Mobile web traffic reports show Symbian, OS X on top

Ready for the latest dose of facts and figures to chat over at the nerd water cooler? Here goes! The latest AdMob report, which tracks mobile web traffic from a variety of handset models and operating systems, has found some rather interesting -- if not completely unsurprising -- results. For starters, we're told that the biggest web surfing phone on each US carrier is a touchscreen model, and breaking that down, we find that the iPhone, Nokia N70 and BlackBerry 8300 take the top three spots (in order of mention) globally. As for OS, Symbian is still leading the pack from a worldwide perspective with 43 percent of requests, though the iPhone ain't far behind at 33 percent; oh, and in case you were wondering, Apple's darling generated 50 percent of all US mobile web traffic in February. More numbers in the links below, should you be inclined to visit.


[ Via: mocoNews ]

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iPhone to Run Windows and Get Copy and Paste (It's Not What You Think) [IPhone]

Windows will run soon on the iPhone using Citrix Receiver, a remote screen software that connects to a PC and gives you the illusion you are running Microsoft's operating systems, including copy and paste functionality. Why is this useful? It will give you the ability to run full windows apps in your iPhone over the network. According to Citrix, you will have full Windows capability, including cut and paste inside Windows.


[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
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Vietnamese iPhone Unlock Isn't for the Faint of Heart [IPhone]

You might think you're some kind of l337 h4x0r because you used software to unlock your iPhone. Big deal! You've got nothing on the Vietnamese hackers that'll unlock your iPhone for you the hard way.

First, a technician opened up the phone and stripped it to the motherboard. In his skillful hands, the device seemed much easier to dismantle than I expected. The technician then extracted the baseband chip, the component that controls the connection between the phone and the mobile network, from the motherboard. (This is a painstaking task as the chip is strongly glued to the phone's motherboard. A mistake during this process could brick the phone completely.) Once the chip was extracted, it was Tuan Anh's turn. He used a chip reader to read information into a file. He then used a Hex editor to remove the locking data from the file, and after that, the chip got reprogrammed with the newly altered file. Now it was no longer programmed to work with only a specific provider. The chip then got reassembled into the motherboard, another painstaking process. As a last step, the technician put the phone back together, and it looked like nothing had been done to it.

All this for a mere $80! Call me crazy, but watching someone do this to my phone would be infinitely more satisfying than simply downloading a program to crack it. You'd feel like your phone really earned its unlocking.
[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
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Griffin AirCurve Dock Amplifies Your iPhone Speakers Without Electronics [IPhone]

As I recall, there have been devices in the past that amplify the sound of portable devices using a system of channels as opposed to electronics, but the AirCurve from Griffin is designed specifically to work with the iPhone and the iPhone 3G. No power source is needed—the AirCurve directs sound from the iPhone speakers through a "coiled waveguide" that, according to Griffin, produces a sound akin to a set of desktop speakers. To be honest, I'm pretty skeptical about that claim, but at least it won't break the bank at only $20. Although, that is probably more than I would want to pay for a dock that may only to a decent job of amplifying sound and is not capable of charging your phone (unless you buy a separate dock cable).
[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
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Review: Nike + iPod Touch Workout App [Review]

Despite looking forward to the iPod Touch/iPhone integration of the Nike+ running dongle for over a year now, we can't help but feel slightly disappointed at the way this app is executed on the latest iPod Touch. The Nike + iPod software itself looks great—the red and white UI design matches up perfectly with nike's own workout site—but there's just something missing. First, where's the grandfathered support for iPhone, iPhone 3G and first-gen iPod Touch? More importantly, where are the expanded features that makes great use of the Touch's accelerometer, touch screen or internet connection? Nowhere. The app itself works perfectly. As a long time sporadic Nike + iPod user on the old iPod Nano, we can say that all those features we expect to be there are ported over with the right amount of care for the larger screen. But there's nothing really all that revolutionary. Custom workouts, where you can pre-set options for time, distance or playlist are a nice addition, and it's nice to look at your workout history in a clearer fashion, but how come we couldn't get charts and graphs like on the Nike site? Something like the chart below, fetched from our own online history, would have been an easy addition to the feature set. And where, my fit readers, is the communication between your iPod touch and your online Nike account? Our other complaint is that you're forced to buy the 2nd generation iPod Touch in order to take advantage of the app. Plugging in the dongle to your iPhone, iPhone 3G or 1st generation Touch isn't even an option. Even with firmware 2.1, you still get the "This accessory is not supported by iPhone" error. Why? The dongle solution works fine on iPod nanos, why couldn't Apple copy over the Nike + app and make use of the transmitter? Despite our gripes about the lack of device support and lack of new features, we still love the app. It's much prettier and readable when running than the version on even the iPod nano 4G (which have the equivalent red and white larger icons), and if you're already a serious Nike + iPod user, the touch is a slightly better way to do what you're already doing. It's not quite good enough for you to upgrade from your current device, but think of it as an added bonus if you were thinking about getting an iPod touch for yourself so you can pass off your old iPod nano to your spouse so he or she can get into shape too. [Amazon]

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
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Anti-iPhone day at Download Squad

