Apple

So we’ve all been waiting a while for this. Last night sometime, Apple released iPhone 2.2 Software Update which includes many of the changes I’ve been anticipating over the past couple of weeks.

Included in the update is Google Street View, public transit and walking directions, and over-the-air podcast downloads via the iTunes app. The update also includes numerous fixes including added stability in Safari and fixes for Mail. Other feature include:

iPhone 2.2 Software Update
This update contains many bug fixes and improvements, including the following:
+ Enhancements to Maps
- Google Street View
- public transit and walking directions
- display address of dropped pins
- share location via email
+ Enhancements to Mail
- resolved isolated issues with scheduled fetching
of email
- improved formatting of wide HTML email
+ Improved stability and performance of Safari
+ Podcasts are now available for download in iTunes
application (over Wi-Fi and cellular network)
+ Decrease in call set-up failures and call drops
+ Improved sound quality… more...

Looks like the world is still waiting for an iPhone killer (so far the only successful iPhone Killer has been the smackdown the iPhone 3G put on the original iPhone). The phone everyone suspected might be an iPhone killer, the Blackberry Storm, seems to have been little more than a poorly done experiment by RIM. Let’s check the reviews:

PC World:
BlackBerry’s Storm: Awkward and Disappointing

But people who were hoping for a credible iPhone alternative fortified with BlackBerry’s strengths as a mobile tool for corporate travelers will likely find the Storm a disappointment. When it comes to touch interfaces, Apple still has no peer.

Engadget
BlackBerry Storm review (Hmm, someone needs to head over the Engadget and help them with creative titles)

The only hitch in this plan is a major one: it’s not as easy, enjoyable, or consistent to use as the iPhone, and the one place where everyone is sure they have an upper hand—that wow-inducing clickable screen—just isn’t all that great. For casual users, the learning curve and complexity of this phone will feel… more...

If you were like me, you were anxiously waiting to get your hands on the extremely hyped updated version of Google’s search app. My colleague, Chris, wrote on Friday that “Sometime today (I can’t find it yet) there will be a nifty new app in the iTunes store that lets you search Google by voice. “

It is now Monday, and I still can’t find it myself! According to The New York Times, Google planned to release the free application through the iTunes Store “as soon as Friday.” The application, an update to Google Mobile App, is meant to allow you to talk into your phone, ask any question, and the results of your query will then be offered up on your iPhone. Neat concept, and many of us want to try it out, however, where is it?

As we all know. Apple’s app department is not quick on their toes. One reason for the delay could be that it has been bogged down by Apple’s App Store approval process, which can take days or even months. Indeed, the Google Earth app… more...

It wasn’t that long ago that the iPhone was crowned the second most popular headset in the US; The top being the Motorola RAZR. Now a study by NPD Group finds that during Q3 this year the Motorola king was finally dethroned and replaced by wonderful iPhone.

For the last three years, the Motorola RAZR was the top selling handset in the US. Until now, that is. Despite a 15% decline from the year-ago, the iPhone has taken the #1 spot in the US for consumer sales.

“The displacement of the RAZR by the iPhone 3G represents a watershed shift in handset design from fashion to fashionable functionality,” said Ross Rubin, NDP’s director of industry analysis.

Via: Tuaw

It has been an interesting few days for iPhone fans who are looking for an alternative to Safari (and who isn’t? Safari crashes on the iPhone like it was running on OS 9 or something). First came the news that Apple had banned a mobile version of Opera from the iPhone store. This isn’t surprising, the quote from the New York Times was:

Mr. von Tetzchner said that Opera’s engineers have developed a version of Opera Mini that can run on an Apple iPhone, but Apple won’t let the company release it because it competes with Apple’s own Safari browser.

The quote seems unambiguous. After some investigation John Gruber discovers that the the wasn’t a ban involed but rather that Opera hasn’t been submitted to they App store to begin with. It gets better, after investigating the matter further Mssr. Gruber isn’t sure if Opera violates the SDK or not.  Read the entire article on Daring Fireball.

