Android and iPhone racing for customers

A new study reveals that Google and Apple are in a sharp race for smartphone demand. Among the Americans wanting to buy a smartphone between November and February, 20 percent plan to get and iPhone 3G or 3GS, while 17 percent want to buy an Android phone. Both categories are more specific when it comes to buying a high-end device, 14 percent of them opting for an iPhone 3GS, while 8 percent would buy a Motorola Droid.



BlackBerry is still leading in customers’ demand with 51 percent of those buyers aiming to purchase a RIM phone, but the preference for a particular model is not similar to the competitors’ situation. About 18 percent of BlackBerry customers would buy the least expensive model, the candybar Pearl. The touchscreen Storm and Storm2 demand is situated at 13 percent, but 4 percent are planning to buy a model of the high-end Bold and 3 percent are opting for its CDMA model, the Tour. Other platforms are trailing, just 2 percent aiming to buy a Palm Pre or the Windows Mobile-based AT&T Tilt.

The request for Android devices have dramatically increased compared to August when there was a lack of Android phones that left the entire group at 7 percent. Apple instead has had a steady demand and has lost only a single percentage point during the period between mid-summer and mid-fall.

BlackBerry demand is still strong, though Research in Motion is the only one company in the top three to have an operating system available on all important US carriers and selling its handsets at prices of $100, $50 or even free in some cases, on contract. Android expansion is considered identical to that of the iPhone, thanks to a great popularity of data use. On both platforms, users are more likely to utilize third-party applications, media playback, e-mail and the web than other owners of smartphones. E-mail is the only weak point on Android, 63 percent of its customers using it regularly, while in the case of the iPhone 87 percent of the owners are regularly using the service.

Source:http://www.htlounge.net

Apple Launched RSS feed for iPhone News

Apple this week has taken another step toward better communicating with iPhone developers, launching an RSS feed for iPhone app news.

News subscribers will receive the latest Apple App Store submission tips, such as the importance of App name and icon consistency, plus data on App Store submission approvals, program updates and testing techniques.

Apple said in November that iPhone developers have created more than 100,000 apps for smartphones and market research firm IDC says there will be 300,000 by 2011. Apple roared past the 2 billion app download mark in September. Yet Apple has been knocked by App Store developers and buyers for imperfect management of the App Store submission and oversight processes.

Some developers have argued that Apple makes it too tough for them to get their apps onto the App Store, such as when Apple rejected a Google Voice app earlier this year. Others decry apps like the notorious Shaken Baby app that slip onto the App Store. Then there’s the recent scandal involving bogus iPhone app ratings that led Apple to scuttle 1,000 previously approved apps.

Buyers have complained about a “no refund” policy that makes plunking down increasingly higher amounts for apps a tougher purchase decision.

The new RSS feed is Apple’s latest attempt to get a better handle on its booming App Store. The company recently introduced ways for developers to gain more visibility into exactly where a submitted app stands in the process.

While Apple’s App Store is in a league of its own, other smartphone makers, such as Windows Mobile maker Microsoft, are boosting theirs as well.

Source: http://www.iphoneappstore.us/

Droid Beats iPhone 3GS For Time Magazine's Top Gadget Of 2009

In a bit of a surprising twist, Time magazine has named the Motorola Droid the number one gadget of 2009 on their list of top tech toys for the year. The device beat out the iPhone 3GS, who's predecessor took the top slot last year. The main reason they give for the honor of number one is that in their opinion, it's the first device to pair the hardware with the Google Android OS, positioning it to be the first real iPhone competitor.

"The Droid is a hefty beast, a metal behemoth without the gloss and finish of the iPhone, but you don't miss it," the magazine said. "The Droid's touchscreen is phenomenally sharp and vivid, it has an actual physical (not great, but good enough) keyboard, and best of all, the Droid is on Verizon's best-of-breed 3G network. It's Android's first credible challenge to the iPhone."

Their praise of the iPhone 3GS was less than glimmering, noting that the new device boasts little more than a speed increase.

