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 ]

• Bell Mobility gearing up to launch Motorola Hint QA30

SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone demoed on video, coming in Q1

No surprises here, but Sling Media has created a new SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone portal on its website in order to accomplish two important tasks. 1) To announce that it will indeed be submitted to Apple for certification this quarter and 2) to show off a new video of the software in action. If you just can't wait, head to the read link and mash play.

[ Via: Engadgetmobile ]
[ Tag: ]

• Navigon keeps PNDs fresh with downloadable data packs

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 ]
[ Tag: ]

• FSC Amilo Sa 3650 laptop and GraphicBooster tested, deemed flawed but synergistic

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 ]
[ Tag: ]

Cooliris still cool on the iPhone, not quite as useful

is a fantastic browser plugin that displays image galleries on sites like Facebook and Flickr as a wall of photos that you can manipulate by dragging. It's an attractive visual effect, and it's actually a fast and efficient way to get an overview of a gallery and find a specific image. Unfortunately, the Cooliris iPhone app isn't as useful as its browser-based counterpart.
The upside is that Cooliris for iPhone looks just as cool as the web version, and it's more fun to play with. The drag and pinch interface of the iPhone is designed for something like this. Unfortunately, the mobile version of Safari isn't. Because a browser plugin would present some seriously problems for an iPhone developer, Cooliris is a standalone app. Instead of activating it within Facebook or Flickr -- photos you might really care about -- you're limited to its search function. It's a cool toy, but it doesn't feel nearly as essential as the desktop version.

[ Via: Download Squad ]
[ Tag: ]

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 ]
[ Tag: ]

Sony's (Yes, Sony's) ICF-CD3i the Neatest Looking iPhone Clock/Radio Dock Yet [Sony]

Sony Insider has uncovered Sony's newest Dream Machine, the ICF-CD3iP, the most attractive iPhone/iPod Clock/Radio Dock I've seen yet. No telling what it sounds like, but for the $100 or so it will cost when it eventually surfaces, I'm guessing it would be somewhere between "tinny but decent" and "hey, that's not so bad." SI mentions the fact that it has an iPod/iPhone remote, and that its alarm can co-exist with iPhone/iPod alarms; I don't believe that's a first, but it's a good thing to hear. By the looks of it, that iPod dock slides out, too, a nice thing for those who might not care for iStuff. If the round face hasn't tipped you off already, it's also a CD player with MP3-CD playback, and it has a line in, in case you still want to patch in your 120GB Zune. What? Sony still makes MP3 players? Huh. [Sony Insider via iPodNN]

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
[ Tag: ]

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 ]
[ Tag: ]

iPhone's Breast Feeding App Has a Nice Icon [IPhone Apps]

Haha, boobies.

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
[ Tag: ]

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 ]
[ Tag: ]

Voice Dial iPhone App Gets App Store'd [Voice Dialing]

The previously good Voice Dial jailbreak app for iPhone has made its way onto the App Store, complete with $25 price tag. Voice Dial isn't to be confused with iSpeak, another voice dialing app that will probably hit the App Store sometime. There's another current SpeechCloud voice dialing app on the App Store, and even though it may be free, it's got an average rating of 2.5 stars and reviews saying that it's pretty lousy. We'd make like a petting zoo and pony up the $25 for a good voice dialing app if we really needed one. Oh, and don't pay attention to the lousy 1 star reviews on the site, all these idiots are reviewing the app based on its $25 price tag and not how well it's functioning. [VoiceDial]

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
[ Tag: ]