Apple Tablet To Be Christened iPad?

Apple bunging Bing search into iPhone?

Ready to get your Bing on, iPhone owners? That curious little Microsoft search engine you shrugged off just a few months ago could become a mainstay in your daily routine if BusinessWeek's sources are correct. According to a pair of persons familiar with the matter, Apple and Microsoft are discussing dropping Google as the default search engine on Apple's somewhat popular handset -- talks that have been underway for "weeks," apparently. BW paints the move as further evidence of an escalating rivalry between Apple and Google. In fact, one BW source claims that, "Microsoft is now a pawn in that battle." No doubt, the once cozy relationship has seemingly fractured with Google CEO Eric Schmidt vacating Apple's board and Apple recently snapping up Lala and Quatro Wireless -- acquisitions that some analysts see as defensive measures against a rapidly encroaching Google. Isn't competition fun?

Apple bunging Bing search into iPhone? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft’s Bing to Replace Google As Default Search Engine on iPhone?

Businessweek reports that Apple and Microsoft are currently in negotiations to replace Google as the default search engine on the iPhone with Microsoft's Bing.com. The talks have reportedly been underway for weeks.

Businessweek cites ...

Yelp updates with check-ins, Foursquare not happy

Filed under: Software, Freeware, iPhone, App Store

Location-based social networking on the iPhone is a tough game to play, apparently -- the popular Yelp app [iTunes link] has recently updated to version 4.0, and along with a friend finder, hooks to Facebook and Twitter, and an updated version of their augmented reality Monocle feature, they've added the ability to "check-in" from locations around whatever city you live in. When you visit a great pizzeria, for example, you can send a ping out that says you've been there along with what you think of it. This replicates the functionality of another app, Foursquare [iTunes link], which is steadily building up its own social network prowess (you may have seen the "mayor of" tweets lately -- that's Foursquare doing its thing, either on iPhone or through a desktop interface).

In this case, the imitation isn't appreciated -- Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley tore apart Yelp's new feature in a recent tumblr post, both comparing the two extremely similar "check-in" systems to each other and claiming that Yelp "copied the wrong stuff," and that Foursquare is already working on improvements to their own system.

Which is the good news for us consumers, as competition tends to breed some great innovation. Personally, I haven't been too interested in an app that helps me broadcast my location everywhere just yet, but there's no question that these are popular apps and their popularity is growing. We'll have to see what new features Foursquare has planned and how Yelp eventually responds.

Yelp updates with check-ins, Foursquare not happy originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yelp updates with check-ins, Foursquare not happy originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2,000 Wintek workers go on strike over bonus payments, may affect Nokia and iPhone production

As the Year of the Tiger approaches (February 14th this year), Chinese workers look forward to their week-long holiday -- a nightmarish time for foreign vendors who'll struggle to get hold of anyone in the country. Sadly, this wasn't the case for Wintek -- screen supplier for Nokia, Huawei and Apple. The Taiwanese company's East China factory ground to a halt last Friday morning, while about 2,000 of its 10,000 workers went on a five-hour protest over a rumored bonus cancellation for the second year in a row. On top of that, workers also criticized Wintek for using n-hexane -- a banned substance used for cleaning LCDs -- which they claim caused the death and paralyzation of several workers last year. Factory officials and Chinese health authorities don't deny that n-hexane was used, but they say it wasn't responsible for either the deaths or the paralyzations. Now, the good news: Wintek has promised that workers will get their bonuses, and further said that the factory hasn't used n-hexane since August -- complete with proof that current n-hexane levels are lower than safety regulations require. Let's hope things get better between management and workers from now on. One more picture and video of the protest after the break.

Continue reading 2,000 Wintek workers go on strike over bonus payments, may affect Nokia and iPhone production

2,000 Wintek workers go on strike over bonus payments, may affect Nokia and iPhone production originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone OS 4.0 Features Leaked?

Analyst: AT&T needs to spend $5 billion to catch Verizon’s coverage

AT&T would need to spend about $5 billion on its wireless network to catch up with the coverage offered by Verizon, a research firm said Tuesday.

Apple Releases Boot Camp Update 3.1 with Support for Windows 7

Apple today released an update to Boot Camp to include support for Microsoft Windows 7, which was released last October, as well as addressing other issues and adding support for the latest Apple peripherals. Boot Camp is a Apple's tool to allow Inte...

Apple Tablet Might Not Get OLED Screen

Kevin Rose demos Square payment system for iPhone

Filed under: Hardware, Software, iPhone

Digg's Kevin Rose is the newest investor in this Square iPhone payment system that we've been seeing lately, and as you can see above, he's demo'ed the unit for everyone over on YouTube. It works as we've heard: there's just an addon that you plug into the iPhone's headphone jack, and then an app takes information from the swiper, and transmits it out for an actual credit card payment, with a finger doing the signature. The app, as Kevin says, will even upload GPS information, so you can make sure that payments are happening in the right place.

