News

Mobile ad firm AdMob has released their October 2009 Mobile Metrics Report, in which they say that Apple devices are responsible for 50% of worldwide ad request hits on their network, which serves ads to several other popular platforms in areas around the world.

Last week, a promotional email for Apple's annual Black Friday sale this year was leaked, revealing discounts on the iPod touch. Today, a second promotional image offering more detailed prices on a variety of products offers some details, and also appears more credible and realistic.

Apple has decided to step in to the battle between AT&T and Verizon Wireless in the US with two new TV advertisements highlighting one of the few advantages of AT&T's network over Verizon's: the ability to run voice and data connections simultaneously. The first ad, titled "Did You See My Email?", shows the user using an iPhone to open an email from a client while still talking to them on the phone, shown after the break.

The App Store has received quite a lot of criticism recently, first with Facebook developer Joe Hewitt's decision to stop development for the iPhone, and then Rogue Amoeba announcing the same thing a day later. To defend Apple's position, Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice-president for worldwide product marketing, sat down with BusinessWeek for an interview on the matter.

In the interview, Schiller defends the review process by stating that they've created a store that people can trust:

A series of comments expressed by Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall on Friday have garnered a fair amount of attention over the weekend. Key among these is Marshall's claim that AT&T's exclusive agreement to distribute the iPhone in the U.S. will expire in June 2010, opening the door for other carriers to begin offering the device. Marshall's comments specifically point to Verizon as a carrier with which Apple would likely look to partner, with rumors of revised iPhone hardware capable of running on Verizon's network suggesting that a late 2010 launch could be possible.

A new iPhone worm has found its way onto jailbroken iPhones with SSH enabled. The worm, which emerged from the Netherlands according to security software company F-Secure, puts up an ING Direct login page that lets the hacker gather login credentials and, presumably, move funds to wherever they please. This version also changes the 'alpine' password to block users from getting to the phone via SSH.

A new patent from Apple (#20090284476) describes a method in which a device might push it's user interface to a smart remote. The patent doesn't talk much about the device, describing it loosely as a small "accessory" with a touchscreen that changes it's UI to match that of the device it's controlling to control playback of audio or video remotely.

In spite of a slow sales start, China Unicom continues to hold high hopes for the iPhone with an unnamed senior executive citing that the handset will carry 10% of China's 3G users within two to three years. In addition, China Unicom Chairman Chang Xiaobing publicly said this week that he expects the iPhone to be the best-selling smartphone in all of China.

Closely following the announcement that Magellan's car kit and iPhone nav app, RoadMate 2010 North America [App Store, $79.99] TomTom has announced that they plan to release a second car kit geared directly to the iPod touch.

Google announced earlier today that they have launched a mobile-formatted version of Google News for viewing on smartphones, geared directly toward iPhone, Android, and Palm Pre users.The new version offers similar features to the desktop homepage, displaying more stories than the other versions, while still keeping with their distinctive style.