October 2008 Archives

Belkin the recognised global leader in networking and connectivity solutions has been awarded MacUser magazine’s iPod / iPhone Accessory Manufacturer of the Year Award.

Held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on 23rd October, this year’s MacUser Awards ceremony saw Belkin take the award ahead of brands such as Griffin and iSkin, following a MacUser survey in which 3,500 consumers voted for their must-have products of the year.

Adding to its already extensive range, Belkin has developed a variety of new accessories in 2008 in response to new iPod product launches and growing consumer demand. Amongst the developments include the launch of a range of stylish cases for the new iPhone 3G, the iPod Nano 4G and the

The move toward a universal mobile business card took a huge leap today with the launch of beamME: the first free app that lets iPhone users "beam" their socially networked contact information to any device - not just other iPhones - using the vCard standard.

"Until now, beaming business cards between mobile phones has seemed like a lot of work and a little science fiction," said Gabe Zichermann, CEO of rmbrME. "beamME is the first card beaming service that works from the iPhone to any other device without restriction."

beamME users can create their personal or professional electronic business card in seconds without registration, and easily add their social network information if they choose. vCards are then sent with a single click to any kind of phone (smartphone not required) or computer. New contacts easily add this vCard to their PC or mobile address book in seconds - all without any software downloads, registration or subscriptions.

Myvu Corporation today announced that Myvu Crystal is now fully compatible with Apple's revolutionary iPhone, in addition to existing compatibility with all Apple iPods with video models.

Myvu video eyewear transforms mobile media players into hands-free, full-screen private viewing experiences. The Myvu patented SolidOptex(R) technology offers the thinnest, lightest and most durable video eyewear available.

"With a focus on innovation, functionality and design, Myvu is thrilled to announce that Myvu Crystal is now fully compatible with the Apple iPhone," said Kip Kokinakis, president and CEO of Myvu Corporation. "We're extending our reach into the consumer market as the first video eyewear to fully integrate plug-and-play functionality with all iPod with video models and now the Apple iPhone."

Google has released a new version of its Google Earth application for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

According to the app’s release notes, it offers the same global satellite and aerial imagery available in the desktop versions of Google Earth. The app employs a multi-touch interface to navigate the virtual globe, with the ability to tilt the device to adjust the view, view geo-located Wikipedia articles, use the location feature to move to the user’s current location, and search for different destinations worldwide.

Google Earth for iPhone and iPod Touch is a free download from the App Store, and is available now.

Apple has reported a steep rise in profits in the final quarter of its financial year on strong sales of iPhones and Macintosh computers.

Apple said 6.89 million iPhones were sold in the quarter, up from 1.11 million in the same period last year. The company said it shipped 2.61 million Macintosh computers during the quarter - 21 per cent unit growth and 17 per cent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. It said it sold 11.05 million iPods during the quarter, representing eight per cent unit growth and three per cent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter.

"We don't yet know how this economic downturn will affect Apple. But we're armed with the strongest product line in our history," Jobs said.

Mobis Technology has announced the forthcoming availability of the Just Mobile Xtand, designed for Apple's first- and second-generation iPod Touch. It will be available globally in November.

Made of aluminum, the Xtand enables you to rotate the iPod Touch horizontally so you can watch it from your desk without having to hold the device in your hands.

The design mimics Apple's own industrial design; the stand's curved foot resembles the iMac's. The Xtand's viewing angle is adjustable, and it sports cable management to keep your sync cable out of the way. Non-slip feet make sure it stays on your desk.

nFinity has announced the release of QuickVoice Recorder software for the second-generation iPod Touch. It’s available for purchase and download from the App Store.

Joining an iPhone application already available, QuickVoice Recorder is a “touch and speak” recorder that helps you record voice notes, reminders, dictation, meetings, interviews, shopping lists, to do lists, and anything else.

Features include one-touch record, stop and save. You can pause recordings, set audio quality, configure a record timer and playback counter, name files automatically, finger-scroll through recordings, pause and resume playback, display file sizes and time stamps, and more.

Seven years ago today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the original 5GB iPod, a $399 hard drive-based MP3 player with a unique Scroll Wheel and bright white LCD interface, an amazingly pocketable size, and high-speed FireWire for synchronization and charging.

The first-generation iPod actually shipped on November 10, 2001, going on to sell 125,000 units by year’s end. Apple now has sold more than 174 million iPods, spanning five distinct models and has seen countless advancements in capacity and features, even while falling in price.

It has also played a major part in Apple’s remarkable growth from a struggling computer company to a major consumer electronics manufacturer, inspiring the iPhone and helping boost sales of the company’s Mac computers.

Mobile software sales for the iPhone and iPod Touch continue to grow faster than even iTunes' groundbreaking song sales growth, building a critical mass to attract both new iPhone buyers and additional Cocoa Touch software development for Apple's mobile platform.

