February 2009 Archives

The iPhone and iPod Touch each generate more web traffic than any other handheld device.That's according to new figures by the advertising firm Admob, which measures online traffic based on ad requests. Its January metrics place Apple's iPhone and its derivative non-phone device in the first and second spots for internet users worldwide.

The iPhone leads with an 11 per cent share of total handheld web usage. Although the iPod Touch follows with 7.4 per cent, the amount of web traffic measured as coming from the device is growing much faster than the iPhone compared to last month.

Motorola's RAZR V3 is the third most internet-savvy handset, with 3 per cent of worldwide traffic counted by the firm. Nokia's N70 is ranked fourth with 2.5 per cent of total ad requests.

The success of Apple's AppStore for iPhone and iPod Touch has prompted two major rivals to follow suit.

Handset giant Nokia and Microsoft have announced their own versions of the online markets for mobile device application software, or apps.

From May, Nokia's Ovi Store will offer apps as well as multimedia content specific to a user's location. Microsoft's new "Windows Phones" will feature Windows Marketplace, launching in the last quarter of 2009. Microsoft has also announced a service allowing synchronisation and backup of data from mobiles "in the cloud".

Google and Vodafone have teamed up to take on Apple’s iPhone, yesterday unveiling the internet search engine group’s second attempt to make a splash in the European mobile phone market.

The stakes are high, according to Mike Grant, a partner in the research group Analysys Mason. He said: “Google needs a big win in mobiles and Vodafone needs to crack the iPhone’s dominance of smartphones in the main European markets.”

The companies, along with the Taiwanese handset developer HTC Corporation, unveiled the successor to Google’s G1 phone at Mobile World Congress, the industry’s annual trade show, in Barcelona yesterday. It is set to hit UK shops in the next few months, exclusive to Vodafone, and will be free to customers on a £35-a month tariff. It will then do battle with the iPhone, which is currently exclusive to O2 in the UK.

A Scottish IP firm is suing Apple over the smooth zooming and scrolling featured on the iPhone. Glasgow-based patent licenser Picsel Technologies says the Cupertino iDevice maker illegally uses display technologies it developed. The firm sued Apple on Friday in Delaware District Court.

Picsel claims Apple infringes on its US patent 7,009,626, titled "Systems and Methods for Generating Visual Representations of Graphical Data and Digital Document Processing."

The patent describes using an approximate, intermediary rendering of what's displayed on a device while scrolling, zooming, or during other major screen transitions.

Major rivals Apple and Microsoft are both involved in new legal disputes, although for entirely separate reasons. Apple is being sued over its screen rendering technology used in the iPhone and iPod Touch, while Microsoft faces accusations that it is using the unpopularity of the Vista operating system to make a profit from people who want to "downgrade" to the Windows XP operating system.

The Apple lawsuit has been filed in the U.S District for Delaware court and is being instigated by mobile phone software provider Picsel Technologies. The company claims Apple has infringed its "rapid redraw" patent, which allows mobile phone users to navigate through on-screen content without experiencing prolonged screen update cycles.

Law firm Nixon Peabody LLP, which is representing Picsel in the case, said in a statement, "Without Piscel's technology, users can be subjected to prolonged delays while zooming and panning documents, web pages, and images. This core rendering feature is a key contributor to the unique visual experience delivered by Picsel."

Mobile advertisement firm AdMob has revealed its Mobile Metrics report for January. According to the data, worldwide requests from Apple devices grew 28% month over month to 1.2 billion in January, with the iPod touch outpacing the iPhone’s growth in top markets.

The iPod touch now represents 40% of ad requests from Apple devices, doubling September’s 20% share. In early January, AdMob revealed that iPod touch requests had more than tripled worldwide from November to December; it is unclear how many of these increases can be attributed to sales of AdMob-supported applications.

Elton John has unveiled a range of suitably over the top, blinged up iPod Nanos in support of his charity, the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The iPod Nanos are encrusted in 'stunning' starburst Swarovski crystals and have been designed exclusively for Elton and his charity, available in 8GB and 16GB models.

Available in blue, black, green, red, orange, pink, purple, silver and yellow there are only 100 of each colour, making them suitably collectable and going some way towards justifying the crazily exorbitant prices.

On sale from Goldengenie and Selfridges, the 8GB iPod retails at £400 and the 16GB iPod at £450, with Goldengenie bundling a copy of Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits CD with each purchase.

Google decided against implementing multi-touch in its mobile device operating system Android after Apple requested they refrain from using the technology, according to a new report. VentureBeat, citing a member of the Android team, says the search giant acquiesced to Apple’s request in order to avoid putting strain on the relationship between the two companies; it is unknown whether the threat of legal action relating to iPhone patents also played a role in the decision.

