iPhone briefly becomes No. 1 Google user

Apple's smartphone muscles past models by veteran handset makers to take top spot, then settles into second place in rankings

Google released an update to its offerings for the iPhone, hoping to continue a trend that recently saw the iPhone briefly become the No. 1 mobile phone hitting Google sites.

Despite its small share of the overall mobile phone market, the iPhone spiked to No. 1 on Dec. 25 among phones using Google's services, beating out mobile makers that have been selling smartphones for many years.

Google revealed a chart showing that around the middle of November, iPhone users began to surpass BlackBerry customers in accessing Google, though they were still behind Symbian and Windows Mobile users. But on Dec. 25, iPhone users shot above them all, then quickly settled into the second-largest Google user base.

By the end of September, the last quarter in which Apple reported numbers, Apple had sold more than 1.3 million iPhones. By comparison, Nokia has sold 50 million of its N-series line of phones, said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis. At the end of December, there were 12 million subscribers using BlackBerry devices.

"One thing this does is shows that Apple has done a remarkable job of publicizing some of these capabilities, even if they're not the first to bring the capability to market," Greengart said. Some of Google's mobile services, like Google Maps, were already available on mobile phones before the iPhone hit the market. Yet, clearly, iPhone customers are using the services more frequently. "Either because of the design or PR or brand, or in all possibility because of the implementation ... Apple has popularized the notion that you can do more on the phone than you might have tried to do previously," he said.

iPhone customers will indeed be able to do more using Google services, with the updated offerings unveiled Monday.

iPhone users can now customize Google services through the menu bar and iGoogle home page. When iPhone users visit Google.com, they can choose Google applications to appear as links in a menu bar that runs across the top of the page. Signing in once, users can then access a variety of Google services, including Gmail, Calendar, Reader, Docs, and Picasa.

In addition, iPhone users can also visit their customized iGoogle page from their phones. iGoogle is a page that users can arrange to include widgets of their choosing, including news, weather, games, and recent Gmail messages.

Other changes to Google's iPhone service include an updated user interface and a monthly view on the calendar. In addition, users won't have to hit refresh to see new e-mails in Gmail because Gmail will automatically show new messages.

The new Google services for the iPhone keep pace with some new services that Yahoo introduced just last week. Yahoo began letting mobile users, including iPhone customers, choose widgets to arrange on their mobile Yahoo home pages. On its mobile Web site, Yahoo claims to offer the only e-mail service that pushes new messages to the iPhone as soon as they come in.

The new mobile services from Yahoo and Google demonstrate the eagerness both companies have to win over mobile users.

more information via infoworld

The 20 Best iPhone and iPod touch Applications

Last week we showed you how to install third party apps on your iPhone or iPod touch, and since then a new firmware preview has leaked its way to the 'nets with saucy new features that—once released—may tempt you to abandon your jailbreak for the newly introduced features. Fact is, until the 1.1.3 firmware is successfully hacked by the resourceful iPhone hackers, you can still enjoy all of the features the update is bringing and more with your jailbroken iPhone. Today I'm taking a look at my 20 favorite (that's right, 20) third-party iPhone and iPod touch apps.

NOTE: Apologies for the gallery format on the screenshots, but I wanted to provide full-size screenshots (sometimes more than one) for every app. All of the applications below are available through Installer.app, which can be installed by jailbreaking your iPhone. For more details on each app, click through to the gallery page (again, sorry). Some of the apps will work perfectly on both the iPhone and iPod touch, while others are obviously a bit more iPhone-oriented. I've only tested these apps on the iPhone. Want to learn more about all things iPhone? Check out How to Do Everything with your iPhone, written by me and my pal Jason Chen from Gizmodo.

Apps that Cover Rumored 1.1.3 Features

In case you haven't seen it, here's a video highlighting the upcoming features in the 1.1.3 firmware release.

First let's tackle the hot apps of the moment—those apps that can already bring you the features rumored to be in the 1.1.3 update. The major new features appear to be the faux-GPS in Google Maps, multi-recipient SMS, and re-ordering apps on the home screen. Two of the apps above have been covering those features for quite some time (Navizon for GPS and Customize for re-ordering apps), and the third, iSMS for mutli-recipient SMS, is a bit newer, but in addition to multi-recipient SMS, it offers quick-reply templates, emoticons, and a much more robust SMS management system. It does not currently offer MMS messaging, though there is an iPhone app (called SwirlyMMS) that is attempting the MMS road, though it's still a bit bumpy. MMS messages can be sent (though it requires a bit of setup), but so far not received.

