Trudeau relentlessly ridiculed the Newton. -- Posted Friday, July 8, 2011 by chb

iPad increasingly used by military
In an article entitled "The iPad goes to war," InfoWorld executive editor Galen Gruman discusses how military manufacturer Harris Corporation has been pitching the use of Apple iPads in all sorts of battlefield applications, doing the job done up to now by more expensive dedicated rugged gear. That's because the iPad is inexpensive, troops are familiar with the technology, and Apple designed the tablet to work in many environments (plus, presumably, the elegance and ease of use of the tablet). This is absolutely a trend to be watched by makers of ruggedized equipment. [See iPad goes to war] -- Posted Friday, July 8, 2011 by chb

comScore: Android widens lead, RIM drops to third
comScore has reported key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending May 2011. The 3-month moving average of the 77 million US smartphone subscribers showed Anrdoid in the lead with 38.1% (up 5.1 from three months ago), Apple second with 26.6% (up 1.4), RIM dropping to third with 24.7% (down 4.2), Microsoft 5th with 5.8% (down 1.9), and Palm 2.4% (down 0.4). -- Posted Wednesday, July 6, 2011 by chb

Apple scores very broad patent
Apple was awarded US Patent 7,966,578 on June 21, 2011 for "A computer-implemented method, for use in conjunction with a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, comprises displaying a portion of page content, including a frame displaying a portion of frame content and also including other content of the page, on the touch screen display. An N-finger translation gesture is detected on or near the touch screen display. In response, the page content, including the displayed portion of the frame content and the other content of the page, is translated to display a new portion of page content on the touch screen display. An M-finger translation gesture is detected on or near the touch screen display, where M is a different number than N. In response, the frame content is translated to display a new portion of frame content on the touch screen display, without translating the other content of the page." That's just the abstract. The full patent reads like a massive, dense legal document. What it says, in essence, is that Apple now owns multi-touch on mobile devices, and then some. -- Posted Wednesday, June 22, 2011 by chb

Verizon drops unlimited, jacks up prices
Verizon will have no one to blame than itself for its less than spectacular showing with the iPhone. The company is terminating its unlimited US$30 data plan, replacing it with just 2GB for the same amount, adding much more expensive plans ($50 for 5GB, $80 for 10GB), with $10 overage fees for every GB, and an extra $20 for 2GB of tethering data. As much as we take issue with AT&T's own data strategy, Verizon's unfortunate greed will work in AT&T's favor. -- Posted Wednesday, June 22, 2011 by chb

Android drops, iOS rises in Q1 2011
IDC data suggests that Android's U.S. smartphone market share dropped from 52.4% in Q4 2010 to 49.5% in Q1 2011, making it the first-ever sequential Android drop in any region. Apple's iOS increased its U.S. share to 29.5%. -- Posted Wednesday, June 22, 2011 by chb

Reynolds launches CRM solution for the iPad
The Reynolds and Reynolds Company announced the launch of dealerPAD, a mobile version of the Reynolds Contact Management solution developed for use on the Apple iPad. dealerPAD will be offered as an additional benefit at no charge to Reynolds Contact Management customers, which is one of the most comprehensive and widely used customer relationship management (CRM) tools for car dealerships. Based on our own experiences with buying cars, do dealerships ever need this! -- Posted Friday, June 3, 2011 by chb

PhatWare releases WritePad 5 for iPhone
Following the launch of the major new version of WritePad for iPad last month, PhatWare has released an update of WritePad for iPhone to bring the same powerful features, including synchronization of WritePad documents with Evernote. WritePad is PhatWare’s popular note taking and handwriting recognition software for iPad and iPhone devices. -- Posted Tuesday, May 17, 2011 by chb

IDC: Smartphone market grows 80% Q1 2011 vs Q1 2010
IDC reports that the worldwide smartphone market Q1 2011 grew 80% compared to Q1 2010, to about 100 million units. Nokia held on to the largest market share with 24.3%, Apple (18.7%) passed RIM (14.0%) for second place, Samsung was fourth with 10.8% and vaulted to 5th with 8.9%. -- Posted Thursday, May 5, 2011 by chb

White iPhone 4
Apple announced that the long-awaited white iPhone 4 is now available. We're not quite sure why that is such a big deal, but apparently it is. -- Posted Sunday, May 1, 2011 by chb

Should I upgrade my iPhone and iPad?
I really can't live without my iPhone and iPad. And as a professional publisher, writer and editor, I pride myself in always having, and knowing about, the latest gear. So it's pretty strange that I still have a lowly iPhone 3Gs and a first generation iPad. I mean, the iPhone 4 has been out forever, and there's already plenty of buzz about the iPhone 5. And the second gen iPad has also been out of a while. So what's going here? [read more] -- Posted Friday, April 29, 2011 by chb

Nokia outsources Symbian, cuts more staff
As Finnish phone maker Nokia begins its transition to Windows Phone 7, the company is transferring 3,000 Symbian employees to consulting firm Accenture which will take over support of the Symbian platform. Nokia will cut another 4,000 staff by the end of 2012, with most of the reductions affecting staff in Finland, Denmark and the UK. -- Posted Wednesday, April 27, 2011 by chb

Is the race for media tablet supremacy already over? Many developers think so
Who could forget Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stomping around the stage and yelling "developers, developers, developers!" at conferences in the mid-2000s (see Balmer developers spoof video on YouTube)? Well, according to the Appcelerator/IDC Mobile Developer Report, April 2011, the developers have spoken and the news isn't at all good for Microsoft, and not even that good for Android. [read more] -- Posted Tuesday, April 26, 2011 by chb

Verizon sells 2.2 million iPhones first two weeks
Verizon announced it has sold 2.2 million iPhones in its first two weeks of availability. Of those about 3/4 were upgrades from existing customers and about 1/4 were new Verizon customers. Verizon also said that about 60% of the phones it sold during the last quarter were smartphones. -- Posted Thursday, April 21, 2011 by chb

Gartner forecast on smartphone OS market share
Since phones have become little computers and are in many ways replacing more conventional computers, what happens on phones is important to the computer industry, and especially mobile computing. While the definition of "smartphone" compared to a regular cellphone remains fluid, research and analyst firm Gartner says worldwide smartphone sales will be 468 million in 2011, up 58% from 2010. By 2015, Gartner sees 1.1 billion. Of major OS platforms, Gartner predicts leader Symbian vanishing (2010: 37.6%, 2015: 0.1%). Android's share rises from 38.5% this year to half of all smartphones, but then stays there. That's primarily because Microsoft will make a comeback, from about 5% now to almost 20% in 2015, largely due to Nokia switching to WIndows Phone 7. Apple's iOS has almost 20% in 2011, and will remain more or less steady through 2015 (17.2%). RIM, despite a migration to QNX, will decline from 16% in 2010 to just 11% in 2015. Our take: If these numbers are on the mark, then vertical market handhelds, which are now all Microsoft-based, may still have a migration path rather than a forced switch to Android. [See Gartner release on smartphone OS market] -- Posted Friday, April 8, 2011 by chb

iPad 2 causing competition to postpone launches
According to DigiTimes, Apple's announcement of the iPad 2 is causing several notebook brand vendors to postpone their own tablet models as the iPad 2's low US$499 price is hard to meet or beat, and higher cost models could not compete. Digitimes' sources pointed out that tablet PCs will need to be priced below US$399 to have chance to enter the tablet PC battlefield, and none of the current Wintel or ARM/Android platform are capable of achieving such a price level. -- Posted Tuesday, March 8, 2011 by chb

Apple's iPad 2 -- Upping the ante
Here's a more detailed explanation of theApple iPad 2 and our assessment of it: iPad 2 -- Upping the ante -- Posted Thursday, March 3, 2011 by chb

iPad 2 available March 11, 2011
Steve Jobs announced the iPad 2 on March 2. The new model looks almost exactly the same, but is considerably thinner (0.35 vs 0.5 inches) and weighs less (1.3 lbs. vs 1.5 lbs.). It will be powered by a 1GHz dual core Apple A5 processor that, according to Jobs, is twice as fast and offers 9x graphics performance. There are now two cameras (VGA in the front, 720p in the rear), a gyroscope for additional functionality, the 25 watt-hour (unchanged) battery will last the same ten hours, there's HDMI-out via a cable, and the iPad 2 comes in black or white, and in AT&T and Verizon versions. No word on cost of data plans, no obvious changes in the display, and no dual speakers. Pricing remains exactly the same as for the original iPad: US$499 (16GB), US$599 (32GB), US$699 (64GB) for the WiFi-ony versions, and US$130 more for 3G versions. Apple also announced iMovie, and GarageBand for iPad (US$4.95 each). [See iPad 2 specs and see how the iPad 2 compares to the competition.

-- Posted Wednesday, March 2, 2011 by chb

Nokia and Microsoft announce partnership
Nokia and Microsoft announced plans to form what they call "a broad strategic partnership that would use their complementary strengths and expertise to create a new global mobile ecosystem." Under the proposed partnership, Nokia would adopt Windows Phone as its principal smartphone strategy, help drive the future of Windows Phone, do joint marketing with Microsoft, use Bing (but Nokia Maps), integrate Nokia's app store with Microsoft Marketplace, and use Microsoft development tools. Our take: A big announcement and a big risk for Nokia, which for now still is the world's largest cellphone vendor, but has no traction in smartphones. So the question becomes whether a struggling OS and a struggling hardware maker add up to a winning formula. [See Nokia press release] -- Posted Friday, February 11, 2011 by chb

Verizon iPhone now on sale
AT&T's iPhone monopoly is officially over. As of February 10, 2011, the iPhone is available for the Verizon network. The phone looks the same, though there are some small details outside that are different. Inside, the radio is all different as Verizon uses CDMA technology instead of AT&T's GSM. Pricing isn't very different, and Verizon also requires a costly 2-year contract. -- Posted Thursday, February 10, 2011 by chb

iPhone on Verizon!
AT&T's US iPhone monopoly is over. On January 11, 2011, Verizon announced it will carry the iPhone starting February 10, 2011. No 4G, though, and being on the CDMA network will no doubt have its issues as well (most notably far less coverage outside the US). Jon Stewart hilariously lampooned the situation on his show (see Daily Show on Verizon iPhone on YouTube] -- Posted Wednesday, January 12, 2011 by chb

Nielsen: iOS now #1 in US
According to a report released by Nielsen, the Apple iOS has passed BlackBerry to be the #1 ranked smartphone OS in the US in November 2010. Apple;s iOS had 28.6% market share, BlackBerry 26.1%, and the hard charging Android 25.8%. Back in June of 2010, BlackBerry was still on top with 33.9%, Apple had 27.9%, and Android 15%. These numbers suggest that Android's growth primarily comes at BlackBerry's expense. [See report] -- Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 by chb

eMarketer predicts massive growth in tablet market
According to eMarketer, the worldwide market for tablets will more than quadruple in the next two years. According to their data, 13.3 million iPads will be sold in 2010 (of a total of 15.7 million total tablets). For 2011, eMarketer predicts 43.6 million tablets (34 million of them iPads), and for 2012 81.3 million (56.1 million iPads). Those are massive numbers indeed, and it'll be interesting to see if it all comes to pass. [See eMarketer article] -- Posted Friday, December 17, 2010 by chb

iPad on the Road -- Part V
Another road trip for the iPad. Carol and I flew to Tennessee for an extended Thanksgiving weekend, which meant I had to take along my electronic gear. We both packed our iPads, cameras, iPhones, and I also took along my big MacBook Pro. ... [read more...] -- Posted Wednesday, December 15, 2010 by chb