"Take the iPhone. Make it faster. There, you're done," the story said. "Yes, the 3GS has a better camera — with video. And it has a compass and voice control. Those are all improvements over the original. But the main point of, and the best thing about, the new iPhone is speed. It has more of it. Period."

Source:http://www.iphonealley.com

Main Story:http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944278,00.html

Microsoft Gets Silverlight Video Streaming On iPhone With Apple's Blessing

In an unlikely twist, Microsoft has successfully demonstrated streaming video powered by their Silverlight technology playing on an iPhone. The technology uses server-side transcoding and an HTML5 video tag, and displays Silverlight content in a native H.264/MPEG-2 v8 format recognized by the iPhone's built in Quicktime player. Most surprising was the response of Microsoft User Experience Platform Manager Brian Goldfarb when asked how they succeeded with Silverlight where Adobe had failed with Flash: "We worked with Apple."

Goldfarb explained that their users wanted their Silverlight content to play on the iPhone. YouTube served as effective inspiration on making the content device-independant.

"So we've worked with Apple to create a server-side based solution with IIS Media Services," Goldfarb continued, "and what we're doing is taking content that's encoded for smooth streaming and enabling the content owner to say, 'I want to enable the iPhone.' The server will dynamically make the content work -- same content, same point of origin -- on the iPhone. We do this with the HTML 5

Apple And Android Dominate U.S. Smartphone Web Traffic

It is starting to look like just two smartphone platforms "matter" where it comes to use of the mobile Web: the Apple iPhone and the Android devices, a new analysis by AdMob suggests.

AdMob’s October, 2009 measurements show that the iPhone/iPod Touch and Android phones account for 75 percent of mobile Web traffic in the United States.



Apple devices continue to dominate, with 55 percent share, but Android users in October represented 20 percent of all activity, up from 17 percent in September, 2009.

The iPhone and iPod Touch grew their share from 48 percent to 55 percent share over the same period.

The Blackberry ’s mobile Web traffic share went down from 14 percent to 12 percent, and Palm’s webOS shrank from 10 percent to five percent.

On a global basis, the iPhone operating system now accounts for 50 percent of all mobile traffic, up from 43 percent the month before.

Android has an 11 percent global share, which makes it third globally after Nokia/Symbian’s 25 percent share.

Since Verizon launched the Droid about two weeks ago, Droids now make up 24 percent of all Android mobile Web traffic. The HTC Dream, which is the oldest Android device on the market, is the only Android device with more share, at 36 percent of Android traffic. Give it a few more weeks. The Droid is shaping up to be the most-popular Android device so far.

The data suggests that the BlackBerry, though a worthy enterprise device, continues to lag as a smartphone choice for users whose key applications lean to the Web.

Source:http://ipcarrier.blogspot.com/2009/11/apple-and-android-dominate-us.html

Super Monkey Ball 2 Finally Coming to iPhone

Super Monkey Ball, the iPhone game that set the $9.99 ceiling price for several major game titles that followed is expected to have a sequel launched just in time for holiday. Sega has announced that "Super Monkey Ball 2" will debut with 115 new levels, a local Wi-Fi multiplayer option, highly improved graphics and, most notably the game will feature an enhanced control system.

Despite the huge commercial success of the original game when it launched for iPhone in July of 2008, micro-gamers were critical of Super Monkey Ball's control sensitivity. Causing major frustration for avid users accustomed to rocking the little balled wonder ape on home consoles.

"After playing a late build of the sequel, it seems they've made real strides in the controls," said Arnold Kim for TouchArcade, "In particular, I found turning to be much more precise than in the original."

Mini-games are also expected to be added to Super Monkey Ball 2 with the first game being Monkey Bowling, later followed by Monkey Golf and Monkey Target that will be added as free updates in early 2010. Currently Super Monkey Ball is on sale for $3.99. No price has been announced yet for Sega's long overdue sequel. (sneak peek video after the break).

Source:http://www.iphonesavior.com/2009/11/super-monkey-ball-2-finally-coming-to-iphone.html

iPhone 3GS vs Verizon Motorola Droid: what has better camera?

Now when it comes to the Apple iPhone 3GS and the Verizon Motorola Droid many are probably wondering what smartphone has the best camera, well here is a little insight with a few answers.