Unfortunately, what he doesn't mention is the actual price to get payments up and running. Square's website says that there's "no contracts, monthly fees, or hidden costs," but they've got to pay for the system somehow, so you'd expect there to be a fee for setup, for the accessory, and then a fee per charge through the system, but we haven't heard what any of those will end up being yet.

Depending on how steep they are, this could be a gamechanger -- accepting payments anywhere, any time, with an online record and receipt for each one, no cash involved. Would be incredible for small business owners, and probably a lot of other sales folks, too.

Kevin Rose demos Square payment system for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kevin Rose demos Square payment system for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Aardvark Mobile for iPhone

This app specializes in subjective searches, tapping into networks of friends to find the answers to specific questions. It does a pretty good job, especially after a pair of updates smoothed out some of the flaws in the initial Aardvark Mobile release.

Jawbone brings new, very iPhone friendly headset to market

Filed under: Accessories, Audio, Bluetooth, iPhone

Jawbone has a new, feature rich Bluetooth headset called the ICON that is a nice match for the iPhone. New to this headset is a battery meter that displays on the iPhone, something the Apple Bluetooth headset also did. The Apple headset was quietly discontinued last spring after disappointing sales and reviews.

The ICON lets you set custom tones and multiple voices to alert you to incoming calls, and a feature called MyTALK that allows you to control mini-apps that change the voices or language (Spanish, French, or German) and allows you to customize a button to call 411 or connect to other voice services.

The newest Jawbone has also switched from the old proprietary power connector to a mini-USB cable, which is very welcome. The headset also claims to further reduce background and wind noise.

The headset now comes in 6 color designs, including variations of black, gold, pearl and black laced with red.

The newest addition to the jawbone line is U.S. $100.00. Even though the new headset has iPhone-friendly features, it's available today at Verizon dealers, with other retailers to follow.

Jawbone brings new, very iPhone friendly headset to market originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jawbone brings new, very iPhone friendly headset to market originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How Did AT&T Hold Up at CES 2010? Root Wireless (and TiPb) Report!

One of the more interesting conversations the Smartphone Experts team had at CES 2010 was with Root Wireless, who monitors the performance of Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile in the US. Their overall message is that there’s no single best carrier, because it varies so much from place to place, but they did try to determine which carrier survived CES the best.

Here’s the bottom line:

• AT&T started out providing the fastest service, but quickly fell to 4th place.

• Verizon better maintained its consistency of service, performing particularly well on the event’s busiest days.

Loading its proprietary Root Mobile™ crowdsourcing application on smartphones purchased off-the-shelf from each of the ‘Big Four’ carriers, Root Wireless conducted stationary tests at a fixed location immediately adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center, constantly running Root Mobile from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., January 5-8. The linear tests determine data transmissions speeds, cell tower hand-off rates and network connection failures, as monitored and reported by Root Mobile. It is noteworthy that the findings differ from others data transmission speed tests conducted using PCs, precisely because Root Mobile is engineered to determine wireless consumers’ real-world experience using smartphones, not PCs. Also worth keeping in mind: Results reported here are local to the Las Vegas Convention Center. Root Wireless network mapping software has confirmed that all network performance is local; it varies from neighborhood-to-neighborhood, from service provider to service provider.

CrackBerry Kevin shot some video at Root Wireless’ booth, so if you’re curious for more (and the techies among you should be!) go check that out on CrackBerry.com.

My experience after the break!

Now make no mistake, there were a lot of iPhones at CES. Tons of BlackBerrys too spread over all the carriers, and a few DROIDs here and there, but the iPhone and AT&T definitely had one of the most visible presences at this convention. For my part, I brought my Rogers iPhone 3GS with me (and yes, it was very expensive). That meant I roamed between AT&T 3G and T-Mobile EDGE (something several Americans told me they wished they could do!).

Anecdotally, not just at CES but at the airports in between, I would walk down a hall and lose all signal on one network and have to wait for my iPhone to roam back to the other. Same in Vegas, the hotel had zero T-Mobile EDGE, but fine AT&T 3G, while the Convention Center was AT&T fail and solid T-Mobile EDGE. Sympathetically, I don’t know how you Americans suffer through any of your GSM/HSPA carriers (and Dieter might add Sprint to the list, given his MiFi failures during the show).

Fake Steve was right, you live in one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, and quite often you can’t connect a call or pull any data. And worse, even when a cell tower gives you 5 full bars of signal, there’s no telling wether the backhaul has any actual bandwidth left behind it. (Imagine having a powerful WiFi router lit up at home, but your cable or DSL modem was dead behind it).