New study on mobile data usage: Android uses more than iPhone
Network management solutions provider Arieso conducted a series of studies, comparing subscriber demand for mobile data, that shows that different users and different devices exhibit markedly different demands on mobile networks. For example, iPhone 4 users are more hungry for data than their iPhone3G counterparts, typically making 44% more data calls, downloading 41% more data to their devices, and spending 67% more time connected to the network for data. However, Arieso's analysis also showed that Android devices have higher data call volumes, time connected to the network, and data volume uploaded and downloaded than both the iPhone3G and iPhone 4. [See Arieso summary]. -- Posted Thursday, December 9, 2010 by chb

Wyse to showcase PocketCloud
Wyse Technology announced today it will showcase Wyse PocketCloud for Android and Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch at VMware vForum 2010 Tokyo. PocketCloud allows IT administrators and end users to securely access their PC and virtual desktops remotely through their iOS or Android device. -- Posted Friday, November 5, 2010 by chb

Android grabs larger share of US smartphone market
The NPD Group reports that thanks to continued high-profile handset introductions, the Android smartphone OS significantly grew its lead in the U.S. consumer smartphone market in Q3 2010. The Android OS was installed in 44% of all smartphones purchased in Q3, an increase of 11% since Q2; Apple iOS held relatively steady versus last quarter, rising one percentage point to 23%; RIM OS, fell to third, declining from 28% to 22%. Apple's iPhone4 remains the best-selling smartphone, followed by the BlackBerry Curve 8500 and the LG Cosmos. [Read NPD Group release] -- Posted Monday, November 1, 2010 by chb

AmpliTube 2 for iPhone

This impressive looking setup shows the screens and functionality available through the AmpliTube 2 for iPhone app by IK Multimedia. It's a major update to perhaps the leading guitar and music creation app on the iOS platform. Combined with the iRig interface adapter, AmpliTube 2 for iPhone allows users to play, practice and record anytime and anywhere with world-class sound for guitar and bass -- but also for any other type of instrument. [See features] -- Posted Thursday, October 28, 2010 by chb

Verizon starts selling iPad
Beginning October 28, 2010, Verizon Wireless will offer the Apple iPad at any of the more than 2,000 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores nationwide. Verizon Wireless will offer three bundles, all featuring an iPad Wi-Fi model and a Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, for a suggested retail price of $629 for iPad Wi-Fi 16 GB + MiFi, $729 for iPad Wi-Fi 32 GB + MiFi, and $829 for iPad Wi-Fi 64 GB + MiFi. Verizon Wireless is offering a monthly access plan to customers who purchase an iPad with a MiFi beginning at 1 GB of data for $20 monthly access. In addition, Verizon Wireless will also offer all three iPad Wi-Fi models on a stand-alone basis. -- Posted Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by chb

Kodak releases iPad app
KODAK Gallery announced the release of a new application for the Apple iPad. The Gallery HD iPad App for KODAK Gallery is an easy-to-use application designed to help users upload, browse and share photos stored on the KODAK Gallery Photo Service directly on the iPad. -- Posted Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by chb

275,000 iOS activations per day now
During Apple's 10/18/2010 quarterly earnings call, Steve Jobs said Apple has been activating 275,000 iOS devices per day as of late, and there are now over 300,000 apps in the App Store. Apple also announced it sold 14.1 million iPhones in the quarter, way more than the old record of 8.87 million. -- Posted Tuesday, October 19, 2010 by chb

iPad component supply improves
According to iSuppli, iPad component availability is improving so that iSuppli's iPad shipping forecast for 2010 is now 13.8 million units, up from their 12.9 million estimate in July of 2010. Apple announced it sold 4.2 million iPads during the quarter ending September 25, 2010. iSuppli estimates that Apple will sell almost 44 million iPads in 2011 and 63 million in 2012. [See iSuppli press release] -- Posted Tuesday, October 19, 2010 by chb

Huge demand for tablets expected
According to cens.com, Topology Research Institute (TRI) projects iPads to account for 70% of global tablet PC shipment of 37 million units in 2011 and help fuel demand for tablet PCs overall. Demand for such devices is expected to hit 130 million units by 2015, or 34%, of total notebook PC shipments expected that year. [See iPad-Killers Take Aim at the Tablet PC Market] -- Posted Tuesday, October 5, 2010 by chb

Mercedes Benz equips all dealerships with iPads
Mercedes-Benz Financial announced that it is distributing the 3G version of the Apple iPad to the entire Mercedes-Benz U.S. dealer network, giving all 355 dealers instant mobile access to its proprietary dealer point-of-sale system called MB Advantage. -- Posted Tuesday, October 5, 2010 by chb

How Apple clobbers the competition
MarketWatch published an excellent description and analysis of Apple's phenomenal success with a modest lineup of just four product lines (iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad). [Read article] -- Posted Monday, September 27, 2010 by chb

Legacy pub calls iPad "long in the tooth"
Legacy computing publication PCWorld, who knows a thing or two about having been around the block a time or three, called the Apple iPad "already long in the tooth" and "creaky." What incensed the venerable tech pub so? The usual old complaints about the iPad: no camera, weighs more than some Android tablet with a 7-inch screen (duuh!), no Flash, and less RAM memory than the Galaxy Tabd tablet. [See "Apple iPad Already Long in the Tooth"] -- Posted Wednesday, September 15, 2010 by chb

Hotel group to provide in-room iPads
Morgans Hotel Group, a boutique hotel company, announced its plans to provide guests at its Royalton hotel with custom Apple iPads as an unprecedented supplement to its concierge program. This new initiative launches during New York Fashion Week and will continue indefinitely, with plans to embellish the unique features and content in the months to come. -- Posted Wednesday, September 15, 2010 by chb

iSuppli: Apple will dominate tablet market through 2012
According to a report by iSuppli Market Research, Apple is expected to dominate the tablet market at least through 2012. In 2010, the iPad accounts for 74% of all tablet shipments, with the remainder older-style Tablet PCs and competing ablets. In 2011, even with the advent of competition, the iPad is expected to maintain 70% of the market. In 2012, the iPad's share is still expected to be over 60%. iSuppli also says that it took iPhone competitors about three years to come up with truly competitive products. [See iSuppli release] -- Posted Thursday, August 26, 2010 by chb

Electric vehicle designer incorporates iPad
Why design an expensive custom onboard information system when an iPad can do? That's the approach avant-garde electric vehicle manufacturer T3 Motion takes by incorporating the iPad into its sleek GT3 as " the central information hub in the vehicle for everything from travel planning and GPS to audio, video and games." -- Posted Tuesday, August 3, 2010 by chb

How Antennagate will Impact Apple
Amidst all the hysterics on Apple's issues with the antenna in the iPhone 4 comes an authoritative opinion, that of Creative Strategies' Tim Bajarin. Tim, like myself, has actually been in several anechoic testing chambers and knows how to differentiate technology from media frenzy. [Read How Antennagate will Impact Apple"] -- Posted Monday, August 2, 2010 by chb

Infoworld: iOS 4 decisively beats Android 2.2
In a comprehensive feature entitled "Mobile deathmatch: Apple iOS 4 vs. Android 2.2", Infoworld concluded that "iOS 4 beats Android OS 2.2 in almost every category." iOS earned an overall 8.0 "very good" score whereas Android 2.2 received only a 6.1 rating and "fair" score. -- Posted Wednesday, July 21, 2010 by chb

iPad on the Road -- Part IV
And yet another trip with the iPad. This time a 10-day product review trip to the Honduran island of Roatan. I took along all my dive gear, as well as a boatload of underwater cameras, both of the still and video variety, so luggage space was at a premium... [read more] -- Posted Wednesday, July 21, 2010 by chb

PC World removes iPhone 4 from Top-10 chart
Legacy tech pub PC World has removed the iPhone 4 from its Top 10 Cell Phones chart, accusing the best-selling Apple product of "faulty hardware." [See PC World's announcement] -- Posted Wednesday, July 21, 2010 by chb

Socket introduces low-cost barcode scanners for iPad, iPhone, Ipod touch
Socket Mobile announced its new line of wireless barcode scanners designed specifically to work with the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The Socket Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) Series 7, starting at US$395, is a lightweight, pocket-sized barcode scanner with a range of up to 330 feet designed for healthcare, hospitality, retail and field service. -- Posted Tuesday, July 20, 2010 by chb

Monthly iPad orders over 2 million units
According to Digitimes Research, monthly iPad orders to Taiwan makers surpassed two million units for July, and volumes are expected to be as high or higher in the future. -- Posted Friday, July 9, 2010 by chb

Rapid growth predicted for tablets
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal and several other news sources, Barclay Capital predicted tablet unit sales of 15 million this year and almost 30 million in 2011, and that those sales will impact the netbook market. Barclay also suggested that strong tablet sales will benefit Google with its Android OS, companies that offer ARM-based processors, potentially HP with its newly acquired WebOS software technology, and, of course, Apple. Microsoft, on the other hand, may suffer a weakening of its long-held dominance in OS software, and Dell also may find the tablet market difficult. [See WSJ article] -- Posted Thursday, July 8, 2010 by chb

Apple sells 1.7 million iPhones in 3 days
Apple said it has sold 1.7 million iPhone 4 smartphones during the new phone’s first three days of availability, even with some consumers being unable to get a phone due to a lack of supply. This makes the iPhone 4 launch Apple's most successful product launch ever. [Read Apple press release] -- Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2010 by chb

Summary for you: Apple iOS 4
Apple's latest version of the iPhone OS, iOS 4, adds a number of handy new features that should appeal to almost everyone. David MacNeill describes all new features and recommends the upgrade to anyone with an iPhone 3/3GS or second gen iPod touch. [Read Apple iOS 4 on iPhone 3GS] -- Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2010 by chb

Can the iPhone 4 take pictures like a "real" camera?
Can a top-of-the-line smartphone like the Apple iPhone 4 take pictures as a "real" camera? To see if people can detect the difference, Washington Post blogger Rob Pegoraro took a series of shots with the iPhone 4 and also with a three year old digital camera. Much commentary ensued, and Pegoraro will publish the results later. [See "Can you tell an iPhone 4 photo from a 'real' camera's?"] -- Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2010 by chb

3 million iPads sold in 80 days
Apple says it has sold three million iPads, which means three million in the 80 days that the iPad has been available. Not bad considering that analysts predicted that perhaps two million iPads would be sold the whole first year. Then again, those guys hardly ever get things right. -- Posted Tuesday, June 22, 2010 by chb

600,000 iPhone 4 orders on first day
Apple apologized for a balky order process, and stated that 600,000 orders had been filed for the iPhone 4 on the first day. -- Posted Thursday, June 17, 2010 by chb

iPad on the Road -- Part III
Right on the heels of my last European trip, the iPad accompanied me on a very different kind of journey, a five-day dive trip to the California Channel Islands. That meant eight hours on the road each way to and from Santa Barbara, and the three days on the good ship Conception, an 80-foot dive vessel. [read more...] -- Posted Thursday, June 17, 2010 by chb

Altek releases 3.5G phone with 14mp CCD camera
Taiwanese Altek Corporation announced the launch of the Leo, a combination of 14-megapixel camera with a true 1/2.3-inch CCD imager (virtually all cameras in phones use CMOS imagers) with a 3.5G (HSDPA) smartphone based on the Android OS. The Leo has WiFi, a 480 x 800 pixel optically treated 3.2-inch multi-touch LCD, Xenon flash, LED illuminator, a 3X optical zoom that starts at 36mm equivalent, and can do 720p HD video with H.264 compression. According to Altek, the camera uses their own "Sunny 9" processor. Available later this year, products like the Altek Leo will face one big question: do consumers want a full-function camera in their phone, or will they continue to uses separate devices. [Read Altek press release and description] -- Posted Wednesday, June 16, 2010 by chb