Steve Jobs uncharacteristically joined the Apple financial results conference call to answer questions and present some details about the growth Apple was seeing in various markets, but noted that in regard to iPhone software, "we've never seen anything like this in our careers."

Jobs said Apple would sell the 200 millionth app in the iPhone App Store by tomorrow, double the number of apps Apple distributed over the previous two months since the store opened.

Attention Beatles fans, Bloomingdale's has a music package tailor-made for you. The Beatles iPod Set includes a special limited edition 120 G black iPod (it's etched with the Beatles' logo on the front and Abbey Road on the back),13 original Beatles' CDs plus 2 masters and the "Love" cd, plus an engraved guitar pick.

The package isn't Apple's idea but Bloomingdale's, which means the music on all the included cds doesn't come pre-loaded on the iPod and isn't even all available on iTunes. Bizarre.

But even if you have to rip your own mp3s it's still a great package and there are only 2500 available, exclusively at Bloomingdale's.

Virtual Programming, best known for their Mac games such as the recently-released FlatOut 2, has released Brain Jogging, their first game for the iPhone. Brain Jogging is available for download from the App Store.

Brain Jogging is a brain gym-style game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. You use it to sharpen your mental effectiveness with different tasks. You can check your mental arithmetic, play a memory game or play a geometry game.

Brain Jogging lets you repeat training classes as often as you’d like. The game features both challenge and training modes, and incorporates three difficulty levels. It also evaluates your performance of every game you’ve played.

For the first time since the protracted bout between Apple Inc. and Research In Motion Ltd. began last June, Apple sold more iPhone than RIM did BlackBerrys in the most recent quarter.

Apple announced yesterday that it sold nearly 6.9 million iPhone in the quarter ended Sept. 27, thanks largely to the release of the updated iPhone 3G on July 11. In its most recent quarter, RIM said it sold 6.1 million BlackBerry devices.

"This is a milestone for us," said Apple's chief executive officer, Steve Jobs. Although Apple said it sold more Macintosh computers than in any other quarter in the company's history and more iPods than in any other non-holiday quarter, it is clear that the iPhone is quickly becoming its golden goose.

The new iDive waterproof iPod. case and speakers claim to give users the ability to listen to their podcasts, videos, music and movies up to 300 feet underwater.

“Three years ago we introduced the world’s first waterproof housing and speakers developed for scuba diving, the DV-i700. The response and interest we received was overwhelming,” said Kristian Rauhala, CEO of H2O Audio, the company behind the iDive. “Divers have asked us to develop this product since the iPod revolution started. iDive’s “Made for iPod” integrated microprocessor detects a wide variety of iPods making it compatible with Apple’s most popular devices.”

Three hundred feet is a long way underwater, but if you’re down there with nothing better to do, why not crank your iPod tunes?

MileBug, the premier iPhone mileage log application, helps those driving their own vehicles for business, charity, medical, or other reasons receive their reimbursement and/or tax deduction.

MileBug for the iPhone or iPod Touch helps people track their miles and provides emailed reports for easy submission to employers and accountants.

With the new upgrade, MileBug 1.1 answers the call to the many international customers desiring greater customisation. Inside the General Settings is now an option to select kilometers instead of miles. From within the Presets, users can define custom rates for business, charity, medical, and other categories.

Remember being told that too much TV would give you square eyes? Turns out it was the family pet who needed more protection from household gadgets such as the iPod.

A survey of 3,000 pet owners recently carried out by insurers Petplan, revealed that home gadgets are endangering the health of our animals. The biggest culprit in this attack on animal safety is the iPod which is responsible for 15% of all incidents where pets and gadgets fight it out.

Other than splashing out on deluxe insurance premiums, Petplan recommends cable tidies and secure shelving being the best ways to avoid future iPod related cat-astrophes.

A Manhattan-based software maker that focuses on Apple platforms said today that it’s joined a small U.K.-based games developer to release a “steampunk styled,” tilt-based puzzle game for iPhone and iPod Touch

Officials with Freeverse, which publishes software mainly for the Mac and iPhone platforms, said they created the game, called “Plank,” with Strange Flavour (note the British spelling).

According to officials from both companies, Plank is the first iPhone puzzle game that uses a built-in sensor for game play. The sensor, or accelerometer, detects when a user has rotated the device from portrait to landscape, and automatically changes the contents of the display automatically. Strange Flavour Managing Director Aaron Fothergill said Plank is the ideal game for Apple’s popular iPhone

Marware has introduced the Eco-runner - what the company bills as an “environmentally friendly” case for the fourth-generation iPod Nano

It's no surprise that Marware's Eco-Runner comes in green accents. The Eco-Runner is a wrist or armband case for the iPod Nano designed to work with both the fourth-generation iPod Nano and the Nike+ Sport Kit receiver. It’s made of an “environmentally friendly” material instead of neoprene, according to Marware, and incorporates a clear vinyl cover to protect the iPod Nano screen and clickwheel.