• iSMS
• Navizon GPS
• Customize

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The only major new feature that's been discovered in the 1.1.3 update that isn't easily available through Installer is the new web clip feature that allows the user to bookmark a web page directly on the home screen. There are hacks around that accomplish this, but they're not the kind of no-brainer installations as the above three apps. The WebSearch app described below, however, is arguably a good deal more useful for what I need than the web clips, so I can happily do without for the time being.

Now that I've covered the 1.1.3 features (I'll include in these apps in the sections below by category as well), lets move onto my twenty favorite iPhone apps.

Communication

Below we've got a more robust SMS client, a multi-protocol IM app, and a simple utility that adds push email capabilities to IMAP accounts—including Gmail.

• iSMS
• Apollo
• iMapIdle

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Multimedia

The multimedia list is a big one, so I'll just highlight a few. You've got a Last.fm client and scrobbler for your iPod, a feature-rich camera app, and a real-time lyrics app that automagically sucks lyrics for your music from the cloud.

• Books
• MobileScrobbler
• iFlix
• CameraPro
• TuneWiki

---

Productivity

One of my favorites, the WebSearch app adds one-click search to any site, while Sketches is a great whiteboard tool and drawing pad.

• Sketches
• WebSearch

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Utilities

There are obviously quite a few great iPhone utilities, so to highlight just a few: OpenSSH is what I used to tether my iPhone data plan to my laptop; DropCopy is great for sharing files between your phone or iPod and your desktop; Installer, obviously, is the app that makes all of this third-party app business so easy; Navizon does the faux-GPS for Google Maps; and Customize covers app re-ordering and just about any other customization you'd want to make to your little iPod or iPhone.

• OpenSSH
• iTrac
• iPhoneHome
• iSpit
• DropCopy
• Installer
• Navizon GPS
• Customize

---

Games

There are actually tons of games available on the iPhone at this point, but these three stand out as favorites because of their impressive use of the iPhone's animation engine or for just being plain addictive.

Gallery Name

• NES
• iSolitaire
• HuaRongDao

via lifehacker

New iPhones, Apple TV for 2008

We had a pretty good idea that a new iPhone would be coming in 2008, but what will it look like?

A report from Goldman Sachs Wednesday spotted by AppleInsider doesn't exactly shed much more light on that subject, but says that Apple is gearing up to deliver two new iPhones next year. The first one sounds like it will be just a storage upgrade with more flash memory in the first half of the year, while the second half of the year should bring the long-awaited 3G iPhone, according to the report.

Not one, but two iPhones could be released next year, according to Goldman Sachs.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Both Apple CEO Steve Jobs and AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson have indicated that 2008 is the year for the 3G iPhone, so that's not much of a surprise. An iPhone that could connect to 3G (third-generation) data networks would allow for faster download speeds, but Apple has held off on introducing such a model to this point because of concerns over battery life, according to Jobs.

Goldman also thinks that Apple is getting ready to introduce a newer version of Apple TV, which had a disappointing first year. But the report doesn't make much sense; it says Apple is going to attach an LCD screen to Apple TV. Maybe I'm missing something very obvious, and feel free to point it out below, but I just can't fathom why Apple would want to do that. Apple TV's problems have nothing to do with the lack of a display.

Anyway, the report also says that Goldman can't find as much evidence of the long-rumored ultraportable notebook that's supposedly on tap for Macworld, saying that "possible design issues" might have delayed that model. Just another day in the Apple rumor business.

via crave

V-MODA VIBE Duo for iPhone

V-MODA has introduced a new version of its VIBE Duo noise-isolating dual-use headphones designed specifically for the Apple iPhone. The new earbuds have the ability to control playback of tunes from the headphones and feature a built-in mic for placing and receiving calls.

The VIBE Duo in-ear earphone and mic only weigh 13 grams. "With the addition of the control button to the VIBE Duo, V-MODA has developed the ultimate accessory for the Apple iPhone," said Val Kolton, founder and CEO of V-MODA. "We understand the need for an earphone that will maximize all the best features of the iPhone, and we're excited to bring the new VIBE Duo to the table. It's what many Apple iPhone consumers have been asking us for."