Verizon Droid vs. iPhone 3GS Side-by-Side Camera Showdown is what TiPB are calling it, right first up the Motorola DROID has a 5 megapixel dual LED flash which is better than the iPhone’s 3.2 MP camera, so on the spec sheet the DROID is better, NOPE afraid not.

Well apparently when you put photos up side-by-side of these two phones which you can see over on Flickr it seems the 5 MP is not as good as the 3.2MP. The iPhone produces and consistently produced prettier images and this is down to the software because the Droids software is easily bamboozled by uncooperative lighting.

For more information please get to : www.phonesreview.co.uk

Nasa releases iPhone application

Nasa has released its own iPhone application, which allows users to view the space agency’s vast library of images and to track spacecraft in real time.

Astronomy geeks can also keep up to date with the Nasa Twitter feeds, watch Nasa videos and do their own countdowns to the big launches.

The app, available free through the Apple iPhone or iPod Touch, has four functions – “Missions”, “Images”, “Video” and “Updates”.

It lets users see instantly where in the skies the International Space Station is, using a Google Maps-based system (at the time of writing it is over the North Pacific, just south of Alaska, moving towards the western United States and Mexico). If a Space Shuttle was flying, iPhone owners could track that too.

You can also use it to keep up to date with Constellation, the proposed Space Shuttle replacement. The Ares 1-X rocket, the first test rocket of the new mission, is expected to launch on 27 October.

It also provides an Image of the Day – currently a pre-launch shot of Ares 1-X – and an Astronomy Picture of the Day, currently a series of beautiful images of galaxies called Galaxy Zoo.

This is not the only app targeted at stargazing iPhone owners. Pocket Universe creates a planetarium within the iPhone, letting users see what constellations are visible from where they are.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/6439041/Nasa-releases-iPhone-application.html

Google Wave: Tips to run on iPhone

If you got an iPhone and want to test Google Wave on it, there’re two ways to get Wave to work on your iPhone: First’s to go to wave.google.com using mobile Safari. Click through the warning, as it works well, as the site is optimized for Webkit-based browsers. You can select different conversation “waves” (or threads) and contacts, or dive into a specific wave.


To get rid of Safari wrapper to use web apps; save a Wave bookmark on your Home screen; clicking the icon takes you to Wave, but without the Safari wrapper which allows you to navigate to another page or search the Web. Instead, it looks more like a regular app and there’s no way to navigate away from it. Everything else works the same as in the mobile browser version. Google confirms that’s indeed the case, explained. When you bookmark Wave it launches in “app mode,” which’s an existing option for developers on the iPhone.

By:http://www.ditii.com/2009/10/14/google-wave-tips-to-run-on-iphone/

In-house Radio.app in the works for iPhone and iPod touch

We've just received a tip that an iPhone radio.app is being developed in-house by Apple for use on the iPhone and iPod touch. From what we know, the app will be allowed to operate in the background like iPod.app and will offer the same functionality as the FM radio in the new iPod Nanos.The source mentioned that this application could also be incorporated into the iPod.app before release.



The holdup on this app is that Apple is trying to integrate the Mobile iTunes Store purchases into the functionality of the program. For instance, if you like a song you are listening to on the radio (and that station supports tagging and you are in the US), you will be able to push a button and see the song (and all of the information around it) in the iTunes Mobile store. With another click, you'll be able to make a purchase. This is an extension of the Song Tagging feature used in the iPod Nanos. Perhaps they could even add some Shazam technology to help with those stations that don't support tagging.

Though it wasn't specified, the app will likely have the same Live Pause functionality that the Nanos currently enjoy.

Apple's iPods and iPhones have been able to receive FM radio signals for some time now. The latest generation of iPhone and iPod touch can even broadcast FM signal, for instance to a car stereo. The ability of the iPhone and iPod touch to receive FM signals has been used solely in the implementation of the Nike+ ecosystem to this point.