Apple unveils the iPhone 4
As expected, at WWDC10 in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone 4. It's a very handsome stainless steel/glass affair barely more than a third of an inch thick. Its display has four times the resolution of the iPhone 3GS (640 x 960 vs 320 x 480), the main camera is now 5-megapixel, there's a front-facing VGA second camera for video conferencing (via WiFi only for now), there's HD video recording, the same speedy Apple A4 processor as in the iPad, and a LED flash. The addition of a 3-axis gyro adds to the iPhone 4's awareness of motion and direction, and the battery is good for 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video. The 16GB model will cost US$199, the 32GB version US$299. Pre-ordering will start June 15. Oh, and Apple now calls the iPhone OS iOS, and no word on relief from the AT&T monopoly or on the latest AT&T rate plan atrocities. [See iPhone 3 vs 4 comparison] -- Posted Monday, June 7, 2010 by chb

Wall Street Journal interviews Steve Jobs on the iPad
The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article in the form of a Q&A session between the Journal's Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, and Steve Jobs. In it, Jobs talks about his approach to tablets, how it relates to Microsoft's, and how the tablet actually began before the iPhone. [Read article at the WSJ] -- Posted Monday, June 7, 2010 by chb

iPad on the Road - Part II
Back from a 3-1/2-day intercontinental trip that included a 17-hour trip to and a 22-hour trip back from Stockholm, Sweden. I checked what I'd usually consider a carry-on (the airlines don't charge for a checked bag on international routes, yet) and simply took along a shoulder bag just large enough for my MacBook Pro, a camera, the usual assortment of cables and chargers, and my iPad. How did that go? [...more] -- Posted Monday, June 7, 2010 by chb

iPad on the road - Part I
The editor takes his iPad 3G on the road, all the way to Sweden. So can the iPad replace the MacBook that came along as a backup? Can it handle full-blown presentations? Be ready for email and browsing whenever and wherever? Find out. [...more] -- Posted Tuesday, June 1, 2010 by chb

RAM Mount for the Apple iPad
The Apple iPad transcends conventional computing boundaries and classifications. While it is not a rugged or vertical market device, many will use an iPad in addition to their current mobile computing gear, and in quite a few cases, iPads will replace older technology. That's probably why RAM-Mounts has introduced RAM Mounts for the Apple iPad, a series of mounting products designed to mount and take the iPad anywhere. We took a look at RAM's new iPad cradle and mounting solutions for you. [See RAM Mount for iPad] -- Posted Monday, May 24, 2010 by chb

Greenway's Mobile Clinic available on iPhone/iPad/iPod touch
Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc., provider of the integrated, single-database electronic health record (EHR), practice management and interoperability solution PrimeSuite, announced the availability of its remote clinical and financial solution PrimeMobile onto Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. [See PrimeMobile webpage] -- Posted Monday, May 17, 2010 by chb

iPad available in nine more countries on May 28
Apple announced that iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on Friday, May 28. Customers can pre-order all iPad models from Apple's online store in all nine countries beginning on Monday, May 10. In the US, Apple has already sold over one million iPads and customers have downloaded over 12 million apps from the App Store, as well as over 1.5 million ebooks from the new iBookstore. -- Posted Monday, May 10, 2010 by chb

IDC: Smartphone sales, marketshare way up in Q1 2010
According to IDC, the worldwide converged mobile device (smartphone) market grew 56.7% year-over-year in first quarter of 2010, shipping a total of 54.7 million units. That's 18.8% of all mobile phones shipped. As far as Q1 shipping market share goes, Nokia is first with 39.3%, then RIM with 19.4%, apple closing in fast with 16.1%, then HTC with 4.8%, Moto with 4.2%, and the rest (presumably all the Japanese, Taiwanese, Korean and other Asian companies?) with 16.3%. These days, few phones are totally "dumb," so the exact definition of "smartphone" probably has a big impact on the numbers. -- Posted Monday, May 10, 2010 by chb

Windows XP on an iPad? I declare!
What you're seeing in the picture to the right is lots of folks' worst nightmare: Windows XP on an iPad. The real thing and fully functional. How is this possible? With a VNC client (I use VNC Viewer). The iPad is not really running Windows XP, of course; it's just running a piece of software that lets you view, control and use Macs, Linux boxes and, yes, PCs. [more ... -- Posted Saturday, May 8, 2010 by chb

Publishing and the iPad
As a former print publisher, I spent some time comparing different approaches to magazine publishing on the iPad. Given the amount of hype about the iPad being the savior of publishing, I am surprised there is not an iMagazine app or some such. I mean, Apple could take the lead here yet again, creating the iTunes of the magazine world. [more ...] -- Posted Tuesday, May 4, 2010 by chb

iPad after 1 month: 1 million sold, 5,000 apps
The iPad is off to a good start. After just a month, a million have been sold, and there have been over 12 million iPad app downloads. After a month there are almost 5,000 iPad apps, with the number growing rapidly. -- Posted Monday, May 3, 2010 by chb

Jon Stewart's monolog on Apple
The April 28, 2010 Daily Show had anchor Jon Stewart dedicate an entire eight minute monolog on Apple's rather strong reaction to the next gen iPhone episode. Very funny. See it here. -- Posted Monday, May 3, 2010 by chb

End of an era: HP buys Palm
Three weeks after Pen Computing conjectured, "Here's an idea, though: what about using Palm's WebOS as the basis for HP's upcoming iPad competitor? It'll never fly with Windows 7 on it, but with Palm's WebOS....?", HP announced it will acquire Palm for US$1.2 billion. Now this sounds like good news for Palm, but then again, HP is also the company that squandered away the iPAQ brand when it bought Compaq. It seems unlikely that even HP will be able to make much of a dent in the smartphone market with Palm phones, but, again, possibly using webOS for small iPad competitor tablets, that's a different story altogether. -- Posted Wednesday, April 28, 2010 by chb

PayPal launches mobile payments library for developers
PayPal launched the Mobile Payments Library, a new element of the PayPal X payments platform that enables app developers to accept in-app purchases directly via PayPal. This means apps don't need to store customers' personal financial information and customers can purchase goods and services without leaving the app. Very cool. -- Posted Wednesday, April 28, 2010 by chb

Original Newton Notes author Dave MacNeill reviews the iPad
Dave MacNeill, author of the original Newton Notes, is back among the writing after a three-year stint pursuing his interests in music. Dave got himself a 64GB iPad and wrote what may well be the ultimate initial iPad review. "There is one good thing about being a little late to the party: you will always be more sober than everyone else," says Dave as he contemplates Apple's latest contribution to changing the world as we know it. [Read Dave McNeill's full review of the Apple iPad WiFi 64GB] -- Posted Monday, April 26, 2010 by chb

Stating the obvious
"...if Microsoft and its partners hinder these new tablets with a full-blown OS and the standard world of ad-hoc Windows applications and utilities bought from non-homogenous sources, Apple and the iPad will win." (PC Mag columnist Lance Ulanoff in What Microsoft Can Learn from the Apple iPad) -- Posted Thursday, April 22, 2010 by chb

Socket 2D BT scanner to work with Apple iPad
Socket Mobile announced Apple iPad compatibility for the Socket Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) 7X and its antimicrobial equivalent, the CHS 7XRx. Both can combine with the iPad into lightweight, portable, state-of-the-art 2D barcode scanning solutions that fit a diverse set of application requirements in a range of industries including healthcare, hospitality and retail. See the Socket scanners and a demonstration video with the iPad. -- Posted Thursday, April 22, 2010 by chb

Or is the 3G available April 30 after all?
On April 20, 2010, Apple announced that the Wi-Fi + 3G models of the iPad will be delivered to US customers who've pre-ordered on Friday, April 30, and will be available in Apple retail stores the same day starting at 5:00 p.m. -- Posted Wednesday, April 21, 2010 by chb

Hypercom introduces secure payment solution for iPhone
Hypercom unveiled a SmartPayments Mobile payment solutions for merchants with Apple iPhones who need simple, flexible and secure card-present processing capabilities. SThe system features a durable slider case with an encrypted, PCI, PA-DSS certified high security card reader that fully protects the iPhone from scratches and other damage and lets merchants avoid the high cost of "card not present" transaction fees in application-only solutions. [See Smartpayments Mobile for iPhone] -- Posted Tuesday, April 20, 2010 by chb

What if....
What if we came into the possession of a piece of technology that we were quite obviously not supposed to have? Would we take advantage of the situation and report on it? No, we would not. This is not what journalists are supposed to do. It breaks an unwritten code of ethics and a covenant of trust we have with the industry. -- Posted Tuesday, April 20, 2010 by chb

iPad 3G to ship by May 7th
Those who passed on the WiFi-only iPad have to wait a little longer. Originally slated to be available by the end of April, the shipping date listed in the Apple online store is now May 7th. -- Posted Monday, April 19, 2010 by chb

RipCode enables clientless Flash video on the iPad
RipCode, Inc. announced the TransAct Transcoder V6 that can transparently intercept Adobe Flash-based file or live video requests and convert them to a container, video codec, and audio codec accepted by the iPad without the need for any pre-transcoding or device-based client. Since HTML5 is not yet widely adopted. RipCode's Transactional Transcoding platform enables an alternate and immediate solution to this issue, opening up video content to users without requiring the content hoster to move to HTML5 or pre-transcode entire video libraries from Flash to an iPad-accepted container format. [See full release] -- Posted Tuesday, April 13, 2010 by chb

Apple and the media: interesting contemplations
As the iPad begins its journey as perhaps the type of device that can save journalism as we know it, discussion is becoming louder about the potential conflict between unbiased, uncensored journalism and Apple's penchant to control what it does, and does not, allow on its platforms. [Read mediactive.com's Complicating Relationships in Media: Apple, NY Times Dealings Raise Questions] -- Posted Friday, April 9, 2010 by chb

iPhone OS 4.0 announced
At an Apple iPhone event, Steve Jobs said Apple has sold 450,000 iPads, a million iPad apps were downloaded in the first 24 hours, over 600k iBooks in the first few days. iPhone has 64% mobile browser share, over 50 million sold. Jobs presented a preview of iPhone OS 4 that includes multi-tasking (only 3GS and up), folders, unified mailbox and encrypted mail, iBooks for iPhone, game center, and a mixed blessing in iAd mobile advertising. iPhone OS 4 will be available this summer for the iPhone, in the Fall for the iPad. -- Posted Thursday, April 8, 2010 by chb

Initial iPad feedback positive
Most initial feedback on the iPad has been very positive. Many stated it was indeed a new class of device, that battery life was excellent, the device quick and responsive, and the software very cool and innovative. There were also a few complaints. Some felt the display was a fingerprint magnet, some complained about weak WiFi and others about an iffy USB connection that resulted in lengthy charging and syncing. One particularly negative fellow at a former glory pub from the PC era has already demanded a recall. -- Posted Monday, April 5, 2010 by chb

Early iPad sales exceed expectations
Before the iPad was launched, most estimates were for about 300,000 sales the first day. Apparently those estimates were low and now have been revised to 600-700,000 for the initial weekend. -- Posted Monday, April 5, 2010 by chb

WiFi iPad available as of April 3, 2010
Well, the WiFi-only version of the Apple iPad is now available in stores. Those who are holding out for the 3G version will have to wait a few more weeks. The media hype about the iPad is absolutely tremendous, with major newspapers proclaiming the start of the iPad era, articles like "Why the iPad changes everything" and so on. It'll simmer down or there will be a backlash, or not. No one knows. Pen Computing will provide a detailed discussion of the platform as soon as we get our 3G iPad. -- Posted Saturday, April 3, 2010 by chb

iPad developers challenges
cNet ran an interesting article on the challenges the iPad will present to developers. iPhone apps run on the iPad, but they'll look tiny on the much bigger iPad display. Pixel-doubling will make them look clumsy. And creating the same app in two different formats and complexities is costly and may not make commercial sense. [See article] -- Posted Monday, March 15, 2010 by chb