The case features an attached wristband and an armband extension and, perhaps predictably, comes in green.

Azure Talon Software is proud to introduce iLaugh 1.0, their joke database for iPhone and iPod Touch. For the price of a song, iLaugh is a fun little application that contains an endless database of hilarious jokes. It's a handy sidekick when entertaining guests, speaking to an audience, killing time or simply to cheer up a friend when they're feeling down.

iLaugh is quite easy to use, and a perfect companion for comedians who're searching for that perfect punch line. With sources containing a total of over twenty thousand jokes (some of which are 100% clean), users are guaranteed to always find a new joke. Azure Talon will be releasing two, completely new and great sources very soon.

Cars and trucks can now get their fair share of iPhone or iPod love as well now that integration has now hit a majority level of 58% of existing vehicles on the market, a very significant number in many ways. Proprietary dock port notwithstanding, Apple’s dominance of the music player/smartphone market has no doubt driven the adaptation by carmakers. USB integration has hit 33%, with an even higher rate of increase (nearly double that of 3 years ago).

Says One user: “When my significant other bought her new Scion XD earlier in the year, one of the things she was really excited about was the iPod integration that came standard. The unit is pretty slick: the iPod can be controlled from the steering wheel, the information about the currently-playing song is available on the head unit, and the iPod’s playlists can be moved around using the stereo’s existing controls.”

More and more companies plan on integrating iPhone or iPod controls into steering wheels or radios in the near future (this is assuming they can stay in business long enough to do so, in some cases).

Shares of Brightpoint Inc. rose Thursday after the cell phone distributor said it would distribute Apple Inc.'s iPod music players in Australia, and an analyst said the deal might give Brightpoint an opening for a wider relationship with the maker of the iPhone. The stock rose 51 cents, or 10.9 percent, to $5.18 in late afternoon trading.

"We believe this is the beginning of a broader relationship between the two companies and see it expanding to include the iPhone (handsets) and to other regions as well (not just Australia)," wrote Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Ittai Kidron in a note to clients. "Brightpoint can offer Apple exactly what it needs: direct and quick access to the handset distribution chain," he added.

"Moving into the portable music space with iPod creates a new product category for us," said Bruce Thomlinson, President of Brightpoint Asia Pacific. Brightpoint is based in Plainfield, Ind. It distributed 83 million cell phones last year.

Inspiretech has released their Screen Protector for the second generation Apple iPod Touch. The Inspiretech iPod Touch 2G Screen Protector protects your iPod music player from scratches, nicks and scrapes.

The Inspiretech iPod Touch 2G screen protector is made out of a 98% transparent, anti-glare material and includes a soft cleaning cloth. The Inspiretech screen protector features a two piece shield design and is made exclusively for the iPod Touch 2G.

Made of a high-end polymer material that is guaranteed for a long life span, the iPod Touch screen protector is backed by a one year manufacturer warranty.

Unlike the vast majority Siebens new iDock is able to unlock the video output from Apple’s iPod Classic, Touch and Nano (3rd and 4th generation).

This means that users can download movies, TV shows and music videos onto their iPod and play them through a TV. Sieben's second generation iDock is compatible with most iPods, the exceptions being the iPod Shuffle and Mini.

Gold-plated connectors provide the option to connect to a Hi-Fi system or TV. S-Video connection is provided for superior video quality with minimal signal degradation for a crystal clear image.

Sony is bringing its audio and integration experience to bear on helping consumers get the most from their portable music, by launching a five-strong range of iPod compatible products. Based on extensive research into different kinds of consumers and their needs, including the different places we want to listen, the new products are designed to match various lifestyles, and deliver far higher audio quality. The new range shows Sony's intention to continue to develop products that are compatible with popular hardware formats and audio codecs.

The line-up includes mini hi-fi system with docks for two iPods and DJ functions perfect for house parties, two designs of iPod speaker system and two clock radios, one having CD playback in addition to its iPod compatibility. Sony's new "Made for iPod" range at a glance.
 
Perfect for mixing and playing music from iPods, CDs and other sources, Sony's LBT-DJ2i helps create the ultimate party soundtrack. With dual docks for iPods, cross-fader and 450W of power through its speakers and separate twin-driver subwoofer, this system is the complete party animal.

Im TOO is an easy to use software programme, which has been designed to offer you the ultimate solution for putting DVDs on iPod video. This software mainly focuses on converting DVD files to iPod MP4 files, by putting DVD files on the iPod video and transferring them with an unbelievably high audio and video quality in less than no time. It also supports MP3, M4A, AAC file formats. The best thing about this converter is that it delivers quality results.