The headphones use V-MASQUE dynamic driver technology for better sound and feature BLISS technology for reducing outside noise and improving sound quality. The VIBE Duo headset is available for $99.99 now from Apple and other retailers.

Via V-MODA and i4unews

Apple to release Intel Silverthorne Mobile Devices

Apple Insider reports that Apple will adopt Intel's "Menlow" Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform featuring the new 45-nanometer (nm) "Silverthorne" chip in a big way.

The information is from the ever elusive 'people close to the matter'. The Apple MacWorld Expo is in a couple of weeks and of course Apple will show something new. It is just a question of what. A 3G iPhone, a new Apple UMPC?

Intel is very fond of the new Silverthorne chip, comparing its impact with the introduction of the 8088 CPU. This will be something to be seen.
More details on Apple Insider.

Platinum iPhone Anyone?

Well, we’ve all seen the insanely blinged out iPod shuffles and what not. Even a gold trimmed iPhone made its way around the net earlier this year.

Well the folks behind the gold iPhone are back, and this time they’re coming in Platinum.

Looks kind of like a regular iPhone doesn’t it? Well - that slight change can be yours for only $2,230.

via applegazzete

BTL M2801 PMP - Another iPhone Clone

We have seen quite a lot of iPhone clone before, this, this ,this and this. Now we have BTL M2801, an iPhone-like / iPod Touch-like media player. BTL M2801 has a 2.8-inch LCD touchscreen with 320×240 resolution, integrated memory of from 128MB to 4GB, a 2 Megapixel camera and a miniSD card slot for expansion.

The player supports playback of MP3, WMA, WAV music and AVI, WMV videos. It measures 105(L)*58(W)*12.8(H)mm. It can also e used as a miniSD card reader

Product Page

via [itechnews]

Comparing Apples and Blackberrys

Bear in mind Apple's messaging behind the iPhone -- a "revolutionary phone," i.e., voice experience, "the best iPod we've ever made," and the "Internet in your pocket". For the first two, a keyboard is merely nice to have for tasks such as entering contacts and searching for songs (which the iPhone doesn't yet support), And for at least the iPhone's music features, the larger screen afforded by removing the physical keyboard enhances its ability to display pictures, album art and movies.

REVIEW IPHONE:

The good: The Apple iPhone has a stunning display, a sleek design, and an innovative multitouch user interface. Its Safari browser makes for a superb Web surfing experience, and it offers easy-to-use apps. As an iPod, it shines.

The bad: The Apple iPhone has variable call quality and lacks some basic features found in many cell phones, including stereo Bluetooth support and 3G compatibility. Integrated memory is stingy for an iPod, and you have to sync the iPhone to manage music content.

The bottom line: Despite some important missing features, a slow data network, and call quality that doesn't always deliver, the Apple iPhone sets a new benchmark for an integrated cell phone and MP3 player.

REVIEW Blackberrys:

The good: Boasting a sleek and sexy design, the RIM BlackBerry 8800 offers integrated GPS, push-to-talk capabilities, and multimedia features. The quadband smart phone also has Bluetooth, push e-mail, a full QWERTY keyboard, and long talk-time battery life.

The bad: Unfortunately, the BlackBerry 8800 doesn't work on Cingular's 3G network nor does it have integrated Wi-Fi. Call quality was a little muffled, and the phone is quite wide and awkward to hold. The media player could also use some refinements, and instant messaging is limited to the BlackBerry Messenger client.

The bottom line: Despite some minor issues, the RIM BlackBerry 8800 offers mobile professionals a well-rounded smart phone with added multimedia functions, GPS, and push-to-talk capabilities. That said, messaging remains its forte.

ill history repeat itself with this year's model? The first sign that the iPhone's touch-screen keyboard may have a learning curve came during the Steve Jobs interview at the D: All Things Digital event when Apple's CEO offered to buy Walt Mossberg dinner if he wasn't happy with the iPhone's keyboard after coming up to speed on it.Reinforcing that, in Apple's video walkthrough of the iPhone, the black-shirted narrator notes that "it's easiest to begin typing with just your index finger" but encourages that "as you get more proficient, migrate to using two thumbs" for the payoff that "in about a week, you'll be typing faster on iPhone than any other small keyboard.