You can now order the iPad
On March 12, 2010, Apple opened iPad ordering. Non-3G iPads will be available April 3rd, 3G models later April. We ordered ours (a 3G 32GB model). -- Posted Friday, March 12, 2010 by chb

iPad impact on healthcare?
Healthcare Technology Online contemplates whether or not the Apple iPad will have an impact in the healthcare sector. There are some compelling pros and cons. [See The Apple iPad's Impact On Healthcare] -- Posted Tuesday, February 23, 2010 by chb

Sybase Mobile University event March 4, 2010
If your company is considering iPhone as an enterprise device, Sybase offers free "Sybase Mobile University" virtual online classes where iPhone experts bring you up to speed on how to overcome challenges when adopting iPhone in the enterprise. By participating in this event, you will also be eligible to win 1 of 5 prizes, consisting of 2 Mini Flip Video Cameras and 3 iPhone Speakers. [Sign up] -- Posted Friday, February 19, 2010 by chb

174 million smartphones shipped in 2009
According to IDC, global 2009 smartphone shipments amounted to 174 million, which is 15% of the total of 1.16 billion mobile phones shipped. In 2008, smartphones accounted for 12.7% of all phones. Of smartphones shipped in 2009, 68 million came from Nokia, 35 million from RIM, and 25 million from Apple. HTC and Samsung each shipped under 8 million. -- Posted Wednesday, February 10, 2010 by chb

After Apple tablet hype, now the backlash
After a year of frenetic hype, it's humorous to now see the Apple iPad iPad dissed and dismissed before anyone has even had a chance to buy one. Sometimes it's hard to see this sort of thing as anything but webpage-filling self promotion. -- Posted Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by chb

Apple: no use of GPS for targeted advertising
Apple announced that third-party iPhone developers will not be able to use the iPhone's GPS feature for targeted ads. The company said that apps that use the Core Location feature for advertising purposes will be rejected. -- Posted Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by chb

Powerful iPhone Apps For Physicians
Healthcare Technology Online Editor In Chief Ken Congdon wrote an interesting article on the emerging class of iPhone apps for physicians. [Read here] -- Posted Thursday, January 28, 2010 by chb

Apple announces the iPad
After months of intense hype and speculation, Apple announced the iPad, a 7.5 x 9.6 inch tablet that's just half an inch thick and weighs just a pound and a half. The iPad has a 9.7-inch 768 x 1024 pixel multi-touch display, runs all iPhone apps and starts at US$499. There are also 3G versions that start at US$629. Apple announced a US$14.99/month limited and a US$29.99/month unlimited plan, without 2-year contract, and the iPad is unlocked. Apple also announced an iBook Store and special iPad versions of the iWorks apps. [Read full description of the new Apple iPad]
-- Posted Wednesday, January 27, 2010 by chb

10 apps for IT administrators
TechRepublic posted a very good article entitled "10 indispensable iPhone apps for IT administrators. [See article] -- Posted Thursday, January 7, 2010 by chb

Doing your taxes on the iPhone
Californians with simple tax returns will be able to do their returns on an iPhone app from Intuit, the folks who make TurboTax. Estimated cost to download the app is $9.99 and includes federal and state tax preparation and e-filing. [See SnapTax demo] -- Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 by chb

3 billion app downloads
Apple said that more than 3 billion apps have been downloaded from its App Store by iPhone and iPod touch users in less than 18 months.
-- Posted Tuesday, January 5, 2010 by chb

AT&T upgrades 3G sites to HSPA 7.2
AT&T announced completion of a software upgrade at 3G cell sites nationwide that deploys High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology across 3G cell sites. The software upgrade prepares the network for faster speeds and increased network efficiency once AT&T combines the new technology with enhanced cell site backhaul connections over the course of 2010 and 2011 for a theoretical peak maximum speeds of 7.2 megabits per second (though actual speeds will be lower). Note that the iPhone 3GS is HSPA 7.2-compatible and capable of the faster speeds enabled by the new technology. -- Posted Tuesday, January 5, 2010 by chb

Raytheon now developing mission software apps for iPhone/iPod Touch
Raytheon has unveiled the first of a series of mission software apps specifically designed for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch and leveraging Apple's rapidly growing mobile content and technologies, such as a compass, global positioning system, accelerometer, 3G networks, Wi-Fi and a multitouch screen. Raytheon said it has developed a situational awareness application based on military messaging standards that provide multimedia access, audio and textual point of interest, free text messaging, collaborative planning, spot reports and emergency call for fire. -- Posted Thursday, December 17, 2009 by chb

3% of iPhone users generate 40% of traffic
The LA Times reports that a mere 3% of very busy iPhone users generate about 40% of the data traffic on the AT&T network. As a result, there's now talk of introducing a pricing system that would penalize heavy data users (and undoubtedly result in higher charges for a lot of regular users). -- Posted Thursday, December 10, 2009 by chb

Fake ratings get app developer yanked
Upon a user report on a large number of bogus reviews for apps by Chinese iPhone app developer Molinker, Apple yanked all of the developer's apps from the app store. Fake app reviews, just like product reviews and blog posts that are really paid commercials, are an increasing problem online, and Apple's step is to be applauded. -- Posted Wednesday, December 9, 2009 by chb

AT&T launches "Mark the Spot" coverage reporting app
AT&T announced the launch of AT&T Mark the Spot, an iPhone app available in the app store that enables customers to quickly and easily provide feedback on AT&T network performance in a specific location. Great move! Hopefully AT&T will use the data to boost coverage. -- Posted Tuesday, December 8, 2009 by chb

Shame on you, Verizon
Verizon's tacky "There's a map for that" commercials continue after AT&T dropped a legal case against Verizon. Our guess is that some technicality makes this absolutely misleading copycat campaign legal. -- Posted Thursday, December 3, 2009 by chb

Over 100,000 apps now, total developer revenue US$900 million
Apple says that consumers in 77 countries have downloaded well over two billion applications in 20 categories, with a total selection of over 100,000 available apps. According to iPhone analytics company Pinch Media, about 30% of those two billion downloads fall into the premium app category, and they generated total developer revenues of US$900 million. -- Posted Wednesday, November 4, 2009 by chb

Allstate Motor Club app
More and more companies are making their services available through dedicated iPhone apps. The latest is the Allstate Motor Club. The app uses GPS to determining a caller's location to help identify and connect to the nearest available service provider. Drivers can diagnose their roadside need and initiate service in less than a minute. Check in the app store or at the Allstate Motor Club iPhone page.
-- Posted Tuesday, October 27, 2009 by chb

Apple ships record 7.4 million iPhones in Q3
Apple announced that it shipped 7.4 million iPhones in its fiscal third quarter, a record number that surpasses the 6.9 million iPhones shipped in the quarter after the original iPhone 3G shipped in 2008. Apple also recorded its most profitable quarter ever (US$1.14 billion on ten billion in sales), with very strong performance of both the Mac side and the iPhone/iPod side of the business. -- Posted Wednesday, October 21, 2009 by chb

Using the iPhone 3GS -- is it that much better?
There was much excitement when Apple introduced the iPhone 3GS earlier this year. Is it really that much better? Our editor reports on his experience with the iPhone 3GS that replaced his original iPhone. [See Having used it for three months, how much better is the iPhone 3GS?] -- Posted Friday, October 16, 2009 by chb

IBM brings Lotus Notes and Domino to iPhone
IBM announced a major extension of Lotus Notes and Domino collaboration software for the full spectrum of proliferating mobile and Web-connected devices such as the Apple iPhone, Nokia smartphones, thin clients, laptops and desktops used to access corporate applications and business processes. To spur broader growth of Lotus Notes and Domino applications for the increasingly diverse range of devices in corporate use, for the first time, IBM will make Lotus Domino Designer tools available at no charge. -- Posted Tuesday, October 6, 2009 by chb

Apple's iPhone app store hits 2 billion downloads
Apple announced that over 2 billion apps have been downloaded from its App Store since its launch in July 2008. According to Apple, there are now more than 85,000 apps available. -- Posted Wednesday, September 30, 2009 by chb

Apple iPhone as part of medical records solutions?
We're seeing more and more iPhone apps for industry applications. Webahn, for example, just launched two new iPhone apps for physicians. Capzule for its online Electronic Medical Records service Capzule.com and Accent, a voice recording application, for its online transcription service OvernightScribe.com. The emergence of iPhone apps will undoubtedly raise the bar for what users expect from their mobile computers. -- Posted Monday, September 21, 2009 by chb

iPhone apps as brand reinforcement tools
S1 Corporation, a global provider of financial services and payment software solutions, announced the availability of S1 Mobile's iPhone application, which is a unique user interface or "skin", as part of the newest addition to its suite of banking and payments solutions. S1 points out that iPhone customers spend over 80 minutes each day using apps on their iPhone and that this creates a significant branding opportunity. Every time a customer selects an app to run, the financial institution gets brand reinforcement by having their logo on the iPhone. -- Posted Monday, September 21, 2009 by chb

Apple event: Jobs, iPhone OS 3.1, iTunes 9, updated iPods
The main event at the September 9th Apple event in San Francisco was Steve Jobs' appearance. Else: In 2+ years, Apple sold 30 million iPhones. There are more than 75,000 apps, and 1.8 billion billion app downloads. iPhone OS 3.1 was introduced. The Genius feature now also makes app recommendations. There will now be 30,000 ringtones, at $1.29 each. Apple is the #1 worldwide music retailer, has sold 8.5 billion songs and there are now 100 million iTunes accounts in iTunes. The new iTunes 9.0 allows Genius Mixes, improved syncing, app management, has iTunes LP (extra content for music albums). Over 220 million iPods sold to date, with iPod marketshare at 73.8%" (Microsoft 1.1%, Sandisk 7.2%). Also sold 20 million iPod Touch. New pricing: iPod Touch 8GB: $199, 32GB $299, 64GB $399. iPod classic capacity now 160GB, same price ($249). New colors for the iPPod Shuffle (pink, green, blue, silver and black). Cost is $59 for 2GB and $79 for 4GB. All iPod Nano now come with VGA video camera, FM radio, pedometer, larger 2.2-inch display. Cost: 8GB for $149, 16GB for $179. -- Posted Thursday, September 10, 2009 by chb

MINI app
MINI USA announced a free app to MINI owners that allows access to roadside assistance with the touch of an icon. The new MINI Road Assist mobile application was developed by Allstate Roadside Services and is available for iPhone and select BlackBerry users. The app connects users to roadside assistance while automatically supplying the service provider with all relevant information about the vehicle, most importantly, its exact location. -- Posted Thursday, August 20, 2009 by chb

Learning from the Newton
CNET news ran an interesting feature where they not only showed the old Apple Newton commercials from back in 1993/94, but also a mock 2008 new Newton commercial. [The original Apple tablet: Marketing lessons from the Newton] -- Posted Tuesday, August 18, 2009 by chb

Discovery Channel comes to iPhone
Our favorite channel comes to iPhone! Discovery Communications announced the launch of the Discovery Channel App on the App Store. The app features a collection of video clips from the network's most popular shows as well as a collection of quizzes, photo galleries, programming schedules and updates from Discovery News. -- Posted Tuesday, August 18, 2009 by chb

eTextbooks for college students now available on app store
CourseSmart LLC, the nation's largest digital course materials supplier, announced the release of its free eTextbooks application on the App Store. The eTextbooks App gives student and instructor subscribers access to their CourseSmart eTextbooks any time, anywhere. With a catalog representing most of the titles in use on campus today, students can purchase their required textbooks as CourseSmart eTextbooks at an average of half the price of print textbooks. With the addition of the eTextbooks App students will be able to use their iPhone or iPod touch as a mobile learning device to quickly reference their eTextbooks in the classroom and even search their notes. -- Posted Tuesday, August 18, 2009 by chb

