News

From now on, everything worth of your interest that don't have time to blog about will be summed up in a news roundup that we will publish here. So if we miss some of the cool iPhone news, you'll still be able to know about it. We will give you a short snippet of what it's about with a link to the source of the article.

Ford Makes Photo Editing iPhone App

In an unique attempt to spread the word about their upcoming crossover car, the Ford Flex 2009, the Ford Motor Company has developed a free native iPhone application for editing and enhancing photographs.

Apple officially surpasses 10 million iPhones sold in 2008

Apple announced today during its quarterly conference call that it has already surpassed its goal of 10 million iPhone sales in the calendar year of 2008. The company, which sold just under 7 million iPhones during the September quarter alone, said that this was the iPhone's "breakout quarter."

MapQuest aims towards iPhone

MapQuest, the creator of its namesake mapping website, has debuted a version of the site designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch. Whereas Apple handheld users were previously directed towards the desktop pages, the site now presents pages formatted for the size of the iPhone, with special controls and larger buttons and fonts.

School of Rock app released for iPhone, iPod touch

Paramount Digital Entertainment has launched the School of Rock app for the iPhone and iPod touch. The program is based on the School of Rock movie, and teaches users about the principles of music, while focusing on four main areas, divided into the School of Drums, School of Keys, School of Guitar and School of Bass.

Cooliris Comes To iPhone - Now You Can Surf The Mobile Web in 3D

Cooliris (formerly PicLens) makers of a browser plugin which transforms the web into an immersive 3D experience, has just released their first application for the iPhone. The new Cooliris App brings 3D web surfing to the iPhone. Like their plugin, the iPhone app lets you browse using their unique "wall of content," a 3D wall that you can flick through using finger swipes and can touch to zoom in and out. This app lets you search Google, Flickr, Yahoo, SmugMug, and DeviantArt. Also like their browser plugin, the Cooliris iPhone App delivers relevant news and articles from across the web via a "Discover" feature which presents iPhone-optimized content organized in categories like News, Sports, Tech, and more.

BlackBerry app store to rival iPhone's

Research in Motion today confirmed the existence of its rumored BlackBerry Application Center, the company's attempt to parallel the iPhone's App Store. The portal will serve as a central hub for BlackBerry owners looking to download and manage apps instead of the web downloads and separate stores used before.

Fring partners with Austria's mobilkom for VoIP

fring's press release states that "[t]his is the first time a leading network operator has integrated an open mobile VoIP communication and mobile internet community offering into their business model, and represents a sea change in the relationship between traditional mobile carriers and mobile internet communications offerings such as fring."

Lala Unveils iPhone App, Unusual 10-Cent Song Sales

When we last checked in with Lala, the music service promised us access to our local collections from anywhere over the web. Using a unique combination of uploading and matching their collection to yours, you can sync your various libraries and listen to them any place where internet is available. Now they are back with some brand new features, including a vastly expanded catalog, an iPhone app and the unheard of 10-cent song.

Preview Video of synthPond Music Toy

An iPhone developer has forwarded a video of his upcoming synthPond iPhone application that provides a music toy to create 3d/4d sound effects through your iPhone or iPod Touch headphones.

Brightkite Location-Based iPhone App Now Available

Brightkite has released a native iPhone application to interface with their web service. Brightkite is a location-based social network in which you can see where your friends and what they are doing.

Let it snow: Snow Reports for iPhone

Snow Reports, from Eddit Incorporated, provides the ability to create your own personalized lists of your favorite ski resorts, and then track the snow conditions and weather at those resorts. Snow Reports can access information for over 2,000 ski areas around the world through OnTheSnow.com's online service.

These are some of the things that happened today in the iPhone world and even though we didn't have time to blog about it, I thought that would be nice to share these news with you:

Using the iPhone's GPS without a network connection

We know the iPhone 3G has "assisted" GPS that uses the phone's Internet connection, but with some patience and preparation, you can still use Google Maps and the GPS to some degree without connectivity.

Study: iPhone users frustrated with news portals

Study proves iPhone users are frustrated, but not by slow speeds or crappy battery life.