Google has been a leading partner of Apple’s in recent iPhone and Mac software releases, providing the backend for the iPhone’s Maps application and the Places functionality of iPhoto ‘09, as well as releasing iPhone apps of its own, one of which openly violated App Store rules but has been allowed anyway.

In addition, Google CEO Eric Schmidt is on Apple’s board of directors. Interestingly, recent demonstrations by Android developers have shown that the hardware of the T-Mobile G1, the first Android-based phone, is indeed capable of handling multi-touch, meaning the decision against implementation was made in software instead of hardware.

Google today launched a beta version of its Google Sync service for the iPhone and iPod touch.Google Sync is a two-way push synchronization service that works with Gmail contacts and Google Calendars, allowing users to update information from either their iPhone or iPod touch, using the built-in Calendar and Contacts applications, or from any traditional computer, using the web browser.

The new Sync service uses the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol, and Google warns that enabling the Sync service will automatically delete any existing contacts and calendar information from the device.

The latest round of negotiations between Apple and China Mobile have broken down due to a disagreement over control of the App Store, a new report indicates. Interfax TMT China, citing a source at the China Mobile Research Institute, states that China Mobile president Wang Jianzhou outlined the turbulent negotiations on a recent visit to the Institute.

Jianzhou reportedly claimed that initial negotiations broke down due to Apple’s insistence on revenue sharing, while the second round of talks failed after Apple offered to sell iPhones to the carrier for $600 and required that China Mobile subsidize iPhone service bundles. The third, and reportedly final, round of negotiations is said to ended over Apple’s insistence that it, rather than China Mobile, sell applications for the device directly to customers via the App Store.

“Wang said China Mobile should operate the application store itself in order to maintain its advantage,” the Institute source said, noting that Chinese customers have preferred to make purchases through deposits in their mobile phone accounts rather than through the credit cards required by the App Store. Apple currently sells an unlocked model of the iPhone 3G in Hong Kong.

iPods come closer to your heart this Valentine’s Day
For this year’s Valentine’s Day gifts, nothing says “I love you” quite like an iPod. Available in the seasonal hue of pink, amongst many other colors, the iPod shuffle and iPod nano are the ideal gifts for your beloved, while the iPod touch, filled with the new Love applications, is the simplest way to convey your love.

The second generation iPod Touch is the funniest iPod ever. It is smaller and lighter than the original, with a sleek new design that features an amazingly thin contoured metal design, a gorgeous 3.5-inch widescreen glass display, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi wireless networking, integrated volume control buttons, a built-in speaker for casual listening, a built-in accelerometer and other advanced sensors, and Apple’s revolutionary Multi-Touch™ user interface. Like the nano, the new iPod Touch works with the new iTunes 8 Genius feature, allowing customers to automatically create playlists while on the go. It is available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models.

Available through the iTunes Store, the special Valentine’s applications for the iPod Touch are an original and tech-savvy way to show someone you love them. Available for free or at a small fee, these loving and lovable applications make one-of-a-kind surprises for your loved ones.

This is also the first specific indication the public has received that The Sims 3 will be available for the Mac and iPhone.

New to The Sims 3 is the ability to choose up to five traits to create individual personalities. New design tools have been developed that let you extensively customize the appearance of your Sims, affecting their shape and size, facial features, skin tone, hair color and style, eye shape and color, clothing and accessories.

The game also features goal-oriented gameplay that has you trying to reach short- or long-term objectives you want your Sim to pursue. You can create and edit your own movies on your iPhone, as you capture gameplay moments, and an online community will be introduced that will enable you to show off your Sims, get bonus content and more.

Internet phone company Jajah can turn the iPod touch into an iPhone. (Download from CNET Download.com.)

The company, which competes with other low-cost Internet calling applications such as Skype allows users to call and text messages using a voice over IP network instead of a carrier's cellular network. All that is needed to start making calls is the Jajah application, the latest version of the iPod touch, a microphone headset, and a Wi-Fi connection.

While the Jajah service can reduce calling costs up to 98 percent, the fact that it must be connected via a Wi-Fi network limits where it can be used. For this reason, it's unlikely that the Jajah-enabled iPod touch would really steal business away from the iPhone, which is a full-fledged mobile phone that operates over a traditional cellular network.

It has been has confirmed that a limited edition range of Swarovski crystal encrusted iPod nanos have been released in conjunction with Elton's HIV/AIDS charity EJAF. Every colour of iPod nano will be available with 250 individually set and colour co-ordinated gems in both 8GB and 16GB editions.