Microsoft high on upcoming WinMo 6.5 browser
According to ZDNet, Microsoft's entertainment and devices division president Robbie Bach is enthusiastic about the browser in the upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5: "It will give you access to more websites than you will be able to get to on an iPhone that will work actively and work well. It really is a much better experience." Our take: Best of luck with that, especially the "better experience" part. -- Posted Friday, July 31, 2009 by chb

Phatware releases WirePad Pro for iPhone
Phatware, the folks behind one of the original handwriting recognition engines (Paragraph) released WritePad Professional Edition for the iPhone. It is a combination of three previously released applications – WritePad Affairs, WritePad Notes and WritePad Events, and also includes voice notes. The data can be organized in multiple folders, which can be sorted by type, name, and color. WritePad Pro uses the WritePad text editor developed specifically for iPhone. WritePad Pro features handwriting recognition input for cursive, print, and mixed handwriting styles, in addition to an iPhone soft keyboard.
-- Posted Tuesday, July 28, 2009 by chb

Apple sells 5.2 million iPhones in Q3/2009
Apple reported that it sold 2.6 million Macs, 5.2 million iPhones and 10.2 million iPods in their third quarter, which ended June 27, 2009. Revenue was US$8.34 billion for the quarter, up 12% from the same quarter last year. -- Posted Friday, July 24, 2009 by chb

At what price, secrecy?
When an employee at Foxconn, which makes iPhones for Apple in China, somehow lost one of the few prototypes of the next generation iPhone, he was searched and questioned by Foxconn security and ended up committing suicide by jumping out the window of his high-rise apartment. -- Posted Wednesday, July 22, 2009 by chb

Quickoffice 1.3: access to email attachments
Quickoffice released an upgrade to its iPhone application, Quickoffice Mobile Office Suite 1.3. The latest features provide iPhone and iPod Touch users with an innovative way to easily access email attachments. This new functionality offers an enhanced mobile office experience, enabling users to easily view, create, edit and share Microsoft Office files directly on a device. Our take: A very worthwhile update to a terrific application that should be on any business user's iPhone. -- Posted Monday, July 20, 2009 by chb

Apple dumps (Pre) cuckoo
In its latest iTunes update, version 8.2.1, Apple ditched the ability of the Palm Pre to use iTunes for syncing by pretending to be Apple hardware. One could argue iTunes should be open, and one can argue that it was uncool of Palm to use someone else's popular software for its product. Apple, not surprisingly, was of the latter opinion and cryptically remarked that the latest update addressed an issue with verification of Apple devices. -- Posted Thursday, July 16, 2009 by chb

InfoWorld Deathmatch: Palm Pre vs iPhone
InfoWorld did a "deathmatch" between the Palm Pre and the Apple iPhone. There is good discussion of each platform's features, and the final result is close. [See InfoWorld's Deathmatch: Palm Pre versus iPhone -- Posted Monday, July 6, 2009 by chb

Updating to the iPhone 3GS
With the editor's 2-year AT&T contract up, he qualified for the US$199 price of the new 16GB iPhone 3GS. Compared to the original iPhone, that means more memory, more speed, GPS, voice control, a higher res camera, video, an electronic compass and more. Here's how the upgrade/activation went, and what difference you can expect to see. [Read Switching to the iPhone 3GS] -- Posted Monday, June 29, 2009 by chb

New iPhone 3GS -- mostly incremental improvements
Apple announced the iPhone 3GS ("S" for "Speed"), which is an incremental improvement over the iPhone 3G. The new model looks and measures the same, but comes with 16 (US$199) or 32GB (US$299) of memory, more speed via an unspecified new processor, a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus and macro mode that can also do VGA video, a digital compass, a new fingerprint-resistant coating, and, of course, the new iPhone OS 3.0 with cut & paste, MMA, and many other goodies. The iPhone 3GS will be available June 19 and the new OS 3.0 on June 17. -- Posted Monday, June 8, 2009 by chb

First iPhone document management solution for the legal market
Autonomy Corporation announced that its flagship document management solution, iManage WorkSite, now supports the Apple iPhone. With this announcement, Autonomy is bringing the legal industry's leading document management solution to users of the iPhone, which is increasing adoption within law firms. Autonomy iManage is the undisputed leader in the legal and professional services market place with over 75% of the Global 100 and 73% of AmLaw 100 law firms as customers. [See full press release] -- Posted Monday, June 8, 2009 by chb

iPhone market share doubles
According to Gartner, Apple's share of global smartphone sales grew from 5.3% in Q1 of 2008 to 10.8% in Q1 of 2009, with unit sales going from 1.7 to 3.9 million. RIM's BlackBerry market share also rose from 13.3% in Q1 of 2008 to 19.9% in Q1 of 2009, with unit sales rising from 4.3 to 7.2 million. Apple and RIM's gains came mostly at the expense of Nokia, which suffered a market share drop from 45.1 percent to 41.2 percent. -- Posted Thursday, May 21, 2009 by chb

Broken iPhone LCD and/or touch screen? Fix it yourself
With over 20 million iPhones sold, there will be broken screens and digitizers, and maybe yours is one of them. Apple can fix it, of course, but that can take a while. An alternate is getting replacement parts from DirectFix.com. They also have instructional videos and everything else you need to get your iPhone back into working condition. The warranty goes bye-bye if you do that, so keep that in mind. -- Posted Wednesday, May 20, 2009 by chb

Amazon launches optimized Kindle for iPhone store
Kindle for iPhone, the free app released early March, apparently has been a considerable success. We've been using Kindle for iPhone ever since its release and have read about a dozen books. One weak spot was having to purchase books though Safari and the regular Amazon website. Now Amazon released a specially formatted Kindle Store that makes the purchasing experience much easier. -- Posted Monday, May 11, 2009 by chb

Missing Sync for iPhone 2.0
Mark/Space, creator of synchronization software, released The Missing Sync for iPhone Version 2.0 for Mac, featuring true, two-way syncing of notes, tasks and documents between the Mac and iPhone or iPod touch via Wi-Fi. Edit notes on the Mac and those changes will be synced to the iPhone. Complete tasks on the iPhone and they will be updated on the Mac. Create and revise documents and files on the Mac and they will sync to the iPhone. -- Posted Sunday, May 3, 2009 by chb

Review: Quickoffice for the iPhone
Quickoffice singlehandedly advanced the case of the iPhone as a serious business tool by a mile. With Quickoffice you can read, create and edit Word and Excel files on the iPhone, read numerous other file formats, move and email them, and even cut and paste within the application. This app is worth its US$20 price many times over. [Read review of Quickoffice for the iPhone] -- Posted Wednesday, April 29, 2009 by chb

Apple reaches one billion app downloads
The billionth iPhone app was downloaded from Apple’s App Store shortly after 5 p.m. ET on April 23, 2009. It took only about nine months to reach that number, which means there are almost four million iPhone app downloads per day. -- Posted Thursday, April 23, 2009 by chb

AT&T to sell iPhones without service contract
AT&T will start selling iPhones without the 2-year contract requirement for US$599 or $699 for the 8-GB or 16-GB versions. The phones, however, will still be locked to the AT&T network. -- Posted Monday, March 23, 2009 by chb

Apple announces iPhone OS 3.0
On March 17, Apple presented the blueprint for iPhone OS 3.0, the next version of the world’s most advanced mobile platform. In addition to previewing its innovative features, Apple gave members of the iPhone Developer Program immediate access to the iPhone OS 3.0 software beta and an updated Software Development Kit (SDK) with over 1,000 completely new APIs. -- Posted Tuesday, March 17, 2009 by chb

iPhone software upgrade woes -- again
During our last sync, iTunes suggested an upgrade from system software 2.2 to 2.2.1. The upgrade failed with an ominuous "unable to open device_map.txt: No such file or directory" message. The iPhone had to be restored from scratch in a process that took two hours. After the restore, data and almost all software purchased from the apps store were missing from the iPhone. -- Posted Thursday, February 26, 2009 by chb

Credit card processing app for the iPhone
A application is bringing credit card processing to the iPhone. ProcessAway is a complete mobile processing solution for accepting credit card payments both in and out of the office. Business owners can use their iPhone to conduct real business. The ProcessAway software uses the Authorize.net gateway, which was one of the first Internet payment gateways and today has one of the largest customer bases. The ProcessAway software will be sold through the iTunes AppStore for $19.99. A fully functional free version, called ProcessLite, is identical to ProcessAway except the charge amount is limited to US$5. ProcessAway] -- Posted Thursday, January 29, 2009 by chb

Apple receives comprehensive touch screen patent
On January 20, 2009, Apple was awarded a large, complex patent that covers much of the iPhone's touch screen and graphical user interface operation. See patent] -- Posted Thursday, January 29, 2009 by chb

Apple's Jobs takes medical leave of absence
In a letter to Apple employees, Steve Jobs wrote: "I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community... Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.... In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June." Get well, Steve. We still need you. It's not over yet. -- Posted Thursday, January 15, 2009 by chb

iPhone US web usage grows dramaticlly
AdMob serves ads for more than 6,000 mobile websites and analyzes data from every ad request. For December 2008 they found that in the US the iPhone has passed RIM and Windows Mobile combined. [See AdMob PDF report on Mobile Metrics] -- Posted Thursday, January 8, 2009 by chb

Teardown of the iPhone 3G
The Japanese Tech-On! site presented an interesting teardown of the iPhone 3G, including a very detailed description of the main circuit board and its components. -- Posted Wednesday, January 7, 2009 by chb

iambic Unveils First iPhone App
iambic, Inc., a leading provider of innovative productivity-enhancing software, unveiled its first iPhone App, SnappySeeker, a super efficient way for users to launch Internet searches with just one tap. This app, formerly known as GoogHelper, has an easy-to-use interface that can accommodate searches in 15 different categories. iambic, incidentally, was one of the first companies to offer software for the original Apple Newton MessagePad. Way to go guys! -- Posted Thursday, December 18, 2008 by chb

Apple passes RIM in smartphone race
According to Canalysis, Apple shipped 17.3% of all smartphones worldwide in Q3 of 2008, passing RIM's 15.2% and second only to market leader Nokia (38.9%). J.D. Power, in the meantime, reports the iPhone getting by far the highest customer satisfaction among business customers, well ahead of RIM (see ranking). -- Posted Friday, November 7, 2008 by chb

iLounge releases comprehensive free 2009 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide
iLounge.com has released its 2009 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide, a comprehensive shopping guide to Apple's iPods, iPhones, their accessories, and software. It is neatly laid out like a print magazine and has ratings and reviews of a stunning number of products. The 2009 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide is the latest in iLounge's multi-million-downloaded series of digital publications, available immediately as a free download in PDF format. [Go to free 2009 iPhone Buyers Guide download page] -- Posted Friday, October 31, 2008 by chb

AT&T WiFi hotspots free for iPhone users
AT&T now offers free use of AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots to all Apple iPhone users. Doing so, however, is a wee bit cumbersome. When in range of an AT&T WiFi, select "attwifi", then enter your iPhone's phone number. You then get a text message from AT&T with a secure link to the hotspot. The link, however, will only be good for 24 hours. -- Posted Thursday, October 30, 2008 by chb

ComponentOne Announces Studio for iPhone
ComponentOne announced a new product in its line-up, ComponentOne Studio for iPhone. It is the first and only suite of components in the industry that enables you to generate Web applications that mimic the iPhone interface and navigation. ComponentOne Studio for iPhone combines the power of Microsoft ASP.NET to create a cutting-edge version of corporate Web sites that targets the iPhone and iTouch devices. -- Posted Monday, October 27, 2008 by chb

Google Earth arrives on the iPhone
On October 26, 2008, a special version of Google Earth became available for the iPhone. It is downloadable free of charge from the Apple App store. The iPhone version is optimized to take advantage of the iPhone's multi-touch interface and accelerometer. This is a must-have app and tons of fun. -- Posted Monday, October 27, 2008 by chb

Onboard a Boat With Apple's iPhone
The folks at ActiveCaptain.com have a lot of first rate content in their "Going Mobile" library. Of particular interest for boat lovers is Onboard a Boat With Apple's iPhone. It is a detailed analysis and assessment of how the iPhone fits into the boating and onboard lifestyle. -- Posted Thursday, October 16, 2008 by chb

10 million iPhones?
According to a CNET report, Apple may be closing in on ten million iPhones. Also, the NDG Group, a market research firm, stated that 30% of smartphone buyers this summer left their existing carrier to get an iPhone 3G. -- Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 by chb

Those lucky dogs in Hong Kong!
While the rest of the world grumbles over being locked into certain carriers and in the US the activation procedure has become quite inconvenient, customers in Hong Kong appear to have no such problems. "Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 for complete activation," it says on the Apple Store page (see below). Prices? That'd be about US$699 and US$799 for the 8 and 16GB versions, respectively. That's no more than a Newton was back in 1993, and those were 1993 dollars.