Turning the iPhone Into a Digital Photography Tool

The iPhone 3G brought changes in shape, function, features, etc., but to the dismay of many cell phone photographers, the device retains the same 2.0 megapixel camera as the first iPhone. apple enhanced the camera via software improvements by coupling the camera to the GPS features of the iPhone 3G to enable photo geotagging, but this did little to calm the complaints about the camera’s resolution, lack of flash and other features available on a few other phones. However, users have developed exciting ways to use the camera, and there are several innovative third-party applications to help along the way.

Maildash provides message templates for iPhones

PureBlend Software has released a new app designed for people who need to send e-mail or SMS messages via an iPhone, but prefer to avoid typing. Maildash allows users to quickly reply to messages by selecting a message template and hitting the send button. Maildash includes a series of common replies, and allows the customization of these templates or new ones as desired.

Briefcase file transfer app available for iPhone

Hey Mac Software has released Briefcase, a file transfer application for the iPhone and iPod touch. Users can download any type of file or directory onto their device, without the need for cables or extra client software.

Mark/Space launches Fliq social app for iPhone, Touch

Mark/Space has launched Fliq, a social networking app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Users can send photos and contacts to one another in real-time, without using e-mail, SMS or instant messaging configurations. Content can also be shared with anyone on the same Wi-Fi network.

iPhone boosting mobile developers, advertisers

The iPhone appears to be providing a significant boost to related mobile industries, involved parties claim. Andrew Fisher -- CEO of the company behind Shazam, an app which lets users identify songs through an iPhone's microphone -- notes that although his outfit is over four years old, prior to the iPhone 3G, people would only use earlier versions of Shazam three to five times per phone.

iPhone 3G shrinks profit margins of US carriers

Appleís iPhone is currently squeezing profit margins for US wireless carriers, with analysts expecting a drop in third quarter financial results in the coming weeks. Reuters reports that AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint are all expected to unveil lower-than-expected results, thanks in part to a larger subsidy on the iPhone 3G, and users reducing the total cost of their services

This is your fix of iPhone News in just one place so you don't have to visit 68 websites to be updated on what's going on in the iPhone world.

RingtoneFeeder Plus offers ringtone archive access

RingtoneFeeder has announced that it will now offer access to its iPhone ringtone archive. The new service requires an existing annual subscription, and carries an activation fee of $10, which grants full access to all ringtones released by the company. Subscribers receive four ringtones every week: one vocal and one instrumental, plus alternates for each that include an embedded ringing sound. [via MacNN]

Stone of Destiny; hidden-object gaming for iPhone

Voodoo Dimention has released an iPhone and iPod touch port of it's hidden-object game, The Stone of Destiny. In the game, players must use only a map, a book and a list of objects to uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of their uncle. The Stone of Destiny takes players around the world searching for artifacts and magical runes that may reveal clues about their uncles whereabouts. [via iPodNN]

Circulating Trojan file targets iPhone followers

A Trojan attack in circulation is exploiting interest in the iPhone, say researchers with Panda Security. The company identifies the malware as Banker.LKCTrojan, an app which masquerades as a video of the iPhone. The associated file -- named "VideoPhone[1]_exe" -- specifically operates through a technique called pharming, in which DNS information is sabotaged to redirect a person to a malicious website. [via MacNN]

AT&T publishes pro-iPhone, anti-Storm sales guide

A alleged AT&T sales guide, leaked to the public, suggests concern by the carrier over Research in Motion's latest BlackBerry phone. The guide is said to be a memo circulating inside of AT&T, trumpeting the benefits of the iPhone 3G over the BlackBerry Storm, which AT&T claims will ship through Verizon sometime in October or November. The guide states that the Storm will lack Apple's proprietary multi-touch technology, as well as Wi-Fi and tri-band HSDPA, the latter allowing 3G data in more areas outside of North America. [via Electronista]

Edibles 1.3 adds enhanced food tracking options

Random Ideas has announced a new update to its food journaling application for the iPhone and iPod touch. Edibles allows users to track values important to observing a diet regimen, such as calories, carbohydrates and WeightWatchers points. Users are also capable of setting a "budget" for a value they are tracking, and then follow weekly and daily allowances based on this figure. [via iPodNN]