O2 is apparently suffering now as well, so you’re not alone, but it’s going to take massive investment and brilliant innovation (including solid 4G coverage) to ride the upcoming tsunami-like data demands.

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

How Did AT&T Hold Up at CES 2010? Root Wireless (and TiPb) Report!

MobiTV halves NBA League Pass price, offers free trial version

NBA League Pass Mobile, an app that lets you watch NBA games live on your iPhone and iPod touch, now costs $20. And for the next week, a lite version of the app will let you watch games for free.

FourSquare, Ramp Champ, Let’s Golf, Video Panorama, Consume — TiPb Picks of the Week

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.

So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

Chad’s Pick: FourSquare

I am really getting into the whole location-based check-in concept. There are several tools out there but my favorite right now is foursquare. The app and service is free, it scans Twitter, Facebook and your iPhone’s address book for friends. This makes finding friends that use foursquare easy. You have weekly leaderboards to compete with friends and a todo list of places to check out. Give foursquare a try! [Free - iTunes link]

Chris’ Pick: Ramp Champ

After all the buzz, I decided to download and try Ramp Champ, the skee ball style game. And I have to say it is a blast. Graphics are great, game play is smooth, background music is entertaining, and you even get tickets to trade in for prizes! This is a fun little game that.can be used as a quick diversion, or spending time to hone your skills. Add in the fact that you can use in-app purchases to add additional levels (or games) and we have ourselves a winner! [$1.99 - iTunes link]

Derrick’s Pick: Let’s Golf

Recently Let’s Golf was free and I decided to check it out. I don’t no why I didn’t buy it soon. Let’s Golf is a fantastic golfing game for the iPhone. It’s a very well designed and I’d suggest it to anyone looking for play a few rounds on their iPhone. [$1.99 - iTunes link]

Matt’s Pick: Video Panorama

Video Panorama allows you to take a video with your iPhone or use a pre-recorded video. It then automatically selects frames from the video to be used in the panorama, stiches them together and then allows you to save the image to your library. A great way to quickly get panoramas! [$1.99 - iTunes link]

Rene’s Pick: Consume

Consume is another in a long list of simple, elegant apps from Bjango that shows how many voice minutes and how much data you’ve used on your iPhone. This may not matter to people on unlimited plans in the US, but those of us in other countries with tiered service, or those on pay-as-you-go plans (and reward cards) may just find it very welcome. Sure, some carriers SMS you when you get to 80% or 100% of your monthly limit, but being able to check any time, and as often as you like right from the comfort of your iPhone — priceless. [$1.99 - iTunes link]

Your Pick?

You’re part of team TiPb too, so what’s your pick? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us — and everyone — know in the comments!

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

FourSquare, Ramp Champ, Let’s Golf, Video Panorama, Consume — TiPb Picks of the Week

In Stock: Case-Mate Hybrid Case for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G

In Stock: Case-Mate Hybrid Case for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G

The Case-Mate Hybrid Case for the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 3G uses the protective power of dual layers.

A form-fitting silicone skin surrounds your iPhone 3GS or iPhone 3G completely, absorbing each impact or hard-knock. Wrapped around the skin is a tough, ABS plastic shell for complete security, adding another level of protection, and making for a firm grip.

Features:

• For active lifestyles
• Enhanced dust-proof protection to controls
• Complete access to all ports and buttons
• Silicone Skin color offerings come with patterned gray ABS plastic shell
• Screen Protection kit included

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

In Stock: Case-Mate Hybrid Case for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G

Vodafone works with Apple to add 20 more iPhone dealers

Filed under: iPhone

Vodafone UK, who brought 20 of its dealers with it when the company joined the ranks of iPhone sellers in the UK, says that it's on track to have an additional 20 of its dealers selling the iPhone by the end of May.

MobileNews reports that originally Vodafone had submitted all of its 25 premier partners and most of their gold partners to Apple for approval to sell the iPhone. The article gives insight into what is required of the partners in order to sell the iPhone including:

• Submitting a business plan to the parent company that has to be approved by Apple
• Be properly trained and accredited
• All staff members must own an iPhone

MobileNews says that Vodafone is the first UK company to offer the iPhone from both its direct channels and through its dealers.

[Via MacDailyNews]

Vodafone works with Apple to add 20 more iPhone dealers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Vodafone works with Apple to add 20 more iPhone dealers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gartner Report Claims 99.4% Of Mobile App Sales are from iPhone App Store

Review: Pastebot for iPhone

This beautifully designed, tactile pleasure brings the power of a clipboard manager to your iPhone or iPod touch.

GTA: Chinatown Wars comes to iPhone

Rockstar has released its award-winning portable crime sim Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the iPhone and second-generation iPod touch for $10.