Im TOO software offers certain special features, which allow you to manually set the start and the stop time, or even skip certain sections you would rather not have in your finished video.

This DVD converting suite also allows for the simultaneous encoding of various video files on the hard drive, and finally recording audio from this collection of video files and saving them to the MP3 player. It has a simple, fast and easy user interface which makes the software quite widely accepted.

Marware has announced that it is now shipping its Eco-Runner case for the fourth-generation iPod nano and its Sport Grip case for the second-generation iPod touch. The Eco-Runner for iPod nano 4G is a combination wrist/armband case made form eco-friendly materials.

Designed to accommodate both the iPod nano and the Nike+iPod receiver, the case offers an integrated clear vinyl protector for the nano’s screen and Click Wheel, open access to the headphone jack, and comes with an attached wristband and armband extension.

The Marware Eco-Runner for iPod nano 4G comes in grey with green contrast and sells for $35. Marware’s Sport Grip for iPod touch 2G is a form-fitting silicone case featuring a protective Dock Connector slot, open access to the touch’s screen, and including a clear film protector and cleaning cloth. Available in black, white, or frosted silicone, the Marware Sport Grip for iPod touch 2G sells for $20.

Logic3 reckons it's got the iPod and iPhone dock market covered with two new launches.For £299.99, from early November, you’ll be able to buy the Valve 80 – a monster of a music system built around a vacuum tube amplifier and with piano black Teflon speakers.

The system delivers 80 watts of “clear, undistorted sound” either from your iPod and iPhone or you can use one of the two audio docks to connect the Valve to your TV, CD player or mixing decks. If you don’t want to spend quite so much, but have an iPod or iPhone ready to dock – the £79 i-Station Rotate is going to be available from November.

What’s unique about this is the rotation system. This mechanism means that your iPod or iPhone can be turned on its side for better video viewing. It is also compact at 31.5cm wide and 5.5cm thick.

The DiSTI Corporation, a global leader in Human Machine Interface (HMI) development, today announced the availability of dBeer for the iPhone and iPod touch. DiSTI's clever engineers developed the free dBeer application to share some virtual hospitality with the masses. Information on how to download dBeer can be found on DiSTI's website www.disti.com or by visiting the App Store on iTunes.

The dBeer application fills the screen with a synthetic beverage complete with rising bubbles and a foamy head that oscillates when the device shakes. To enjoy, simply tap the screen to fill, pour, and repeat. Users can choose from a selection of glass logos and beverage choices including light beer, dark beer, and an extreme green soda.

"This iPhone and iPod touch technology is an ideal way to showcase some of the talents present here at DiSTI," said Scott Ariotti, Director of Sales and Marketing for DiSTI. "

Griffin Technology has introduced its new Wave case for the fourth-generation iPod nano, second-generation iPod touch, and iPod classic (120GB). Like its predecessors, the new Wave case features overlapping, interlocking wave-shaped contours that hold the case together.

Other features include a form-fitting, polycarbonate build, open access to the headphone jack, dock connector, and other ports and controls, Griffin’s EasyDock design for expanded compatibility with docking accessories, and an included static-peel screen protector and cleaning cloth.

Griffin’s Wave case is available for the iPod nano 4G and iPod classic (120GB) in white or black, while the iPod touch 2G version is available in white, black, or pink. In addition, Griffin is offering two-packs of the Wave for iPod nano 4G and iPod touch 2G in black & green or black & white.

We’ve had a soft spot for the JBL On Stage iPod dock for a while. It sounds great, doesn’t cost the earth, and now there’s a new one!

Dubbed the JBL On Stage IIIP, and similar in looks to previous models, the new version is iPod and iPhone compatible. There’s a sleek infra-red remote to control it from across the room, and it’ll suck up power from batteries or the included mains adapter.

Plonk it next to a computer, and it’ll also hook up via USB so you can sync your iPhone or iPod through it too. Non-Apple MP3 players can also be plugged in using its 3.5mm jack. Sure, the speaker’s not going to give anyone earache at 6 watts, but it’s a neat package, with all the bells and whistles you could need, at a reasonable price.

A Christian university in Texas recently invested a lot of faith -- and money -- in Apple when the school treated its 1,000 freshman students to their choice of a free iPod touch or iPhone.

Abilene Christian University's freshman class has been using the devices as part of a pilot mobile learning project, with which teachers are exploring the possibility of enhancing education with the internet and multimedia. The university even programmed its own suite of web applications for students to use in class.

About 650 students chose the iPhone 3G, and 300 picked the iPod touch, according to a NetworkWorld story. Students who opted for the iPhone are responsible for paying their own monthly plan with AT&T.

i.TV makes it easy to discover television and movie programming options, share entertainment information with friends, and access media anywhere you can take an iPhone or iPod touch," said Brad Pelo, i.TV's founder and chief executive officer.