-- Posted Friday, September 26, 2008 by chb

Zollinger's Atlas of Surgical Operations on iPhone and iPod touch
McGraw-Hill Professional has partnered with Modality to bring Zollinger's Atlas of Surgical Operations to the iPhone and iPod touch. The classic general surgery atlas, Zollinger's offers step-by- step details for abdominal, gastrointestinal, vascular, and hepatopancreaticobiliary operations. The first two Zollinger's applications, covering upper gastrointestinal and colorectal procedures, are available for $34.99 through the Apple App Store. -- Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 by chb

iPhone 2.1 upgrade
Apple released a comprehensive software upgrade to fix and enhance various parts of the iPhone. Unlike the earlier 2.02 update, this one installed for us without a hitch. However, some earlier purchased apps still fail to appear on the iPhone. -- Posted Sunday, September 14, 2008 by chb

iPhone for video surveillance
videoNEXT, which is physical security information management (PSIM) solutions, announced the availability of its wireless video surveillance solution, SKM-Mobile, utilizing the iPhone. Offering its video surveillance application, Security Knowledge Manager, on the iPhone device provides organizations with video monitoring and increased responsiveness no matter where they are located. -- Posted Friday, September 12, 2008 by chb

iPhone Life Magazine premieres on newsstands!
Now on newsstands and in bookstores is the premiere issue of iPhone Life, a glossy, perfect-bound 100-page magazine chock-full of the best iPhone coverage anywhere. iPhone Life comes courtesy of Thaddeus, one of the original, and most dedicated, publishers in the mobile enthusiast space. What's Apple's gain is Microsoft's loss as Thaddeus was forced to suspend publication of its excellent Smartphone Magazine due to lack of Microsoft, TelCo and OEM support and interest. Check out the iPhone Life Table of Contents and show your support by subscribing to iPhone Life. -- Posted Thursday, September 11, 2008 by chb

Apple introduces second gen iPod Touch
Apple introduced the second generation iPod touch featuring a thin contoured metal design, a 3.5-inch widescreen glass display, 802.11 b/g WiFi, integrated volume control buttons, a built-in speaker for casual listening, a built-in accelerometer and other advanced sensors, and Apple's Multi-Touch user interface. The new iPod touch is available immediately for a suggested price of US$229 for the 8GB model, US$299 for the 16GB and US$399 for the 32 GB model. -- Posted Tuesday, September 9, 2008 by chb

iMarkMySpot tags pics with exact GPS info
iCloseBy.com has announced the release of iMarkMySpot, an iPhone app that is used to "one-touch" Geotag and Geocode digital photos with exact GPS locations. iMarkMySpot uses the built in GPS functionality of the Apple iPhone to store exact waypoint locations with one-touch simplicity. Stored waypoint locations can then be emailed to any address as a standard GPX-formatted file, compatible with many photography and mapping software packages. Cost? Just US$0.99 from the app store. -- Posted Monday, September 8, 2008 by chb

Bets Buy now selling iPhone
Electronics retailer Best Buy is beginning sales of the iPhone today, becoming the first U.S. chain to do so outside of Apple and AT&T's own stores. The Minneapolis-based chain will offer the popular cell phone that has a cult-like following in 970 full-size stores as well as 16 smaller Best Buy Mobile stores. -- Posted Monday, September 8, 2008 by chb

Scanbuy launches 2D barcode app for Apple iPhone
Scanbuy, a leader in mobile marketing solutions, announced that its ScanLife 2D barcode application is now available for free on the iPhone App Store. Scanbuy's technology uses the phone's camera to give users an instant connection to information, without needing to search by keyword or type in a lengthy URL. Individuals can also create and scan Personal EZcodes to link to their blogs or networking sites by registering an account at www.scanlife.com. -- Posted Wednesday, August 13, 2008 by chb

iPhone software 2.01: damage assessment
The iPhone 2.01 update caused our iPhone to go into an indefinite backup/restore loop. All data was lost from the iPhone. iTunes removed all purchased applications both from the phone and from its database, so we lost what we paid for. iPhone is now downloading music and photos from scratch. Not good. -- Posted Tuesday, August 5, 2008 by chb

iPhone 2.01 hell
As we're posting this, our original iPhone is in limbo after the installation of the 2.01 software upgrade. It seems to be in an infinite loop, restoring itself without ever loading photos or some other data, and iTunes then acting as if it did not know the phone and offering to endlessly restore from a backup... Boo, Apple! -- Posted Tuesday, August 5, 2008 by chb

Over 500 Native Applications for iPhone Available at Launch
Apple announced that more than 500 native applications will be available on the iPhone's App Store when Apple's iPhone 3G goes on sale tomorrow (July 11). These apps will be available on Apple's new App Store, enabling customers to wirelessly download them directly onto their iPhones and start using them immediately. More than 125 applications are being offered to iPhone customers for free. According to Apple, many of these applications take advantage of iPhone's Multi-Touch interface, 3D graphics, built-in accelerometer and location-based technology. -- Posted Thursday, July 10, 2008 by chb

iPhone 3G: initial reviews
According to news.com, the first few reviews on the iPhone 3G are in. Here are the findings: 1) Battery life no better or less, perhaps due to higher power demand of 3G; 2) GPS reception and performance unexpectedly good; 3) dramatically improved audio quality; 4) $360 extra service costs for basic service over the 2-year contract negates hardware savings; 5) data speeds 3-5 times faster. For initial reviews click: Walt Mossberg, David Pogue. -- Posted Wednesday, July 9, 2008 by chb

3G iPhone: In-store activation only
Thinking of getting an iPhone 3G when it goes on sale Friday, July 11? Better prepare for a long wait and some hassle as this time you must have it activated in the store. Apple and AT&T probably decided to do it this way to cut down on unlocking and reselling iPhones. For us regular folks, it's just more hassle and further proof that the phone companies now own the market and even companies like Apple have sold out to them. -- Posted Monday, July 7, 2008 by chb

AT&T jacks up rates for new iPhone 3G
The good news is that the new Apple iPhone, which will become available on July 11, goes for US$199 (8MB version) and US$299 (16GB version). The bad news is that AT&T is jacking up the rates. Whereas basic service (450 minutes + unlimited data) used to be US$59.99 including 200 SMS messages, the new basic rate is US$69.99, without any SMS messages included. 200 SMS messages are US$5, so AT&T jacked up the rates by 25% for a comparable individual service plan. -- Posted Tuesday, July 1, 2008 by chb

New iPhone -- 3G and more at half the price
Apple finally unveiled the new 3G iPhone under the headline "Twice as fast. Half the price." The new iPhone looks pretty much like the original, though it's a bit thinner (0.46 inches) and lighter (4.7 ounces). Two versions will be available starting July 11: the US$199 8GB model has a black back, whereas the US$299 16GB model has a black or white back. Both have A-GPS, 3G wireless technology and the ability to run installable applications. In addition to the accelerometer there are ambient light and proximity sensors. Battery life has been boosted, too. -- Posted Monday, June 9, 2008 by chb

MuseStorm adds iPhone support
MuseStorm announced it has extended the MuseStorm Engagement Platform to offer support for the iPhone. Companies that have been waiting for a fast, cost-effective and measurable way to create web applications for delivery through a web browser to iPhones can now do so, thanks to the extended capabilities of the MuseStorm Engagement Platform. -- Posted Tuesday, June 3, 2008 by chb

Orb releases iPhone application to play recorded and live media
Orb Networks announced that owners of iPhones and iPod touch devices can now play all their media -- music, recorded and live TV, downloaded and home movies, and more -- directly from their computers. Orb's new OrbLive iPhone application enables users to enjoy content in any video format -- downloaded BitTorrent files, TiVo-to-Go files, DivX, Mov, MP4, even live video and TV streams. However, it only works on a jailbroken iPhone, and so we pass. -- Posted Wednesday, May 28, 2008 by chb

iPhone "Currently Unavailable"
Apple'ss website lists both the 8 and16GB versions of the original iPhone as "Currenty Unavailable." Since it seems unlikely that Apple cannot meet demand, we assume something new is in the works. Speculation has been that a next-gen 3G iPhone may be introduced at Apple's June 9 Worldwde Developers Conference on June 9th, or perhaps the iPhone's June 29th anniversary. We can't imagine Apple not selling any iPhones for that long, so something new may be announced real soon. -- Posted Monday, May 12, 2008 by chb

Orb enables live TV on (jailbroken) iPhone
For several years now, you could use the free Orb service and Orb software to watch live TV and any media located on your PC on just about any device. Except the iPhone. Now Orb has created a special media format and application for iPhone. With it, you can watch actual live TV from your iPhone (assuming that you have an Orb-enabled PC with video card and live cable or satellite feed). For now this requires a jailbroken iPhones (which ours are not), and you can watch how it's installed and how it works on a YouTube How-To vdeo -- Posted Friday, May 9, 2008 by chb

Review: Otterbox Defender case for the iPhone
If you have an iphone and don't want it scratch, but also don't want to have to open a case every time you use it, try the US$49.95 Otterbox Defender case for the iPhone. It offer's full protection, including the screen, and you never have to take it out of its case or open the case. [See full review and demonstration video of the Otterbox iPhone Defender] -- Posted Thursday, May 8, 2008 by chb

iPhone reinvigorated touch panel market, report says
A new report available from DisplaySearch says the touch panel market is on track to grow to $3.3 billion and 660 million units by 2015, thanks in part due to a market reinvigorated by last year's launch of the iPhone. "The iPhone demonstrated how multi-touch technology is enabling a new generation of user interfaces,” explains Chris Crotty, Director of Small and Medium Displays Research at DisplaySearch. Crotty adds, "High volume mobile phone shipments will drive down the cost of touch technology and thereby enable it to spread more rapidly into other devices such as portable media players, digital cameras and others.” -- Posted Thursday, May 8, 2008 by chb

HTC Touch Diamond -- a real competitor?
HTC is first to bring a 3/3.5G touch device to market. The Touch Diamond is smaller and lighter than the iPhone, has higher resolution (480 x 640), an elegant 3-D user interface sitting on top of Windows Mobile 6.1, a 3.2 megapixel camera, GPS, and 4GB of storage for music, pictures and video. Our sister siteHHCMag.com examined HTC's latest and compared its specs side-by-side with the iPhone. [Read description of the HTC Touch Diamond] -- Posted Thursday, May 8, 2008 by chb

