iPhone shows 327 percent market share gain in Q3

The overall smartphone industry may be slowing, but Apple's growth is not.

Smartphone numbers are in: iPhone sales exceed Windows Mobile sales for first time

Gartner's latest and greatest analysis of the global smartphone industry is in, and there are quite a few interesting nuggets tucked within all those percentages. For starters, the sector still managed to grow 11.5% in Q3 2008 compared to a year prior, but that increase is the smallest since it began tracking. Of course, given the current economic climate, we'd say it's a win to see any number not in the negative. Moving on, we see Nokia maintaining its numero uno status with 42.4% market share, though it did recognize a rare decline in sales of 3% year-on-year; as for RIM, its BlackBerry phone sales increased an amazing 81.7% in Q3. We're also clued in to why Apple was rumored to be hacking its iPhone production some 40% in Q4, as the company has some two million units of inventory built up in the supply channel. Finally, we're told that "for the first time (meaning in this quarter), iPhone sales exceeded sales of Microsoft Windows Mobile devices worldwide and in North America," and beyond that, "open-source initiatives like Android and Symbian Foundation [are set to] challenge Windows Mobile's licensing model in the short-term." Need we really reiterate how badly WinMo 7 is needed?

Filed under: Cellphones

Smartphone numbers are in: iPhone sales exceed Windows Mobile sales for first time originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes impresses as an iPhone shooter

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Odds and ends, Software Update, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Here we go -- Doom on the jailbreak aside, the iPhone hasn't really had a nice example of shooter gameplay, though Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes (iTunes link) seems like it might be the breakout. It's made by Gameloft, who've been making mobile games for a while now, but the good news is that it doesn't look like a mobile game at all. The graphics are 3D and vibrant, and the sounds are very impressive. The control scheme is interesting -- it's more of a third person shooter, as you use the lower left wheel to move your character, and you can use the touchscreen to move the aiming reticule (seems like there's a little autoaim help in there as well). There are even cutscenes, multiple weapons to choose from, vehicles to drive, and a cover system (though there kind of has to be, with aiming that slow in places).

Still, very impressive for an iPhone game, and a very good bar-setter for the first major shooter we've seen on the platform. As you might expect, this isn't going to be cheap -- it's $9.99 in the App Store, and while this would be the perfect title for a demo (how else do you expect to sell a $10 app?), there's not one to be found at all. Still, if there's going to be such a thing as a premium game on the iPhone, this is probably it. For all of the colorful little puzzle and wordplay games on the iPhone, sometimes you just want to shoot some Nazis.

Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes impresses as an iPhone shooter originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes impresses as an iPhone shooter originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wal-Mart to Sell $99 4GB iPhone?

Wal-Mart iPhone training materials
Boy Genius Report first broke the story back in October that Apple would begin selling the iPhone at Wal-Marts. The actual date of release appears to be December 28th. Wal-Mart employees are already...

How To: Turn on WiFi While the iPhone 3G/EDGE Radio is Off

Well I’m sure by now you have heard the latest Smarthphone Experts Roundtable Podcast! (If you haven’t had a chance to listen you better get on it, great podcast!)

You may have heard our very own fearless leader, Dieter, chime in on one thing that he hates about iPhone 3G, the fact that you can not turn on Wi-Fi while the radio is off (in Airplane Mode). Or so Dieter thought. You can indeed turn Wi-Fi on while the radio is off! And doing so is a snap!

First go into your Settings - Turn on Airplane Mode - and then turn your Wi-Fi connection on.

Now you can enjoy browsing the internet, checking emails, or anything else data related all without the radio on!

[Ed: Let us know how that works for you, b'okay boss?]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

How To: Turn on WiFi While the iPhone 3G/EDGE Radio is Off