OtterBox Reveals Commuter & Commuter TL Series Cases for iPhone 3G & iPhone 3GS

As an avid iPhone™ user, you exemplify the definition of cutting-edge, but the cool façade will quickly fade with a scratched or dented iPhone. Introducing two new case lines from OtterBox for the Apple® iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS: the Commuter™ and Commuter™ TL Series. Fusing rugged elements from ...

Another iPhone “killer”: The Verizon Motorola Droid phone info released

Based on the advertisements for the phone (hinted at with ads this weekend), it appears Verizon and Motorola are taking full aim at the iPhone with their Droid phone, and they’re pulling very few punches. This handset will come with the Android 2.0 OS and was a joint effort between Google and Motorola, and Boy Genius [...]

Apple Introduces New 27″ iMac, MacBook, Mightier Mini, Magic Mouse

Apple today announced new 21 and 27″ iMacs, a new line of MacBooks, mightier Mac Minis, and a Magic Mouse (with iPhone-like multi-touch).

More as this develops!

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

Apple Introduces New 27″ iMac, MacBook, Mightier Mini, Magic Mouse

iPhone tethering may not be happening this year?

It appears that AT&T is backpedaling a bit in regards to supporting (officially anyway) tethering by the end of the year, much to the chagrin of many advanced iPhone users, we’re certain. 9 to 5 Mac, an unofficial site with lots of Apple news, is reporting they believed it was coming later on this year, until [...]

BusinessWeek Details Apple Hardware Updates

Even before Apple has officially updated its online site with new hardware models, BusinessWeek has posted a description of the updates, which include redesigned 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs with LED displays, a redesigned polycarbonate MacBook, and a...

Shazam picking up investors, boasts 50 million users

Filed under: Software, Developer, iPhone, App Store, Music

Shazam is one of the first apps I actually used in context on the iPhone, and while we haven't heard much about the app since it debuted way back in the early days of the App Store, apparently the company itself has been blowing up, thanks to the free app. They've picked up a nice round of investment from venture capitalists, and the service itself now boasts over 50 million users (by comparison, Last.fm claims only 30 million, but they've gotten way more press than Shazam's service, including recent integration on Xbox Live). That's a heck of an achievement, and Apple is a huge part of it -- not only did Shazam make a big splash on their iPhone app, but they say that Apple actually helped connect the VCs and the company together. That's an interesting peek behind the scenes at what Apple is doing for one of the App Store's oldest and most popular free apps.

As for why Shazam is so popular, the VCs say they can see the platform as a "springboard" for selling music, advertising, and a few other commodities. Currently Shazam's free app only lets you tag five songs a month (a limit I never hit and thus didn't know about, even though I would say that I do use the app regularly), but they're planning a paid version that will allow unlimited identification of songs through the iPhone's microphone. I don't know how well that will sell (it's hard to believe that people will pay $5 for a service they are already using for free, though perhaps I'm underestimating the amount of music that people want to "tag"), but it's clear that Shazam is a company that is making the absolute best of having an extremely popular free app on the App Store.

Shazam picking up investors, boasts 50 million users originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shazam picking up investors, boasts 50 million users originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ballmer: Sidekick outage ‘not good’

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, stating the obvious for emphasis, called the Sidekick outage "not good," but said he thinks all data will be recovered. And he added that Microsoft needs to be more forthcoming in explaining to enterprise customers why a similar situation won't occur with the company's online services.

Rumored Product Introductions Today: Mac Minis, iMac, AirPort, Time Capsules? [Updated]

AppleInsider notes a forum post from a source who has provided accurate information to both AppleInsider and MacRumors in the past claiming forthcoming product introductions from Apple. Apple's online stores are currently offline for updates.
...

FCC Filings Suggest Updated AirPort Base Stations

Engadget reports that filings have appeared on the website of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding what appear to be updated AirPort Wi-Fi base stations. Little is known about the new units, as Apple has requested that ...

EyeTV update arrives in App Store

In addition to some bug fixes and general stability improvements, EyeTV 1.0.1 also removes some stray code that would have let users stream TV over the 3G network. That code caused the app to disappear briefly from the App Store over the weekend.

Apple Online Store Down — New iMacs, Mac Minis, MacBooks, Multi-touch Mice/Trackpads On the Way?!

Yes, the Apple Online Store is DOWN! Following up yesterday’s Daring Fireball of rumors, this is what we might just see soon:

Redesigned Plastic MacBooks, Redesigned (‘Impressive’) iMacs, Updated Minis (Including One That Ships With Mac OS X Server), the Multi-Touch Magic Mouse, and, as the Wildcard I’m-Not-Sure-I-Really-Believe-It-Myself Out-There Rumor, Maybe Even Some Sort of Mentioned-Nowhere-Else-But-in-This-Very-Headline Multi-Touch Trackpad Gadget for Desktop Macs

Or it could just be routine maintenance. Shug. Fingers crossed for the good stuff!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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

Apple Online Store Down — New iMacs, Mac Minis, MacBooks, Multi-touch Mice/Trackpads On the Way?!

Review: Birdbrain for iPhone

When it comes to viewing stats on who's following you on the Twitter microblogging service, Birdbrain is in a class by itself.

MobileMe Media Sync — Apple Patent Watch

Synchronization of Media State Across Multiple Devices, one of the latest patents filed by Apple, aims to use MobileMe to make sure if you start watching a movie in iTunes or on the AppleTV, then switch to your iPhone, you’re at the exact same place in the movie (and back again) — with no USB sync required.

Last month, prompted by reader Seth Clifford, TiPb asked for just such “WhisperSync” (to use the Amazon Kindle term) functionality. Not only would this be great for users with multiple Windows, Macs, iPhones, and/or iPod touches, but it would be a great way for Apple to add value to MobileMe, whose $99 a year is non-competitive to say the least, especially for Windows users (who don’t benefit from iLife, Back to my Mac, Mac sync, etc.) So, yeah, Apple — make this happen!

[Patently Apple via Macworld via Engadget. Thanks @sethclifford!]

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

MobileMe Media Sync — Apple Patent Watch

Apple Announces iPhone Tech Talk World Tour: Expert Advice Coming to a City Near You

Apple has announced an iPhone Tech Talk World Tour, which is billed as expert advice, coming to a city near you.

Apple technology evangelists are coming to a city near you with expert advice on how you can maximize the innovative technologies of iPhone OS within your apps.

Advanced content for advanced developers

The iPhone Tech Talk World Tour features a range of sessions for advanced developers who want to enhance the capability, functionality, and usability of their iPhone apps. You’ll dive deep into coding and design techniques that will help you take your apps to the next level.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity available only to you as a member of the iPhone Developer Program. The event is free, but space is limited. Register for an iPhone Tech Talk today.

Cities include San Jose, Seattle, New York, Toronto, Paris, London, Hamburg, Bejing, and Tokyo (already full). Schedule, agenda, and registration information can be found online via developer.apple.com.

Anyone going?

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

Apple Announces iPhone Tech Talk World Tour: Expert Advice Coming to a City Near You

Smartphone smackdown: Motorola Droid vs. iPhone 3GS

The new Motorola Droid could be the most serious smartphone challenger yet to the iPhone 3GS. Network World looks at why.