The iPhone gets a lot of attention these days, and rightly so. It's an attractive phone/media player with a beautiful interface. And Apple brought the idea of an innovative finger-friendly multi-touch display to the masses. But you know what? The iPhone isn't for everyone. There are plenty of things it can't do, or that you can do better with another device. And while the price of the phone continues to drop, you have to pay a rather pricey phone bill every month if you really want to make use of the phone.
With that in mind, Download Squad brings you anti-iPhone day. Throughout the day, we'll be looking at alternatives to the iPhone. To kick things off, I wanted to review some of the posts of DLS past that have already shown that there's little you can do with an iPhone that you can't already do with a Wndows Mobile-based phone.
Program Launchers
Somewhere between the time when Steve Jobs first demoed the iPhone and the day it actually hit the shelves, third party developers decided it would be cool to create an iPhone-like interface for Windows Mobile. Probably the most interesting project is FreeStyleWM, which started out its life as WhoNeedsAniPhone.
But not every third party developer wanted to replicate the iPhone interface. Some were just inspired enough to go out and create their own easy to use, finger-friendly program launchers and other applications. Thus GoodWin and iSwish were born.
Meanwhile, before the iPhone was even threatening your pocketbook, folks were puting out software that takes Windows Mobile and makes it feel like an entirely different operating system. Over a year ago, we brought you a roundup of applications designed to make Windows Mobile look and feel a bit more like Windows XP or Vista.
Programs

But it's not all about fancy application launchers. It's also about applications. Apple generated a lot of buzz by putting a version of the Safari browser on the iPhone which lets you access practically any web page. You can zoom in and out of web sites smoothly to get an overview or to read the text. But Safari for the iPhone can't handle Flash video. You know what can? Opera Mobile 9.5 for Windows Mobile.
Opera renders pages quickly, allows you to download files easily, and has that nifty zooming interface that iPod users have come to know and love. It also supports Flash Lite 3, which allows you to watch YouTube and other Flash videos.
But what about media players? That's where the iPod/iPhone really excel, right? Well, kind of. Sure, Apple's media player is slick. But it can't play OGG or WMV files or any number of other audio and video formats. So while MortPlayer, GSPlayer, TCPMP, and CorePlayer for Windows Mobile might not be as pretty as iPhone software, they're certainly a whole lot more functional.
For more information on Windows Mobile alternatives to iPhone applications, check out our article on some of the best text entry, multimedia, and other applications for Windows Mobile.

[ Via: Download Squad ]
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Forget the iPhone, all you need is an iPod Touch

Sure, the iPhone is a flashy, iconic gadget. It's the crown jewel of the iPod family. It features a slick touch-screen, a slim form-factor, a whole library of new applications, and the MobileSafari browser. Do you know what I say to that? Forget about it. There's a device that has all of those same features, without the burden of a monthly fee to your favorite monopolistic phone-service provider.
It may not be as glamorous as the iPhone, but the iPod Touch is an underrated force to be reckoned with. With the ubiquity of wifi hotspots, particularly in major cities, it's not difficult to get an internet connection when you need one. In fact, it's the same internet connection the iPhone has. Although the phone has 3G, iPhone users often opt for the faster wifi connection when they're within range. I never have a problem finding a place to check my email or fire off a sassy Twitter post on the Touch. I also never receive bills for $70+ a month from AT&T.
In terms of applications, the iPod Touch is neck-and-neck with the iPhone. Unless an app uses the "phone" portion of the iPhone's capabilities, it's likely just as effective on the Touch. Sure, the new iPhone has GPS, but the iPod can triangulate your location using a wireless access point. I've navigated to many a restaurant by grabbing directions and leaving them open on the Maps app for reference. You don't need an iPhone for that.
That's what it comes down to, really. Do you need an iPhone? The answer may be yes, but if you're only looking to get one because it's the hottest thing out right now, think about whether an iPod Touch might serve you just as well, for what's ultimately less money. Personally, I just need something that can play music, check email, and use IM services on the go: the Touch fits the bill, and it looks just as cool as an iPhone, too.

[ Via: Download Squad ]
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iPhone's Breast Feeding App Has a Nice Icon [IPhone Apps]

Haha, boobies.

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
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60 Million Apps Sold at iTunes Store, There is a Kill Switch, Says Steve Jobs [Apple]

It's been a month since the iTunes App Store went live, and in an interview with the Wall St Journal, Steve Jobs has put the apps downloads figure at over 60 million. With the mix of free and paid apps, that brought Apple around $30 million. That's obviously encouraged Steve: He's enthusiastic that maybe "it will be a $1 billion marketplace at some point in time" adding that he's "never seen anything like this in my career for software." And in a slightly unusual candid comment, for Steve anyway, he's admitted that the apps won't be making Apple much profit—instead future sales hopes are pinned on the applications tempting people to buy more iPhones and iPod touches. "Phone differentiation used to be about radios and antennas and things like that," he argues, suggesting that now the differentiation is about software. Clearly the app store has been a success so far for Apple and the developers: The top 10 made close to $9 million in one month. What about the infamous "I Am Rich" app? Apple decided to pull it as the result of a "judgment call." Steve also confirmed the existence of the kill switch for malicious apps, despite last week's news to the contrary. "Hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull." And you can't argue with that logic. [WSJ]

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
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Arn Kim Ran MacRumors While a Full-time Doctor [Apple]

On top of running a bitchin' keynote liveblog, MacRumors owner Arn Kim was up until recently a full-time medical doctor. He's a friend who I've come to rely on as a sounding board for Apple rumors at 3am or any other obscene time of day, so I'm glad to see him being recognized with a profile in the NYT. [Photo by Jay Paul]

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
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