Analysts predicts 14 million iPhones in 2009
BC Capital Markets analyst Mark Abramsky, who has an outperform rating on Apple, said in a note that the company is likely to beat its 10-million goal for iphone units in 2008, thanks to new distribution agreements with Voda phone, Europe's largest carrier, and Telecom Italia Mobile. He recently upped his iPhone outlook to 14 million in 2008 and 24 million in 2009. That's 1.7% of the global market. -- Posted Tuesday, May 6, 2008 by chb

AT&T Introduces New iPhone Text Accessibility Plan for Customers With Disabilities
The iPhone is now even more accessible for Americans who are deaf or have a hearing or speech disability. AT&T announced a new Text Accessibility Plan (TAP) for iPhone, designed to give iPhone customers with disabilities the choice of unlimited text messaging, Web browsing and easy access to e-mail for $40 a month. This new plan is available to new and current iPhone users with qualifying disabilities through AT&T's National Center for Customers with Disabilities. To qualify for the iPhone TAP, customers must complete an application for eligibility. The form is available for download here. -- Posted Tuesday, April 29, 2008 by chb

An opinion on Apple's Blackberry Offensive
At Infoworld.com, Tom Yager posts a detailed and interesting entry entitled "Apple's BlackBerry Offensive." In it, Yager analyzes Steve Jobs' many claims of iPhone superiority. -- Posted Wednesday, March 19, 2008 by chb

Adobe CEO: Flash will be on the iPhone
According to Posted in a News Blog by Martin LaMonica, during a conference call to announce Adobe's first-quarter earnings on Tuesday, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said Adobe "will work with Apple" to make sure that Flash applications can run on the iPhone. According to a transcript by Seeking Alpha, Narayen stated that "frankly, anybody who wants to browse the Web and experience the Web's glory really needs Flash support." Most likely, Flash on the iPhone will be a version of Flash Lite. -- Posted Wednesday, March 19, 2008 by chb

iPhone is tops for mobile web access
According to M:Metrics, six months after the iPhone's U.S. launch it has changed the mobile landscape. The iPhone is already the most popular device for accessing news and information on the mobile Web, with 85% of iPhone users accessing news and information in January 2008. They also found that 30.9% of iPhone owners watched mobile TV or video, versus a 4.6 market average, and more than double the rate for all smartphone users. About half of all iPhone users access social networking sites versus a fifth for other smartphone users. Let's face it: the iPhone is simply much better at all that than the rest, -- Posted Tuesday, March 18, 2008 by chb

Apple announces iPhone 2.0, releases application developer toolkit
Apple has announced the release of a software development kit (SDK) for iPhone, allowing anyone with $99 and a head for programming to create an application for the platform. Apple will be the sole distributor of these applications through iTunes and a new iPhone feature called App Store. Developers set their own price and receive 30% of revenue, the rest stays with Apple to cover the costs of hosting and distribution. Developers can choose to give their applications away for free, in which case Apple hosts and distributes them at no charge to the developer. In June Apple will release the iPhone 2.0 software update for all iPhones users free of -- Posted Thursday, March 6, 2008 by chb

Apple releases US$499 16GB iPhone
It had to happen. More memory on the iPhone. Apple released a 16GB iPhone for US$499 while the 8GB iPhone remains at US$399. That's good news for those are used to filling up 80GB iPods and found the iPhone's 8GB sorely lacking. Me, I have maybe 200 songs and 3,000 pictures on my 8GB iPhone, and almost 5GB left over. I might change my tune if I get into watching movies on my iPhone. As is, I'd like to have seen a price break on the 8GB iPhone and less AT&T bureaucratic boneheadedness when it comes to upgrading an iPhone plan (need two area codes on a family plane? No can do.). -- Posted Tuesday, February 5, 2008 by chb

iPhone Open Application Development Rough Cuts Version
There are programmers and there are geniuses. Jonathan Zdziarski is one of the latter (we know; we use his software) and he has written iPhone Open Application Development. The book will be released by O'Reilly in March, but it's already available via "Rough Cuts." When you buy a book on the Rough Cuts service, you get access to an evolving manuscript. You can read it online, download as a PDF, or print. Once you've purchased a Rough Cuts title, you have a chance to shape the final product - you can send suggestions, bug fixes, and comments directly to the author and editors. [See iPhone Open Application Development: Rough Cuts Version] -- Posted Thursday, January 31, 2008 by chb

iPhone sales in Germany and France
According to Reuters, German telco Deutsche Telekom, which runs T-Mobile, has signed up 70,000 iPhone customers in the 11 weeks since November 9, 2007, making it by far the best-selling multimedia device in T-Mobile's lineup. A couple of weeks ago, France Telecom announced it had sold over 70,000 iPhones since 11/28/2007. -- Posted Monday, January 28, 2008 by chb

What's wrong with the iPhone
As far as I we're concerned very little, and that will likely be addressed soon enough, but David MacNeill, Editor-in-Chief of PersonalMediaReview.com and a diehard Apple fan, has some gripes, and a big one in particular. And no, it's not whining over EDGE. Read his column What's wrong with the iPhone? -- Posted Friday, January 25, 2008 by chb

NewerTech Bass Response Earbuds: WOW!!
The earbuds that come with the iPhone really don't do its sound quality justice, but somehow it never occurred to me to get 3rd party earbuds. I should have. I tried NewerTech's Bass Response Earbuds and the difference is tremendous! They are far more comfortable than the iPhone buds, and NewerTech says their Insert-Passive Noise Reduction engineering reduces noise by an average if 42dB while boosting the audio soundtrack up to 10dB. However they do it, they're sensational. And for US$19.99, they are a total steal. Check them out! -- Posted Wednesday, January 23, 2008 by chb

iPhone outsells HTC Touch family 2:1
According to IDG News Service, HTC of Taiwan has sold two million Windows Mobile-based smartphones from its "Touch" series that includes the Touch, the Touch Cruise, and the Touch Dual and was introduced a few weeks before the iPhone. According to Steve Jobs, Apple sold four million iPhones since its June 2007 launch. -- Posted Tuesday, January 22, 2008 by chb

On2 Technologies to support iPhone with its Flix engine
Video compression specialist On2 Technologies announced today it has released an update to its Flix Engine for creating Apple iPhone compatible video. Flix Engine is a server side encoding platform used by amany Web 2.0 websites and enterprises for creating video in multiple formats, including video for Adobe Flash Player 8 and 9, H.264 and 3GPP. Flix Engine now also supports Apple QuickTime files for iPhone and iPod. -- Posted Thursday, January 17, 2008 by chb

Apple announces iPhone software rev 1.1.3
Apple announced a free software update (rev. 1.1.3) for its revolutionary iPhone that allows users to automatically find their location using the redesigned Maps application; text message multiple people in one message; create Web Clips for their favorite websites; customize their home screen; and watch movies rented from the new iTunes Movie Rentals right on their iPhone. [Read iPhone Rev. 1.1.3 press release] -- Posted Tuesday, January 15, 2008 by chb

Free app from Wesabe lets iPhone track and manage finances
iPhone users can check their financial balances and track spending on the go with a free application from personal finance site Wesabe. The company announced the launch of i.wesabe.com, a free, optimized version of Wesabe Mobile for iPhone users. Unveiled last month, Wesabe Mobile lets members use their cell phone to monitor all of their account balances and transactions for thousands of banks and credit cards worldwide. Wesabe Mobile also provides members with an easy way to record and track where they are spending cash. -- Posted Monday, January 7, 2008 by chb

FlyTunes announces new digital music service for the iPhone
At CES, FlyTunes Inc. demonstrated its new digital music service for the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and other portable media players and cell phones. The FlyTunes service offers users a personalized radio-like experience, with thousands of channels of digital music that can be enjoyed anywhere they go, regardless of wireless connection. FlyTunes 1.0 for iPhone/Touch will be released on January 21, 2008. [View the FlyTunes website] -- Posted Monday, January 7, 2008 by chb

The iPhone on the road
If you're like me, you shlep with you an assortment of electronic stuff whenever you leave the house, and a good deal more when you go on a trip. I mean, one does need a decent laptop, a digital camera or two, an iPod, one or more phones, and then all the power bricks and cables that go with it. So things can get a bit crowded and tangled in your bag, and then you need to keep track of what goes with what, which weapon to choose for what, and making sure the whole gaggle remains charged and ready to go. Well, on a trip over the recent t holidays I found that often I really don't need more than just the iPhone. [Read iPhone on the Road] -- Posted Sunday, January 6, 2008 by chb

Newertech announces iPhone accessory line
Newer Technology, Inc. announced its new NewerTech iPhone Accessory Line consisting of six products that add iPhone functionality and user convenience. The NewerTech iPhone Accessory Line includes the iPhone Speaker Dock & Hands-Free Mic - speaker phone (US$34.99); Hands-Free Mic & Earbud for hands-free communication while driving (US$19.99); an iPhone Mic Extender Cable for hands-free use (US$14.99); Bass Response Earbuds with noise reduction and sound quality enhancer (US$19.99); an iPhone Headphone Jack Adapter that links to headphone connectors (US$7.99), and an iPhone and iPod Auto Charger so you can charge an iPhone or iPod while driving (US$12.99). Check out the NewerTech iPhone Accessory line at the Newer Tech website.

-- Posted Friday, January 4, 2008 by chb

Tekkeon reveals lineup of iPhone cases
Tekkeon revealed a lineup of hard and soft iPhone cases. The $29.95 Hard Case is made of firm leather that makes for a slender package and has a hard plastic face with "soft touch" for protection. It is available in mint, pink, blue, black, and brown. The Leather Flip, Leather Wallet, and Leather Sleeve are soft leather cases available in different color combinations of leather and stitching. The book-style US$32.95 Leather Wallet has a business and credit card pocket, the US$29.95 Leather Sleeve emphasizes small size and includes a screen protector. -- Posted Wednesday, December 26, 2007 by chb

Avaya one-X for iPhone
Avaya will bring its Avaya one-X unified communications system to the iPhone. one-X provides an intuitive graphical user interface for access to office phone functionality. Calls to a desktop phone automatically go to the iPhone, there is no need for multiple phone numbers, there's access to all business telephony features, and corporate IT managers welcome the seamless integration of mobile devices into their business operations. [View Avaya one-X explanation] -- Posted Wednesday, December 26, 2007 by chb

Statistics and figures and pie charts, oh my!
The usual gaggle of bloggers and tech sites are all atwitter over web browsing figures released by Net Application, a Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based research company. The browser and OS stats showed the usual: Windows having a near monopoly, with the Mac gaining and Linux numbers suspiciously low. But this set of statistics also included smartphones and even game consoles. So the iPhone grabbed 0.09% and Windows CE 0.06%. Now without knowing the capture methods and definitions, those figures are 100% meaningless. Yet, the bloggers and techie mags jumped all over it, proclaimed the iPhone had 50% more market share than WIndows CE, created browser pie charts and made sweeping statements. We wonder if any of hose folks have ever taken a serious statistics class in college. All we'd venture to say is that the iPhone browser is better than Pocket Internet Explorer. -- Posted Wednesday, December 26, 2007 by chb

Review: three excellent Proporta iPhone cases
One of the few problems with Apple's iPhone is that it looks so darn nice that you really don't want to hide it in a case. It's sleek, it's sexy, it feels good, and you just want to show it off every chance you get. But protection is good, and so we reviewed three of Proporta's iPhone cases, two leather and one polycarbonate plastic and aluminum. As expected, we found them to be very well made and reasonably priced. The "Alu-Crystal" case shown to the right is especially impressive and costs just US$28.95. [Read reviews of Proporta iPhone cases] -- Posted Wednesday, December 26, 2007 by chb