"When Apple announced that it would allow third parties to develop applications for the iPhone and iPod touch, we saw an opportunity to leverage the powerful capabilities of Apple's devices to create a new kind of media discovery utility. In order to make such a tool viable, we forged a strategic partnership with TV Guide because we knew they could provide our users with the best and most comprehensive media guidance information. We are confident those who use i.TV will be pleased with the result.We are excited to see end user options for enjoying digital media continue to expand and believe that users should have a robust experience regardless of device or location," said Corey Ferengul, executive vice president of marketing, Macrovision.

The iPod touch can be used to play over 1,000 games available on the iTunes App Store. Apple has even dubbed the touch the "funnest" iPod ever. What threat does it pose to dedicated portable gaming machines like the DS and the PSP? The iPod's lack of buttons may preclude it from large, immersive games, but casual games are a different story.

This season, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) has been marketing the iPod touch as "the funnest iPod ever." Instead of leading with music or even a media experience, the latest television ad shows game after game being played on the iPod's ample screen -- a motorcycle chasing game, that funky monkey in the ball, and others. The iTunes App Store has gobs of games. Plus, the multi-touch screen and accelerometer on the iPod touch allows for a wide variety of playful fun.

To put names to the games, the iPod touch has "Moto Chaser," "Super Monkey Ball," "Crash Bandicoot," "Par 72 Golf," "Texas Hold'em," "Tap Tap Revenge," "Pac-Man," "X-Plane 9," "Spore Origins," "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?," "Air Hockey," "Asphalt 4: Elite Racing," "Missile Command," "Star Wars The Force Unleashed" ... and about 1,135 more titles.

Podcasts are a thing of the past. Handy then that the BBC has confirmed it’ll be letting iPhone and iPod Touch users grab full radio as well as TV shows on their Apple gadgets from now.

You’ll need to be in a Wi–Fi hotspot to take advantage. Shows will be available up to seven days after broadcast and range from the likes of The Archers to Bruce Dickinson’s Rock Show on 6Music. Basically, anything you could possibly want.

The Beeb is keeping quiet about whether we’ll be able to get TV and radio over the 3G connection any time soon. If it’s good enough for the N96, surely it’s good enough for the iPhone and iPod Touch?

Bugdom 2 is a 3D acton-adventure game for the iPhone and iPod touch. You play this game as Skip McFly, a grasshopper who explores the areas inside and around a house, and encounters both friends and enemies. Ski McFly tries to get his stolen knapsack from Bully Bee throughout the game, Sam the Snail and Sally the Chipmunk assist him.

You will have to perform tasks to get help from the other critters, and the game is loaded with unique game play on every level. For example, you’ll surf down the rain gutters, bomb anthills from a balsa airplane, rescue mice trapped in mousetraps, race in slot-cars, and more.The graphics in Bugdom 2 are absolutely stunning.

Beautiful 3G animation and great characters from spear-throwing roaches to blood-sucking ticks. According to Pangea Software, the developer of Bugdom 2 for the iPhone and iPod touch, this is one of the best games they have released. “We believe this is the best iPhone game that we’ve done so far,” they said.

Apple’s iPod Touch was named “Gadget of the Year” on Friday in the UK at the second annual gadget awards event hosted by the consumer electronics publication T3 and sponsored by personal navigation device (PND) manufacturer Garmin Ltd.

Readers could vote on creative design and technical innovation through an online poll conducted from May through last month on the UK magazine’s Web site. There were 15 categories in the 2008 Garmin T3 Gadget Awards, most with humorous titles such as: Gadget You Can’t Live Without, Drop-Dead Gorgeous Award, Best Gadget Candy and the prized Gadget of the Year.

Apple products won several awards. Apple Computers won Gadget of the Year and Best Music Gadget with its 32-gigabyte version of the second-generation iPod Touch, and took home the Gadget Candy Award with its MacAir ultra-thin laptop. Apple’s iPhone also won Commuter Gadget of the Year.

As a promotion for the upcoming Tokyo Game Show 2008, Hudson is now offering three of its iPhone and iPod touch games — Aqua Forest, Catch The Egg, and NeoSameGame — as free downloads from the App Store.

YouTube has begun adding links to the iTunes Store from select music videos. The links can be found below the video and sharing features but above the comments, as seen on the official video for Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida.” The official YouTube blog states, “Just as YouTube users can share, favorite, comment on, and respond to videos quickly and easily, now users can click-to-buy products—like songs, books, and movies—related to the content they’re watching on the site. We’re getting started by embedding iTunes and Amazon.com links on videos from companies like EMI Music.... This is just the beginning of building a broad, viable eCommerce platform for users and partners on YouTube.”