This wouldn't be the first time Apple awoke sleeping hardware functionality from its mobile products. Apple sometimes chooses to leave hardware features dormant in their products until they feel the time is right.For instance, Apple didn't enable Bluetooth in its 2nd generation iPod touch until 9 months after it was released. Apple also hasn't enabled the 802.11N +5GHZ wireless networking (which we also hope to see updated shortly) in its latest iPhone and iPods.

The addition of an FM radio would eliminate that advantage from the ZuneHD over Apple's line of Touch OSX products.

Source:http://www.9to5mac.com/iPhone-fm-app

Adobe Debuts Photoshop Sharing App for iPhone

Adobe has unveiled a strategic link in their social photo sharing experiment with the launch of Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone. This free photo editing thrill ride lets users revise and share photos with a simple but useful array of one-touch effects. The user interface is intuitive and easy to mange with minimal taps and zero lag time.



The app provides about 15 individual enhancements that include the popular crop, rotate and flip for images, plus soft focus, vignette blur, sketch and pop art as part of the gang. The ability to easily add and undo photo effects makes this app a threat to many $.99 iPhone applications charging for less of the same.

What Adobe seems to really be after here is building users for their Photoshop.com social photo sharing network. The app was appropriately named after the company's goal of attracting users to upload photos from their iPhone to manage and share, offering a direct Photoshop.com URL with sign-up. Once users get to Adobe's Beta website, the options to add photo effects and manage content are almost endless.

The online side at Photoshop.com already supports Windows Mobile devices along with the ability to upload, share and store videos as well. iPhone is only the latest addition to the party already in progress. Photoshop.com offers users 2.0 GB of storage free in the Basic plan along with slick, seamless integration for Flickr, Facebook, Picasa and Photobucket accounts.

Although Adobe is a tad late to the photo sharing social, drawing users to their online site via iPhone is a step in the right direction. I'm convinced that Adobe will need to add fresh effects on a semi-regular basis to keep iPhone users coming back to the app for return visits. All things considered, Adobe's photo editing app will be a hard one to beat. Did I mention it's free?

Source:http://www.iphonesavior.com/2009/10/adobe-debuts-photoshop-sharing-app-for-iphone.html

Flickr Comes To The Apple App Store

Flickr, Yahoo's photo sharing site, is rolling out an app for the iPhone, available now through Apple's App Store.

The free Apple iPhone app from Flickr was quietly released into the App Store before the weekend and provides the majority of the functions most users could want from the photo-sharing service. Photos can be taken and uploaded directly to the Web site, users can browse contacts and, for iPhone 3G S users, videos can be taken and uploaded as well.

The photo-sharing site knows that Apple's iPhone has long been one of its most popular cameras, which could be why Flickr rolled out the app. Regardless of the reason, iPhone users and amateur photogs are likely happy to see the white, red and blue icon available on their phone.

Yahoo didn't stop building features into the app, however. Users can also enter meta keywords, tag photos, as well as create and update photo sets. For users on the go, the Flickr app includes a geotagging feature that lets friends and contacts see exactly where a particular photo was taken.

Users can also comment on and forward favorite individual photos from the iPhone app without having to log in to a computer.

One of the pleasant surprises of the Flickr for iPhone App happens when users open the application. Photos from contacts and friends on the site play on the screen, letting friends stay in the loop and see what has recently been uploaded by people they care most about.

However, in limited use the app still appears to be a little bit flaky, and Yahoo may be working out some of the kinks. Using the app to take, tag and upload photos this morning has already resulted in at least two crashes for me since downloading it this morning. However, it's understandable since the Flickr app is still in version 1.0. But the goodwill Flickr has banked by releasing the app may diminish as quickly as will users' tolerance for lost photos and tags.


Source:http://www.crn.com/mobile

Streaming Video Better on Pre Than on iPhone?

Though it got off to a slow start, Palm’s App Catalog is slowly evolving into the ecosystem for which the company had hoped. It recently surpassed four million downloads and is poised for a bit of a growth spurt now that more applications have begun to appear on its virtual shelves. Indeed, in the last week, the number of applications available for the Pre increased by 40 percent to 58.

