Gmail for iPhone Now Loads 2 to 3 Times Faster

Notion Ink Smartpad 10.1 inch Tablet Announced Ahead of CES

Rendering of Unreleased Notion Ink Tablet
It seems 2010 is going to be the year of the tablet with or without Apple. While Apple is rumored to be pursuing the market later in the year, other consumer electronic companies aren't going ...

Hitting the road with iPhone GPS apps: A holiday buyers guide

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Features, iPhone, Holidays, iPod touch, App Review

We're about to hit the big holiday travel peak, and it's a great time to survey what we've seen this year for iPhone GPS apps. GPS navigation by satellite has been around a long time, but it's never been this inexpensive or desirable. There's an explosion of choices, with competitive features and falling prices. For many of our readers, facing long trips to see family and friends, getting the right GPS app is a priority.

A few words about this guide: I haven't seen or tested everything on the market, and the choices are constantly changing and updating. I've done my best to keep up and get some time on the road with each of the apps listed here. If I haven't talked about your favorite app, it's not because I don't like it, but because I can't vouch for it.

Like all of you, I have some criteria by which I judge a GPS app. My list contains the things I think are really, really, important. Your list could be different. Such is life.

Read on for my (long) list of must-haves, and for the rundown of the GPS apps themselves.

Continue reading Hitting the road with iPhone GPS apps: A holiday buyers guide

Hitting the road with iPhone GPS apps: A holiday buyers guide originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hitting the road with iPhone GPS apps: A holiday buyers guide originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Survey of Japanese phone owners confuses media over iPhone adoption

Widespread reports of a surge in Japanese iPhone adoption have flooded the net, but the numbers at their root actually stem from a survey.

AT&T isn’t working that hard on network upgrades

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone

With some pretty damning evidence, both FSJ and Gizmodo are shouting at AT&T, which claims that they've upgraded their network although they've spent less each quarter on upgrades since the iPhone was introduced in 2007. AT&T CEO Ralph De La Vega recently said that "AT&T is upgrading its network to cope," and that AT&T is continuing to look into ways to entice users to limit the way they use data.

That statement made sense at one point: give the customers a tiered data structure that's cheaper for those who don't use much bandwidth. This would probably never happen: it's not too often that you see a wireless provider actually help its customers. In reality, we'd probably see data rates stay where they are, but get an increase in price for "unlimited" data as we've come to understand it.

With another look at the information found in AT&T's Financial and Operating Statistics Summary [PDF Link], you begin to see tremendous flaws in AT&T's logic. They've consistently made more money (80% more revenue compared to Q4 2007) from wireless data, yet on average, AT&T has spent less each quarter for network improvements.

So where has all of that extra money gone? No one can argue that it's the recession sucking up the dollars, because AT&T's profits have remained pretty stable during the whole thing. The money obviously hasn't been spent on network improvements. Perhaps AT&T is fighting Verizon ads with the extra cash?

One thing is certain, the company is not serving AT&T customers in the best manner possible. With rumors that the iPhone may soon be available on Verizon's network as well, AT&T needs to put the pedal to the floor and come through with something... anything.

AT&T isn't working that hard on network upgrades originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AT&T isn't working that hard on network upgrades originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: AP Stylebook for iPhone

This mobile style reference for journalists and writers is fast but incomplete.

Verizon Prepared for the iPhone; Network Capable of Handling Extra Traffic

Redmadrobot updates Battleship Classic for iPhone with Wi-Fi gaming

Redmadrobot LLC, leading Russian developer of iPhone applications, has updated Battleship Classic — its iPhone version of the famous guessing Battleship game. The game imitates old style pencil and paper version, with all graphics drawn by hand and all sounds made by human voice, and can now be played via ...

Verizon Claims Network Ready for iPhone Should Apple Choose to Strike Deal

A BusinessWeek report from last night has received significant attention today for its focus on Verizon's claimed readiness should the company and Apple strike a deal to bring the iPhone to the largest U.S. wireless carrier next year.<p class="quote"...

SHAPE Announces Big Holiday Sale for Some of Their iPhone Apps

Rumor: Verizon Wireless prepares for the iPhone

Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, iPhone

Call it wishful thinking or evidence of the inevitable, but BusinessWeek is reporting that Verizon is bolstering its network in preparation for the iPhone.

Verizon Wireless Chief Technology Officer Anthony Melone recently told Bloomberg BusinessWeek that the company is ready for the extra traffic that the iPhone would bring. "We have put things in place already. We are prepared to support that traffic."

The iPhone begins its third year in the US with many customers dissatisfied with AT&T's performance. At the same time, Verizon's wireless service is praised by customers. In fact, a recent Consumer Reports survey asked 50,000 readers across 26 U.S. cities to rank cell service providers on a variety of scales. Verizon came out ahead in 19 of the 26 cities, while AT&T was dead last.

In current ad campaigns (first challenged by AT&T which then relented), Verizon claims to have superior national 3G coverage. Rumors of AT&T losing iPhone exclusivity to Verizon aren't new, but for now, they're just that.

I recently spent time in the middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania, where my iPhone fell silent while the Verizon phones in attendance worked perfectly. One man's anecdote isn't evidence of anything, but I was definitely jealous of the other users' experiences, and that was a first.