The team behind Comedy Central’s popular animated show South Park is working on an iPhone and iPod touch application for fans of the show, reports Boing Boing. According to the report, the new application will allow users to stream clips, download wallpapers, read news, browse the show’s complete episode index, and choose character likenesses to use as contact images on you iPhone or iPod touch. The upcoming South Park app has yet to receive a price or release date.

Apple has launched a series of new iPhone Tech Talk World Tour events to be held in cities around the globe between October 22nd and December 9th. Unlike previous Tech Talks held last year that focused on building and optimizing web applications for the iPhone OS, these new events focus on app development using the iPhone SDK. A promotional email sent out to registered iPhone developers reads, “Learn about the tools and technologies you’ll use to create great iPhone applications, then work with the experts to optimize your code, refine your user interface, and apply the knowledge you gain from the sessions.” Events are scheduled in more than 20 major cities worldwide, including Chicago, Paris, Stockholm, Delhi, and Sydney. Apple’s iPhone Tech Talk World Tour events are open to all registered iPhone developers; admission is free. To register, visit Apple’s Tech Talk web page.

More than half of all the automobile models sold in the United States in 2009 will offer at least optional iPod support, according to a new iSuppli report. The report states that 39 percent of models sold in 2008 offer iPod integration; that number will jump to 58 percent next year, marking the first time an iPod option will be available in more than half of models. The report goes on to state that one-third of 2009 models will offer USB connectivity for other portable devices, up from 16 percent in 2008, and that Bluetooth will be at least an option on 82 percent of 2009 models, up from 55 percent availability in 2008.

“The automotive industry is at the point where in-vehicle technologies-or the lack of them-are influencing sales,” said Phil Magney, vice president of automotive research for iSuppli. “The charge toward greater technological integration has been led by car OEMs like Hyundai and Honda, which are making USB/iPod combination interfaces standard on many of their vehicles. It’s also been spurred by OEMs like Audi and Mercedes, which offer integrated Media Device Gateways that allow any device imaginable to integrate with a vehicle.”

Piper Jaffray has released the results of its 16th bi-annual Teen Survey, which asks a sampling of high school students about their interest and buying patterns in the realms of MP3 players, online music stores, and music-playing cellphones. When asked about the iPhone 8 percent of the 769 participants said they already owned one, with another 22 percent saying they planned on purchasing an iPhone in the next 6 months. Those responses are up from Jaffray’s April survey, in which only 6 percent of students said they had an iPhone, and only 9 percent said they planned on purchasing one in the next half-year.

When asked about MP3 players, 87 percent of students said they owned at least one, with 84 percent of those owning an iPod — down from 86 percent in the April survey. Perhaps more interesting is the question of planned purchases; only 34% of respondents said they plan on purchasing a MP3 player in the next 12 months, and while 79 percent of those said they planned on purchasing an iPod (down from 80% in April), another 15 percent said they were planning to purchase a Microsoft Zune, the highest response for that player since its initial release.

Finally, when asked about online music stores, only 40 percent of students said they purchased music online, while 60 percent said they uses P2P file sharing networks to get their music. Out of the 40 percent who do purchase music online, however, 93 percent said they use iTunes, up from 81 percent in the April survey and 79 percent from a year ago. Interestingly, while 18 percent of respondents said they would consider paying $0.99 per song to purchase music, more than twice that many (37 percent) said they would consider paying $15 a month for a subscription service. According to Piper, the average age of students participating in the survey was 16.2 years old, with 53 percent males and 47 percent females.

Apple has won five prizes at this year's British Technology Awards, sponsored by a regional publisher. Four of these are for the iPhone, which earned Apple Gadget of the Year, Best Mobile Technology, Most Stylish Technology and Technological Innovation of the Year. The fourth is for the iTunes Store, which won under the aegis of Best Music Technology. The distribution of awards was based on public voting.

Other notable winners include BBC's iPlayer TV and radio streaming service, which won for both Best Online and Best Home Entertainment Technology, and Google Maps, which was voted Most Indispensable. Google Maps integration is considered a selling point of the iPhone, although it is now being added to phones such as the T-Mobile G1.

Proper satnav is something we've been desperate to see on our iPhone since GPS was shoved on there over the summer. Alas, it hasn't come to pass.



But now, according to Electric Pig, our dreams are about to be answered. A company called XRoad has stuck their G-Map app on the App Store over in the US, giving you maps for major cities in the States right on your iPhone.



There's no word on whether their promise to "get directions" means it has proper turn–by–turn and being in the UK, we sadly can't try it on our iPhones right now.