Now, that’s still a trifling number when compared to the 50,000 or so available in Apple’s (AAPL) iTunes App Store, but it’s something, and it shows that Palm (PALM) is managing to convince iPhone-addled developers that writing WebOS applications will be lucrative business.

Among the latest and most promising of those new apps, DirecTV’s (DTV) NFL Sunday Ticket. Though the app–which allows users to watch NFL games on their cellphones–is available for the iPhone as well as for the Pre, it may offer a better experience on the latter, as Pali Research analyst Walter Piecyk notes in a research alert this morning.

“We will be interested to see how this application performs on Sprint’s (S) network compared to how it will perform on the iPhone on AT&T’s (T) network,” Piecyk writes. “Sprint is more likely to allow a less compressed stream and therefore higher quality video on its network as we have seen with Sprint’s implementation of YouTube, which is much higher quality than viewing YouTube clips on the iPhone over the AT&T network. When the iPhone is forced to WiFi, the quality of the YouTube clips improves to the level we experience on the Palm Pre but that kind of defeats the purpose of the mobile internet.”

An interesting point and an interesting potential selling point for Palm and Sprint–especially given the beating AT&T’s network has been taking in the media lately.

Read On to this: http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com

Wikipedia Lauches Official iPhone App

The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization behind the popular Wikipedia, just released its first official iPhone application for Wikipedia. Wikipedia Mobile, which is available for free in the App Store now (iTunes link), gives users access to iPhone-formatted Wikipedia articles. The truth, however, is that this isn't a very good application and doesn't really go beyond anything the regular mobile Wikipedia website doesn't already do. Indeed, the app is basically just a wrapper for the mobile Wikipedia site.

There are already a number of very good Wikipedia apps out there, including Taptu's Wapedia (iTunes link), Wikiamo (iTunes link) and Wikipanion (iTunes link). The official Wikipedia app doesn't add anything new here. While other apps at least include features like the ability to easily browse tables of content for apps and include in-page searching or the ability to save posts for offline reading, the official Wikipedia app doesn't feature any of these functions. The only 'advanced' feature in the app is its ability to track your browsing history.

Of course, this is only a first attempt and we laud the Wikipedia Mobile team for releasing this app as an open-source application. However, the fact that the search field is populated with "::Home" when you first open up the app shows that the app still needs a lot of polish before it can compete with the 'unofficial' apps. For now, if you just want a lightweight way of accessing Wikipedia articles from your phone and you don't want to install an app, just use the official mobile site

Source for this:http://www.readwriteweb.com

Qik Goes Official, Comes to the App Store

Qik's self-named video application for the iPhone 3GS finally appeared on Apple's App Store on Thursday, laying claim to the title of first third party app to support all-in-one video capture and sharing. The app was previously available only as an unapproved application to iPhone owners that took the time to "jailbreak" their combination iPod and smartphone.

Qik requires an iPhone 3GS and supports video with audio capture, along with uploading and sharing videos to an online Qik account. The app can tag videos with your current location, supports landscape and portrait orientation when recording, and sharing content to blogs, YouTube, Facebook, and more. Videos, however, can only be uploaded over Wi-Fi networks.

Qik has submitted a version of the app that supports the iPhone 3G and is awaiting Apple's approval. Qik for the iPhone 3GS is free and available for download at Apple's iTunes-based App Store.

Bank Will Allow Customers to Deposit Checks by iPhone

The Internet has taken a lot of the paperwork out of banking, but there is no avoiding paper when someone gives you a check. Now one bank wants to let customers deposit checks immediately — through their phones.

USAA, a privately held bank and insurance company, plans to update its iPhone application this week to introduce the check deposit feature, which requires a customer to photograph both sides of the check with the phone’s camera.

“We’re essentially taking an image of the check, and once you hit the send button, that image is going into our deposit-taking system as any other check would,” said Wayne Peacock, a USAA executive vice president.

Customers will not have to mail the check to the bank later; the deposit will be handled entirely electronically, and the bank suggests voiding the check and filing or discarding it. But to reduce the potential for fraud, only customers who are eligible for credit and have some type of insurance through USAA will be permitted to use the deposit feature.

Story Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/technology/10check.html