Further bragging rights (very much depending on your circle of friends) are attained from Elton's signature engraved on the back while each iPod will ship with the singer's 'Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits CD' pre-loaded.

Naturally the big question is how much will they cost? The answer isn't as bad as perhaps could've been expected with the 8GBer retailing for £399.99 and the 16GB model a veritable snip at £449.99. Selfridges and Goldgenie will be offering the iPods with a minimum of 12.5 per cent from the sale of each going to EJAF.

Print from EuroSmartz is a nifty but limited utility that enables you to print Web pages, photos, and contact information from your iPod touch or iPhone. It consists of two programs: one that you install on your mobile device as you would any other app, and another, called WePrint, that you download from the EuroSmartz Web site and install on a Mac or PC. With WePrint running, you can print from any iPod touch or iPhone that can establish either a Wi-Fi or cell network connection to the host computer.

Print is limited by the the lack of a cut-and-paste capability in Apple’s iPhone devices. If there’s a Web page you want to print, you literally need to write down or remember the URL and manually input it into the address bar of Print’s Web browser. Another workaround is to use Print’s built-in browser when you anticipate you might want to print from the Web. Print’s browser is solid but not quite as robust as the built-in version of Safari. Another drawback is that while you can create bookmarks in Print’s browser, you can’t import your Safari bookmarks directly into Print.

With photos and contact info, the process is much more straightforward: you have direct access to both the iPhone or iPod touch photo library and your contacts from Print; you can select those you want to print without leaving the app. You can even pick multiple photos or contacts to print, choosing from among whichever printers are connected to the host Mac.

You bought your 80GB iPod thinking it was all the space you would ever need only to discover months later it’s completely full. Thankfully, Rapid Repair, an iPod repair and service company has announced the first ever 240GB upgrade for 5th Generation Video iPods.

Company spokesperson Arron Vronko says they are finishing testing on the new upgrade an expect it to be available in 2-3 weeks. Apple’s largest iPod holds 120GB. 240GB is enough capacity to hold around 60,000 hours of music or 300 hours of video so you can listen to your entire music library and still have room for the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Back to the Future Trilogies combined.

Rapid Repair is based in Michigan and fixes iPods, Zunes and iPhones with sound issues, liquid damage, hard drive problems and broken screens. The company also sells parts, accessories, and manuals, and includes professional installation of parts at no extra charge.

When Mark Davis, Program Director for iPhone at Etisalat, announced on Monday that the iPhone 3G would launch in the UAE on 15 February, he also reportedly let slip that "next version of the device” is “due out in June”.
However, it's worth noting that some online reports have questioned whether the reference to June was a direct comment by Davis or was simply a paragraph within the original story from which Western coverage of his comments has devolved. That said, most observers agree that the date appears to have come from Davis himself.
Apple blogs around the world have since erupted with speculation that this is definitive proof that the firm’s crafted a new iPhone.

SipPhone on iPhone will turn your iPhone or iPod Touch 2nd generation into a fully working Sip Phone that routes your calls over VOIP when connected to a Wi-Fi network.

The application is not tied to any one carrier so you can enter the details of your current SIP provider into the account settings and start enjoying cheap calls over Wi-Fi. We tested it with a Connexin VoIP account and had the app up and running within a couple of minutes.
When the application is running you can even receive calls directly to your iPhone or iPod Touch 2nd generation when someone calls your SIP telephone number. If only you could use apps in background.

Knomo, the makers of luxury styled laptop bags and iPod cases has announced a range of new leather iPhone or iPod cases.
Knomo’s iPhone 3G covers are available in durable leather with super-soft velveteen lining in array of colours including sassy red, a more formal ember brown and sunflower yellow. Other styles coming soon include a tumbled leather slip case in navy or black.
The Knomo iPod Classic wallet comes in a sleek style in red, brown or black leather, while the iPod classic case comes as a flip-top case for ease of use in red, black and tan.
Other additions to the Knomo range include the travel wallet with a section for iPods, in both tan and black leather. The zip-around style has versatile sections and is finished in beautiful glossy leather, keeping all your travel essentials to hand.

Sir Elton John has produced his own unique take on the Apple iPod with the launch of a range of Swarovski crystals embedded iPod nanos dubbed ‘Starburst.’

Designed exclusively for the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), a percentage of the profits from the sales of the Apple iPods will go to charity and will benefit many HIV/AIDS programmes across 15 countries and 4 continents funded by EJAF, a non-profit organisation founded by Elton John in 1993.

The original iconic players are individually set with over 250 colour-coordinated Swarovski crystals and laser engraved with Elton John’s signature on the rear.