You know those iPhone types: Eating sushi, drinking high grade port, lighting fine cigars with hundred dollar bills in their billiards room during a game of snooker, maybe they even have a monocle. Wait, that is completely over the top, the only person who actually behaves like that is Hadley Stern. The more accurate stereotype is a geek with disposable cash. But stereotypes never capture the full picture and the iPhone is gaining popularity with those who want to save money!

Can that be right? According to this Wired article it turns out that lower income groups are the fastest growing iPhone market segment. The idea is that while the iPhone seems expensive it isn’t if you use the iPhone to replace your internet service, landline and TV. To get the most out of it you’ll have to jailbreak the thing but, as these folks are pointing out, the future is clear: someday you’ll only pay for one data stream and trust it to deliver all you digitizable wants. 

Some folks love their iPhone, some folks love their Blackberry but if sales are votes then Blackberry just beaten like a rented government mule by the iPhone. See, last quarter sold 6.9 million iPhones and RIM sold 6.1 million Blackberrys. Wait, it gets worse. Apple pulled in $4.6 billion in iPhone revenue while RIM pulled in $2.1 Billion. If dollars are votes then RIM is the cow and Apple is the butcher. But it gets even worse if you’re RIM. RIM (all models) got beat by the iPhone (two models) while RIM sells products from a variety of carriers while Apple sells iPhones from a one carrier in the US and relatively few carriers worldwide. But let’s put this in beef jerky terms to get a better handle on the situation. People want beef jerky, people can get RIM beef jerky anywhere they happen to be and a lot of people love it. People can only get Apple beef jerky 20% of the places people that they can get beef jerky at. The obvious conclusion is that the Apple beef jerky is way, way better to outsell the RIM jerky.

But maybe it isn’t that dire for RIM.… more...

Admob has a surprisingly detailed metrics report out (available here, pdf format). You’ve got stats of graphs for everything from the percentage of AT7T subscribers who use the iPhone to the breakdown of Smartphone requests by OS in Indonesia (Symbian 98%). If you’re into numbers it worth taking a long look at. If not, let iPhone Matters hit the highlights:

Apple clocks in with a 2.5% share of smartphone traffic (Nokia wins with 35.2%)

In the US Apple generates 3.9% of US smartphone traffic (Motorola wins with 28.9%)

The iPhone is 7th in among smart phone handsets. In fact the iPhone loses out even to the KRZR (3.2% to 5.4%). The KRZR?

Just as interesting as the Apple numbers are the near dominance of Symbian everywhere outside of the US. In the US people worry about Windows mobile versus iPhone OS versus RIM but if you look at the big picture it is all about Symbian.To put a finer point on it 9 points separate Windows Mobile (13%) from iPhone OS (4%). 51 points separate Symbian (64%) from Windows Mobile.

Check… more...

“The iPhone {iPhone name} cannot be synced. An unknown error occurred (13014).

Were you one of the users receiving errors on your Mac when trying to sync your iPhone or iPod touch?

Some of the users that upgraded to iTunes 8.0.1 for the Mac have been getting frustratingly persistent error messages when trying to sync their iPhone and iPod Touches.

If you haven’t given up, thankfully Apple has posed a fix for the issue on their Support page.

Apple suggests three possible solutions:

1. Quit and reopen iTunes. If the issue continues, then restart your computer.
2. Turn off Genius in iTunes in the Genius sidebar (choose View > Hide Genius Sidebar).
3. Quit iTunes, temporarily disable the anti-virus security software on your computer, then reopen iTunes and try to sync your device. If iTunes successfully syncs your iPhone or iPod touch, consult the anti-virus software vendor.

What is awesome cool and has a glass trackpad? If you said the new MacBooks you’re technically correct. But if you want complete correctness the answer is the iPhone powered OLO laptop. See, where the glass trackpad is on the latest MacBook there is a slot where you drop your iPhone which then powers the whole thing. Talk about your redundancy killer!

Sadly, this is just a concept for now. But the concept generates questions at TUAW: How can you get video out of the Universal adapter? (No problem). What is the max resolution of the iPhone (at least 1080P)? How can you get the full OSish stuff on the iPhone (no idea).

Right now a iPhone powered laptop just wouldn’t cut it for most of us though the idea has been bandied about. Where’s the cut and paste, the simultaneous instances of programs running, the flash support? Still, it is nice to dream.

via: TUAW