Try out the iPhone simulator
If you want to try the iPhone, but don't have a friend who has one or want to go to an Apple or AT&T store, go to tryphone.com. Thy have full and total simulations of several popular phones, including the iPhone. [Click to go to Tryphone and use the iPhone simulator. -- Posted Tuesday, December 18, 2007 by chb

Astaro offers iPhone VPN solution
Astaro announced that iPhone users can now use two varieties of road warrior virtual private network (VPN) inherent in all Astaro Security Gateway appliances to safely and securely connect their iPhone to their home and business networks. iPhone users can access email and internal sites protected behind any Astaro Security Gateway security appliance. Whether travelling offsite or working from the road, users will no longer have to open their laptop in order to access company or home network resources. Astaro’s VPN capabilities have allowed iPhone users to work as if they are inside their network, even when they are not. [See press release on theAstaro iPhone VPN solution] -- Posted Wednesday, December 12, 2007 by chb

iLegal: No more unlocked iPhones in Germany
Well, no more unlocked iPhones for Germans, not that many probably paid the king's ransom T-Mobile asked for them (almost US$1,500) in the first place. Not long after Vodafone scored an injunction against T-Mobile Germany to force the sale of unlocked phones, another court overturned the decision and now T-Mobile is back to selling only locked iPhones. It's so sad that telcos and lawyers now control our beloved electronics and gadgets. -- Posted Wednesday, December 5, 2007 by chb

mStation announces iPhone battery extender
The iPhone's battery life is quite good, but more is always better. So mStation came out with theUS$99.95 mophie juice pack. It houses a rechargeable lithium polymer battery within an ergonomic, comfort-grip case with a soft-touch, non-slip finish. The added “juice� gives consumers up to an additional 250 hours of standby time, 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback, and 24 hours of audio playback. The juice pack also integrates a 4 LED ‘charge status’ indicator and its own 30-pin dock connector, making it simple to recharge the juice pack using standard iPhone accessories, like the cable included with your iPhone. -- Posted Monday, December 3, 2007 by chb

3G iPhone in 2008?
According to CBG, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson in a Silicon Valley event said there will be a 3G version of the iPhone sometime in 2008, again with AT&T as the exclusive carrier. This is interesting as Apple never pre-announces. -- Posted Friday, November 30, 2007 by chb

iPhone in UK, France and Germany
Seems consumer enthusiasm over the iPhone in other launch countries is related to how they feel about wireless carriers and the required service plans and thus prices. Potential British customers must sign up for an 18-month contract with O2, and the iPhone costs a hefty US$550. As a result, it's selling poorly there. In France, France's Telecom's Orange carrier hopes to sell almost 100,000 iPhones by the end of the year. The iPhone will go on sale there on November 28, and Orange will sell unlocked iPhones for 649 Euros, and locked ones for 399 Euroes with a one-year contract. In Germany, T-Mobile has an iPhone exclusive, but per court order must offer unlocked iPhones. T-Mobile agreed, but at a sky-high price of 999 Euros. It'd be so much easier without the carriers! -- Posted Wednesday, November 28, 2007 by chb

Zinio brings magazines to iPhone and iPod Touch
Zinio, a digital publishing and distribution platform for magazines and books, has introduced a Zinio Mobile Newsstand for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The Mobile Newsstand offers mobile users a new way to read a number of print-quality magazines, while affording publishers a new way to reach mobile audiences. Zinio will initially offer free digital editions of major monthly magazines targeted to iPhone users. The Zinio Labs version will include publications representing a wide range of interest area. While not quite as convenient as using Zinio mags on a big screen, on the iPhone you leaf through thumbnails and then can zoom in to the full page. [Check out iPhone Zinio] -- Posted Monday, November 19, 2007 by chb

Avaya one-X Mobile to support Apple iPhone
Avaya Inc. announced that Avaya one-X Mobile will support Apple iPhone. From the iPhone, users will have iPhone optimized access to the Avaya one-X Mobile interface, providing the same ability to make the iPhone their personal remote control for enterprise communications. That includes searching the corporate directory, personal phonebook, and access call logs and remotely initiating the call or callback through the corporate extension while keeping their personal mobile number private. [Check Avaya one-X Mobile] -- Posted Monday, November 19, 2007 by chb

Avaya one-X Mobile to support Apple iPhone
Avaya Inc. announced that Avaya one-X Mobile will support Apple iPhone. From the iPhone, users will have iPhone optimized access to the Avaya one-X Mobile interface, providing the same ability to make the iPhone their personal remote control for enterprise communications. That includes searching the corporate directory, personal phonebook, and access call logs and remotely initiating the call or callback through the corporate extension while keeping their personal mobile number private. [Check Avaya one-X Mobile] -- Posted Tuesday, November 13, 2007 by chb

Open Source native app for contact synchronization
Funambol, a provider of mobile 2.0 messaging software powered by open source, released an open source native app for iPhone contact synchronization. The Funambol plug-in for iPhone synchronizes the iPhone's address book with contacts from popular sources such as Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, GNOME Evolution and SyncML servers such as the Funambol server. Until now, contact synchronization on the iPhone was possible only using a cable connected to a computer running iTunes. [Learn more, view screenshots and download the software.] -- Posted Tuesday, November 13, 2007 by chb

An attractive, though OtterBox case for the iPhone
Our friends at OtterBox, the folks who have a tough protective case for everything, now have one for he iPhone. That's what they had to say: "Apple's revolutionary iPhone is amazingly cool, so we decided to make a case for it. These cases are so hot, that we immediately sold out of them. Not to worry: You can either sign up to receive email notification when we get more cases in, OR you can pre-order your case so it ships right when we receive them (credit cards will not be charged until your item ships). Don't delay, pre-order yours today." Check out the OtterBox for iPhone. -- Posted Saturday, November 10, 2007 by chb

MIR3 empowers iPhone/iTouch as mobile emergency command device
MIR3, providing Intelligent Notification solutions for global enterprises, announced the availability of the first enterprise notification and command interface for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch mobile communications platform. These full-featured Web-based management applications from MIR3 run under Apple's mobile Safari browser to enable corporate executives and IT administrators to initiate emergency notifications and remotely manage enterprise notification systems and response teams using Apple iPhone or iTouch mobile devices. -- Posted Saturday, November 10, 2007 by chb

Tiny Pictures launches web client for iPhone
Tiny Pictures announced custom Apple iPhone support for its Radar photo and video sharing service. Their iPhone client complements the range of other Radar platforms and offers the full range of picture sharing and conversation features available on all Radar platforms. The interface is clean, highly interactive, and specially tuned for the iPhone's touch interface. Radar for iPhone also supports streaming of video clips shared on Radar. -- Posted Saturday, November 10, 2007 by chb

Apple releases iPhone software update 1.1.2
Apple released software update 1.1.2 for the iPhone. Depending on who you believe, the update contains bug fixes and valuable improvements or is another evil attempt by Apple to thwart unlocking attempts and other unauthorized uses of the iPhone. -- Posted Friday, November 9, 2007 by chb

iPhone users now can find homes on REALTOR.com widget
Staying on top of the real estate market is easy and fun with the iPhone. iPhone users now have the power of REALTOR.com at their finger tips. Whether searching for homes nearby or looking for listings in a particular neighborhood, iPhone users now have instant access to all details, including photos and contact information for the listing agent, with REALTOR.com for the iPhone. The release states that industry experts predict consumers will purchase approximately 3.4 million iPhones this year, with an estimated 45 million units sold by the year 2009, making the iPhone potentially one of the most popular hand held devices used to search online for real estate. [Check out iphone.realtor.com.] -- Posted Thursday, November 8, 2007 by chb

DrPepper's freebie game for iPhone users
iPhone games and applications are actually specially formatted applets for the Apple Safari browser on the iPhone. Hundreds are already out there. This morning Dr Pepper introduced what they call the first branded game for the iPhone, Dr Pepper matchcaps. It's a highly addictive freebie that works like the legendary Bejeweled. It also runs on other browsers. [Play Dr Pepper matchcaps]
-- Posted Monday, November 5, 2007 by chb

How do we like the iPhone after three months?
We've been using the Apple iPhone for a few months now here at Pen Computing. Has it lived up to the considerable hype? Do we still think it changed the world? How useful is it in real life? Is it more than just a pretty conversation piece? Does it get scratched? Does the screen get grimy and smudged easily? How's the oft-maligned AT&T cellular and data service? How is battery life? Is the Safari browser really THAT good? Read our assessment in The Apple iPhone -- 3 Months Later. For our full initial review of the iPhone, see The Apple iPhone -- Apple changes the world, again. -- Posted Monday, October 22, 2007 by chb

The Fast Pages - our favorite iPhone portal
We're big iPhone fans, so we were glad to find The Fast Pages, a free mobile web directory with fast access to thousands of mobile-friendly websites and touch-to-dial phone numbers. TFP is particularly helpful for new iPhone users who find the keyboard a bit challenging. With just a flick of a finger, iPhone and iPod Touch owners can access thousands of newspapers and magazines, animated weather, flight delays, traffic reports, emergencies, WiFi locations, all airlines, restaurants, local movies, embassies, maps, directions, travel, ATM locations, health, stock market, weather alert, Netflix, sports, best gas prices, package tracking, tickets to everything, best search engines, local search, translations, flight tracking and so much more. Try it at www.thefastpages.com" on a PC and mytfp.net on the iPhone (or other smartphones! (Or click on the iPhone image to the left to see a full demo!) -- Posted Tuesday, October 9, 2007 by chb

iPhone outsells all other smartphones in the US
ISuppli reiterated its forecast that Apple would sell 4.5 million iPhones this year, rising to more than 30 million in 2011. The iPhone sold more than RIM's Blackberry series, the entire Palm portfolio and any individual smartphone model from Motorol or Samsung. In July 2007, its first full month on sale, the iPhone accounted for 1.8 percent of all U.S. mobile handset sales. -- Posted Wednesday, September 5, 2007 by chb

Apple revamps iPods, adds iPod touch, cuts iPhone price

Apple revamped its entire iPod lineup, added a new one, and lowered the price of the iPhone. The little iPod Shuffle comes in new colors, the iPod Nano now has video on a larger and brighter display (4GB $149, 8GB $199), the video iPod becomes the iPod Classic (80GB $249, 160GB $349), and there is a sleek new iPod that looks like the iPhone. The new iPod Touch has a 3.5-inch display, comes with 8 ($299) or 16GB ($399) of memory, has WiFi and does pretty much everything the iPhone does, except making calls. Yes, it even has Safari. The 4GB iPhone is dropped, the price of 8GB iPhone drops from US$599 to US$399. That's good, but rather vexing for those who paid the original price just a couple of months ago. -- Posted Wednesday, September 5, 2007 by chb

iPhone. Apple changes the world. Again
14 years ago I bought a Newton. It changed my life. It spawned a magazine, Pen Computing. It became a career in publishing. It spawned Digital Camera Magazine also, and then my work with other magazines, such as Handheld Computing. When the iPhone came out, I ordered one from Apple. And have now lived with it for a while. I think it just may change my life. Again. Here's my iPhone story, and what I think of it. --Conrad H. Blickenstorfer

-- Posted Tuesday, July 31, 2007 by chb

An iPhone Story: The Announcement. The Wait. The Day. The Phone
The iPhone has been around for a month and got off to a rousing start. Read the story of how one of our contributors fell in love with the iPhone the day Steve Jobs announced it at his keynote address at MacWorld 2007, then waited and waited and waited, stood in line, and then screamed out "Zero!" when the rope at the Apple store line was lifted. Ann Marie describes the iPhone, what it can do and what it can't, and what she'd like to see in software upgrades and next gen versions. [read iPhone: The Announcement. The Wait. The Day. The Phone] -- Posted Monday, July 30, 2007 by chb

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