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

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