August 2009 Archives

Pzizz also offers Pzizz Energizer (daytime), Pzizz Sleep (night time) and Pzizz Bundle (all around the clock) desktop versions for both Mac and PC. Like the desktop version, Pzizz Relax is capable of generating more than "100 billion" combinations of music, creating a new unique soundtrack each time you press start.

Users can choose how long - 10 to 90 minutes - they want to listen to Pzizz Relax. The application is designed to help users relax, which the makers suggest help to quiet the mind, and gently ease users into restful sleep. The company claims that for more than a decade Pzizz has been helping thousands of people fro around the world to relax.

Wikimedia spokesperson Jay Walsh tells AFP that future iterations of Wikipedia Mobile will enable users to edit entries and upload pictures or other digital content: "It is a platform we are going to build on. The sky is the limit--we can do whatever we want."

Wikimedia adds that user feedback will shape additional features--in addition, the foundation said it welcomes contributions from other mobile developers. Earlier this month, Wikipedia announced that users have now contributed more than 3 million English-language articles to the site.

The application is aimed at both enthusiasts and shoppers looking for further information before investing time and money in a CD, vinyl record or download. The application is formatted for iPhone and iPod Touch to make searching and browsing the Discogs online database a pleasant experience says the makers.

Records will also open release info page in Safari for Discogs community functions.

99.9% of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is covered, and the Channel Islands are partially covered. The app is in the iPhone App Store now, and costs £60.

What's not included, if you buy it from the App Store, is the previously rumoured car kit that includes a mount, enhanced GPS receiver, power cables and built in speaker, along with an audio-out jack and microphone to allow you to use it as Bluetooth speakerphone. That kit is rumoured to cost £100.

Sales of BlackBerrys, iPhones and other smartphones reportedly jumped 27 percent in the second quarter while overall sales of mobile phones dropped 6 percent.

A report by Gartner Inc. said smartphones accounted for about 40 million of the total worldwide 286.1 million units sold in the second quarter of 2009.

"Given the higher margins, smartphones offer the biggest opportunity for manufacturers," said Carolina Milanesi, research director at Gartner, in the report.

A French teenager has been injured by his girlfriend's exploding iPhone, little more than a week after Apple was accused of trying to suppress news of an exploding iPod Touch.

According to the AFP, Marie-Dominique Kolega contacted Apple after her son was hit by a flying piece of Jobsian status symbol. Apparently, the iPhone made a hissing noise before the screen shattered, sending shards through the air. "My son was frightened but he did not lose an eye," Kolega told AFP.

Earlier this month, Liverpudlian Ken Stanborough told The Times of London that after he contacted Apple about his daughter's exploding iPod Touch - which made its own hissing sound before rocketing ten feet in the air - the company said it would refund the price of the device if Stanborough and daughter signed a confidentiality agreement banning them from publicly discussing the incident.

With the football season underway and the premier league about to start this weekend, Sky Sports is launching a new service for iPhone users. It will be available for owners of the iPhone and iPod Touch and is already available from the iTunes App Store.

As expected, the app will provide the user with live football scores from the Premier League and Football League, as well as the scores from all international matches involving England and Scotland. For fans of European teams it also offers the European league scores.

Even when the European cup matches start and when international fixtures are played, all of this information will be available on the user's iPhone.

A US bank will this week launch a new service that allows you to deposit checks by taking photos of them with your iPhone.

The privately held financial services and insurance company USAA (United Services Automobile Association) serves only current and former members of the US Armed Services and their families, but even with that limitation, it currently has 7.2 million members.

USAA has only one physical branch - in San Antonio, Texas - but with US service members deployed all over the world, the company has focused on online services. A few years back it introduced its USAA Deposit@Home service, which allows deposits to be made using a computer and scanner. The new USAA Deposit@Mobile service will extend that convenience to iPhone users.

Computer giant Apple attempted to buy the silence of a man and his 11-year-old daughter after her iPod music player exploded, it was claimed.

Ken Stanborough, 47, said he had tried to claim a refund for his daughter Ellie's iPod Touch after he had dropped the device which then allegedly overheated and blew up. The company responded with a letter which denied liability but offered to refund the £162 cost of the iPod on condition that the deal was kept "completely confidential".

Last week it emerged that Apple has been trying to stop publicity about iPod digital music players overheating and bursting into flames in the US. Using the Freedom of Information Act, a reporter obtained 800 pages of documents from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in America about such cases.

According to the detailed account of events on Daring Fireball, Ninjawords, an online dictionary based off of Wikitionary, made several attempts to get onto the iTunes App Store as an iPhone and iPod Touch application.

Several times Apple rejected Ninjawords dictionary on the grounds that it contained obscene words, which are in violation of the iPhone SDK agreement. Of course, it could easily be argued that the words in the dictionary are not being used in an obscene manner. Making matters even more cloudy is that other dictionary applications available on the App Store contain all of the profane words that Ninjawords was rejected for. Apple's seemingly confusing and restrictive standards for iPhone apps is having developers up in arms, which is not a good thing for users.

In an interview with Kotaku, he said: "My charge is to make games that are the best for the iPod Touch and iPhone. There is a gold rush to Apps for the App store and Namco is at the forefront of that movement.

"In the past Namco has been known for its depth of arcade experience with games like Pac-Man, Galaga, Soul Calibur and Tekken. I'm excited to be here and see a lot of those franchise come out on the iPhone. I'm here to champion new things, new IP, to discover what the new Pac-Man is for the iPhone." He added games such as Soul Calibur and Tekken would be great additions to the App store, but the complexity of their controls would make this more challenging.

While rumours swirl that O2 is due to lose its exclusivity on at least the iPhone 3G, if not the iPhone 3GS later this year, a report from The Register reveals that T-Mobile is currently supplying iPhones to "selected customers".

Although it seems not every Tom, Dick and Harry that asks is eligible for an Apple mobile, T-Mobile is using the iPhone to retain high-spending customers. The Register reports: "Only high spenders who threaten to leave need apply, and only 150 of those a week will be lucky enough to get their hands on an officially-supported T-Mobile iPhone, though even that risks annoying Apple and will certainly have O2 up in arms".

NME Radio managing and programming director Sammy Jacob said: "This app is great news for the music industry, artists and audience alike as it allows for impulse purchase and download of tracks played on the station.

"It is, as far as I am aware, the first UK radio station app to have such facility. Apart from providing increased exposure to new and emerging artists, it will contribute to revenues. I believe stuff like this is essential to the future of the music industry."