Rumor: Verizon Wireless prepares for the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rumor: Verizon Wireless prepares for the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon Prepared to Handle iPhone in 2010 — If Exclusivity Ends with AT&T

If Apple ends US iPhone exclusivity with AT&T in 2010, could Verizon handle the handset that currently crushes service in data-dense cities like San Francisco and New York? BusinessWeek scored the quote from Verizon Wireless Chief Technology Officer Anthony Melone:

“We have put things in place already. We are prepared to support that traffic.”

“It comes down to backing that process with money. We’ve been more consistent than any carrier in the last 10 years investing year over year.”

“We will handle it if we ever get it.”

To make sure we’re absolutely crystal clear, no one is saying Verizon will be getting the iPhone next year, Verizon is just claiming their network is up to the task if they do.

When reached for comment on that claim, AT&T wouldn’t address it directly but offered:

“We think we are leading the way in how people use their wireless phones. We operate a great network.”

This comes as AT&T is facing increased media (and satirical) attention over their lack of infrastructure investment despite the increase in data revenue the iPhone has brought them. To their credit, however, they are continuing to publicize the “improved wireless network experience” they have invested in for certain areas of the US.

[Thanks to the Reptile!]

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

Verizon Prepared to Handle iPhone in 2010 — If Exclusivity Ends with AT&T

iPhone Captures 46% of Japanese Smartphone Market

MobileCrunch brings word that, according to Impress R&D [Japanese language]:

[The iPhone 3G is] commanding 24.6% [of the domestic smartphone market], while the [iPhone 3GS] contributes another 21.5%. The 3G was introduced in Japan in summer 2008 (the 3GS followed earlier this year). Sources in Japan say that the iPhone user base in Japan now stands at 3 million, which is an impressive 10% of the global userbase.

They credit carrier SoftBank’s aggressive TV and print advertising, and the lack of similar pushes for BlackBerry and Android, as key factors in the iPhone’s success. (Android comes in at #10 with 2.3% and the BlackBerry Bold at #11 with 1.2%)

This follows similar enthusiasm in Korea, and a tepid response from China — at least for the official, non-gray market models…

[Impress R&D via MobileCrunch via MacRumors]

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

iPhone Captures 46% of Japanese Smartphone Market

Ford to give Sync some App Store flavor, opening API to devs in 2010

Ford has already shown it can tie the controls of Sync-enabled vehicles to the music and contacts databases of drivers phones and PMPs and though it may take time before our emotions can be detected, the next step is extending that connectivity to downloadable apps on those devices. Since Sync first debuted, the explosion of the App Store concept has meant nearly every smartphone owner is packing plenty of ways to access and use information from the internet, but without an easy way to interact with it while driving. Extending access to vehicle controls could lead to programs like Pandora or Google's turn by turn navigation letting users change stations with their existing stereo knobs, or listen to directions via the in-car system by simply updating their existing software. The first ones to get a crack at it? A few university students, check after the break to see what they came up with given just a few weeks to test system out.

Continue reading Ford to give Sync some App Store flavor, opening API to devs in 2010

Ford to give Sync some App Store flavor, opening API to devs in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dragon Search voice search app comes to iPhone

Nuance Communications has issued Dragon Search, a voice search app that translates your voice queries into text and performs a wide-ranging search.

Psystar Winding Down Business as Web Site Goes Dark

Dow Jones Newswires reports that unauthorized Mac clone maker Psystar has begun the process of winding down its business ahead of a December 31st deadline set by a federal court judge in granting Apple a permanent injunction preventing Psystar from s...

TUAW Livechat: Developing for the (possibly mythical) Apple Tablet

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, iPod Family, iPhone, App Store, SDK

With just three months left before the expected launch of the as-yet unannounced Apple Tablet, what can application developers do to prepare their products for this likely new platform?

Today, TUAW chats with Craig Hockenberry of Furbo.org and Daniel Jalkut of Red Sweater Software. Hockenberry is the senior software engineer for Iconfactory, a software and design house that ships both Macintosh and iPhone products. Jalkut, formerly of Apple, is the founder of Red Sweater Software (aka the "MarsEdit" people). Both Hockenberry and Jalkut bring multi-platform Apple development expertise to table as we discuss possible hardware directions and how developers can proactively prepare their place in a new market.


Application Development for the Apple Tablet

TUAW Livechat: Developing for the (possibly mythical) Apple Tablet originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW Livechat: Developing for the (possibly mythical) Apple Tablet originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opinion: Google phone and netbook hint at Apple playbook

With Google seemingly developing hardware and software, PC World's Tony Bradley wonders if Google is taking a page from Apple's playbook.

iPhone nabs 46 pecent of Japanese smartphone market, the tiny Japanese smartphone market

Continue reading iPhone nabs 46 pecent of Japanese smartphone market, the tiny Japanese smartphone market

iPhone nabs 46 pecent of Japanese smartphone market, the tiny Japanese smartphone market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Ravensword: The Fallen King for iPhone

Published by Chillingo and developed by Crescent Moon Games, this adventure RPG looks to take gaming on the iPhone to the next level with stunning graphics and a vast world to explore.