Developing European Union guidelines could force Apple to adopt a more user- and environmentally-friendly approach to batteries, reports say. The legal body is currently in the process of drafting a "New Batteries Directive," which would expand on the present set of guidelines designed to make it easier to remove, dispose of and/or recycle old batteries, which would be big news in the world of the iPod and iPhone. The present directive indicates that companies must make it simple to remove batteries from electronics; the proposed one would insist that batteries can be "readily removed" for replacement or disposal.

If such a ruling is passed in 2009, it could force Apple to revise the design of the iPod and iPhone, both of which use internal lithium-ion batteries which typically demand specialized tools and knowledge to remove. Apple and others offer recycling programs for the handhelds, but this may not dissuade concerns that some players are being thrown out with their batteries inside.

Apple is also known to be willing to change or eliminate its products in order to accommodate regulations. In 2006, the EU's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive made the external iSight camera illegal, and the company subsequently decided to scrap the product entirely, if partly because it was beginning to duplicate built-in iSights, making an iPod/iPhone redesign not totally unfeasable.

Apple may have dramatically exceeded predictions for iPhone sales during its fourth financial quarter, writes Bullish Cross. The site quotes an unofficial tracking of IMEI numbers for the iPhone 3G, which it says suggests that some 7 to 7.5 million phones were shipped in the quarter. In particular, it is noted that Apple is already in the eight iteration of the TAC code found within each IMEI ID, each modification of it indicating 1 million phones.

Although IMEI numbers can only strictly indicate the amount of iPhones produced, rather than sold, the Cross estimate may in fact be pessimistic, as it assumes that 1.5 million phones were unsold -- whether defective, sitting in stock or in use as demonstration models.

If accurate the figure would easily put Apple over its sales target for the year, 10 million, and beat out predictions from industry analysts. Consensus views have generally forecast 4 million phones for Q4, while Piper Jaffray has suggested as much as 5 million. A definite figure may only become available later this month, when Apple formally announces its Q4 results.

Speaking at the recent Digital Music Forum West event, Pandora founder Tim Westergren has revealed that the iPhone has helped Pandora double its growth rate. According to Westergren, the iPhone now accounts for 1.5 million of Pandora’s 17 million members, and has had a profound affect on new users signups, with the daily average of new users growing from 20,000 to over 40,000. “It has people thinking a little differently about what internet radio is,” Westergren said.

Magneat is a new magnetic headphone cable manager that attaches directly to the user’s clothes, enabling greater freedom of movement. The button-shaped accessory features a front piece with an area for winding cord and a small notch in the top for securing the outgoing cord, and a back piece that secures the front using two strong magnets. It should be noted that the magnets could cause issues with hard drive-based iPods or the iPhone 3G if placed in close proximity to one another.

i.TV has released its new movie and TV guide application for the iPhone and iPod touch. i.TV presents users with current TV and movie listing based on their current location and other customizable profile settings. Most TV program listings are accompanied by rich background information such as show synopses, ratings, cast listings, and reviews, from both traditional publications and from other i.TV users. In addition, it also provides direct viewing of movie trailers and TV show previews directly from the iPhone or iPod touch. i.TV is available now as a free download from the App Store.

Mexican iPhone carrier Telcel has begun selling the iPhone 3G without a contract. The 8GB iPhone 3G sells for MEX $7899 while 16GB models go for MEX $9199. Both models are being offered with a bonus of MEX $500 worth of air time and 30 days of unlimited internet usage.

As with the majority of other carriers offering contract-free iPhones, it is believed that the units sold by TelCel will remain locked to that carrier’s network.

According to a new report from The NPD Group, 30 percent of U.S. customers who purchased an iPhone 3G from its launch on July 11 through August switched mobile carriers to do so. By comparison, only 23 percent of consumers, on average, switched carriers between June and August. Of the iPhone customers that switched to AT&T, 47 percent switched from Verizon Wireless, 24 percent switched from T-Mobile, and 19 percent switched from Sprint.

In addition, the report states that prior to the launch of the iPhone 3G (January through May 2008), iPhone sales accounted for 11 percent of the consumer market for smartphones, while after the launch of the iPhone 3G, Apple commanded 17 percent of the market. From June through August, the iPhone 3G was also the top-selling smartphone based on units sales to consumers, followed by the BlackBerry Curve, BlackBerry Pearl, and Palm Centro.

“The launch of the lower-priced iPhone 3G was a boon to overall consumer smartphone sales,” according to Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for The NPD Group. “While the original iPhone also helped win customers for AT&T, the faster network speeds of the iPhone 3G has proven more appealing to customers that already had access to a 3G network.”

Developers have found a number of features hidden in iPhone Software 2.2, which is currently in beta and was recently updated and seeded to developers. Although the release notes list only “compatibility testing” as the only change, according to Mac Rumors, developers have found some new features hidden in iPhone’s framework files.

