iPhone Alley - News

AdMob Shows Apple Global Ad Marketshare At 55%

Edward Kirk — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:00:36 -0500

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.

Second Black Friday Sale Promo Leaked, More Credible

Edward Kirk — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:53:50 -0500

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.

New Apple Ads Tout AT&T Network Advantages

Edward Kirk — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:42:00 -0500

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.

Phil Schiller Defends The App Store's Approval Process

Michael Johnston — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:15:57 -0500

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:

Analyst: AT&T's Exclusive iPhone Contract Could End in June of 2010

Chris Barylick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:03:27 -0500

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.

New iPhone Worm Goes Live

Chris Barylick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:52:51 -0500

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.

Patent Describes Method Of Pushing Interface To Touchscreen Device

Edward Kirk — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:42:37 -0500

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.

China Unicom Executive States 10% Chinese Adoption Rate for iPhone Within Three Years

Chris Barylick — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:15:08 -0500

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.

TabToolkit Stores Your Tabs & Plays Them Back To You

Michael Johnston — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:00:24 -0500

After I began learning guitar last year, I grabbed a copy of Agile Partners' guitar companion app, GuitarToolkit [App Store, $9.99] to help me learn chords and keep my guitar in tune. But after a while, I wanted a way to store tabs and music to look at while I was away from my computer. TabToolkit [App Store, $9.99], which was released in late September, is exactly what I needed. It allows you to store tablature and music notation in various forms and play them back in landscape or portrait mode. It even comes with a synthesizer that'll play the parts back to you and a metronome to keep you on time.

The bottom of the screen can display a fretboard (guitar or bass) or keyboard for finger positions while the top shows musical notation and chords. If you play guitar or piano, you should definitely check this app out!

TurkeyTimer Helps You Take The Guesswork Out Of Cooking A Turkey

Michael Johnston — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:06 -0500

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and that means cooking a turkey. But how long do you cook your turkey? I honestly don't know, but now there's an app for that too. TurkeyTimer [App Store, $2.99] was designed to help you figure out just how long to cook your turkey based on your turkey's weight, whether its stuffed, and by its desired internal temperature. As time passes, TurkeyTimer will show you how brown your turkey should be and even when it's time to baste!

We haven't tried this app ourselves, but it looks solid based on the reviews and the app's description. Thanks to reader freshjive for the tip!

TomTom Announces Car Kit For iPod Touch

Edward Kirk — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:08:13 -0500

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 News For Mobile Updated For iPhone

Edward Kirk — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:11:38 -0500

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.

Virgin Mobile to Carry iPhone in Canada

Chris Barylick — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:20:47 -0500

Virgin Mobile's Canadian division will soon carry the iPhone, according to an announcement delivered today. The company has currently revealed few details, except that it will sell both the 3G and 3GS models and that a launch should happen sometime "in the coming months." The device will also be the carrier's first HSPA-based phone, possible through an upgraded Bell cellular network.

AT&T Responds To Verizon With Their Own Ad

Michael Johnston — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:07:55 -0500

Since AT&T's request to have Verizon's ads temporarily pulled from the air has been denied, AT&T has begun airing their own commercials to respond to Verizon. The ad features a quizzical Luke Wilson pointing out which company has the fastest 3G network, the ability talk and surf at the same time, access to over 100,000 apps, and more.

Honestly, I'm not too sure if AT&T should start throwing some of these claims around; they may have a counter-lawsuit coming their way. Maybe Luke should have just asked "which network has the iPhone?" Ad follows below!

Judge Denies AT&T's Request To Stop Verizon's 3G Map Ads

Edward Kirk — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:01:26 -0500

A federal judge has denied AT&T's request to temporarily block Verizon Wireless from airing advertisements comparing coverage maps for Verizon's and AT&T's 3G data networks. AT&T argued that the ads were "misleading," as some would misinterpret AT&T's comparatively sparse 3G coverage map as a map of their actual network, making it appear that there was no service available in those areas not covered on the map.