A number of hidden Japanese emoji icons were found, which if implemented will answer one of the most common complaints about the iPhone from Japanese users, support for Street View in the Google Maps application, and a new toggle in the iPhone’s keyboard settings to turn Auto-Correction on and off. Apple has yet to announce a firm release date for iPhone Software 2.2.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain might have his war record behind him but rival presidential nominee, Barack Obama, has something just as weighty, the iPhone.

Obama, the Democratic front-runner for the White House, is turning the stylish iPhone into a political recruiting tool by creating an application with a 'Call Friends' feature to rally your contacts into ensuring they are registered to vote and will be voting for Obama.

It will also remind you about who still needs extra prompting so you can continue hounding them. It's called Obama '08: The Official Application for iPhone/iPod touch and was built by fervent volunteers in just 3 weeks.

Fringland Ltd. has launched its new iPhone and iPod touch application fring, the first app with support for free Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony to become available on the App Store. The application offers support for both voice and text communications and a number of different services, including fring, Skype, MSN, Google Talk, AIM, Yahoo!, Twitter, and ICQ.

Due to restrictions placed on VoIP apps by Apple, voice calls are available only when connected via Wi-Fi, while text-based messaging is available over both Wi-Fi and cellular data connections. Fring is available now as a free download from the App Store for iPhone or iPod touch.

Apple has gone and done it: its popular iPhone has surpassed the Amazon Kindle in popularity - as a book reader.

Since the launch of the iPhone App Store in July, a book-reader application called Stanza has accumulated 395,000 downloads, and the app continues to be installed on 5,000 iPhones a day, according to a Forbes story. By way of comparison, Citigroup estimates Amazon will sell about 380,000 Kindle e-book readers in 2008.

Who would've ever thought that people would prefer reading on a versatile, sleekly designed handset with a colorful touch screen that they carry around everywhere, as opposed to a hideous, bulky device sporting plastic keys and a dull gray-on-gray e-ink display?

A young Northside engineer has started a new company which could save iPod users hundreds of euro on repairs or replacements for their damaged gadgets. Brian Byrne (23), from Malahide, will repair any type of iPod for a fraction of the cost of sending it to Apple’s repairs department.

Previously, owners of the stylish Apple iPod players would be forced to replace the device after any accidental damage or damage which was not covered during the warranty period. Apple’s official repair service has come in for criticism from some iPod owners as the cost of fixing a damaged unit could almost amount to as much as buying a new model.

Brian, a DIT Engineering student, had the idea for his company when his younger sister cracked the screen of her iPod accidentally, and Apple couldn’t repair the device cost effectively. Brian took matters into his own hands, popped open the iPod and managed to fix it. Thus started his career in repairing the devices and saving his friends and family a fortune in replacements.

Wolfson Microelectronics, the Edinburgh-based manufacturer of semiconductors, warned yesterday that declining sales of mobile phones, digital cameras and satellite navigation systems would slice up to 20% off its end-of-year revenues.

Shares in the company, whose chips are used in devices such as Samsung mobile phones and TomTom satnav devices as well as in Apple's iPod range, dropped nearly 25% yesterday after it said it had seen a "material reduction" in orders over the past few days.

Wolfson, which had started to cut jobs in the summer after not being chosen by Apple to supply parts for the latest generation of iPod touch and iPod nano portable devices, said it was suffering from lower demand from all its customers.

It's hardly a major surprise, but Adobe has confirmed that it is working on a version of flash for Apple's iPhone.

Steve Jobs stunned Adobe when he publicly stated that Flash wasn't good enough to be included on the iPhone, but the company has not given up hope of putting the rich-media internet plugin onto the handset.

According to Flash Magazine at the Flash on the Beach (FOBA) conference, Paul Betlem – the senior director of engineering confirmed to the audience that his team was indeed working on an iPhone version of the player.

One of the frustrating things about iPhone for journalists has been the fact that developers have been tongue-tied about discussing the platform itself. It's not their fault – Apple made them all sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), and with the danger of having their games kicked off the App Store, few have dared be too loose-lipped.

Well, so much for all that. Apple has announced on its developer program website that it's dropping the NDA. The company claims it only put it in place to protect its top-secret technology (or, indeed, the technologies it bought in from external vendors).

"However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone's success, so we are dropping it for released software. Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released."

Stefano Maruzzi, president of CondeNet International, has highlighted the challenges of attuning an established international company that publishes glossy magazines to the digital world. In addition, it meant that CondeNet had to deliver forms of content on devices and platforms that would not naturally be associated with the glossy magazine publisher, he told delegates at the Association of Online publishers. Tapping into the iPod generation.

"I think here in London every day there are a couple of million hours of media time spent in the early morning and later in the afternoon as people leave the office," Maruzzi told the conference.

"I don't have any direct statistics, but many people come to work with iPods in their ears, they are consuming a lot of content that way.