Stanford students writing iPhone apps

Back in July, we reported on an iPhone programming course being developed and offered by Stanford University. The course is in full swing this fall, with a reported 80 students signed up. Stanford has also started a project that is beginning to bear fruit in the form of iPhone and iPod touch apps -- the Stanford iApps Project. [via TUAW]

Cydia Installer Update

This update fixes several bugs related to the crash, the error “Bad Url” certain sources and the display of custom html pages. Adding new sections that combine the best packages and included several new icons and small badges that identify applications that change the system (daemon, exstension, uikit, library, console). [via iSpazio]

BBC brings radio to iPlayer for iPhone/iPod touch

The UK's official broadcaster, the BBC, has announced expanded support for the iPhone/iPod touch version of its iPlayer service. As of today the software now supports radio, allowing users to listen to episodes from a variety of programs up to seven days after the original airdate. [via iPodNN]

iPhone Developer University Program

The iPhone Developer University Program is a free program designed for higher education institutions looking to introduce curriculum for developing iPhone or iPod touch applications. The University Program provides a wealth of development resources, sophisticated tools for testing and debugging, and the ability to share applications within the same development team. Institutions can also submit applications for distribution in the App Store. [via Apple]

Review: X-Plane 9

X-Plane 9 for iPhone / iPod touch isn't for everyone. If you're looking for a high-action game, look elsewhere. But if you are a fan of flight simulation software and would like to have the opportunity to "fly" anywhere you happen to be, X-Plane 9 is definitely worth the US$9.99 price tag. Austin Meyer has a reputation for constantly improving X-Plane 9 for Mac, so I'm confident that we'll see significant upgrades and bug fixes in the very near future. [via TUAW]

Summizer, Twitter trends on your iPhone

Summizer (iTunes link) is an app for following trends on Twitter. Similar to a few web apps, it searches Twitter for keywords and allows you to save searches to watch for updates. It's small, simple and elegant. Use it to find out who's talking about what, or even who's talking about you. If you've ever used Twitter's tracking feature (currently disabled), you already know how this works.

[via TUAW]

Review: Fizz Weather

Fizz Weather is a good general weather app that gives you the basics. If you like the Weather Channel forecasts and maps, you will probably like Fizz Weather, even if the forecasts are a little terse. If you need to know more than "Sunny. Mild.", you’ll likely be happier with another solution. If you need, want, or rely on local radar, this is also not the app for you. [via JAIB]

Apple, AT&T hit with another iPhone lawsuit

Another lawsuit against Apple and AT&T is hitting the courts, with New York resident Jai Sen crying foul over both companies' advertising of the iPhone 3G, software problems, and cracks in the device's chassis. The lawsuit comes through the US District Court for the Eastern district of New York, and encompasses a class-action perspective, with other plaintiffs simply referred to as "others similarly situated." [via Macnn]

And this is your daily fix of iPhone news. There was much more going on on the various iPhone blogs but I don't want to report to you each and every post related to the iPhone. Most of them are useless and don't deserve to get much attention. I just want to report to you what I think is real news.

Internet petition protests iPhone auto-correction

An internet petition has been building to protest Apple's auto-correction feature on the iPhone, entitled Please Let Us Disable Auto Correction Steve. Many users would at least like the option to switch the feature off. The truncated words, commonly used while writing on mobile devices, are particularly problematic. Frühjahr Design has received nearly 3,000 "signatures" on its petition in the few days since its launch. [via Macnn]

UK's "Stuff" names iPhone 3G gadget of the year

Apple's iPhone 3G has won a public vote to find the year's best gadget, beating strong competition from three games consoles, a budget laptop and a balloon-shaped iPod speaker system. The latest version of the mobile that combines a phone with a music and video player was chosen by readers of Stuff magazine in its annual Gadget of the Year awards. [via Reuters UK]

SwirlyMMS for iPhone 2.x Released Those of you who are fans of SwirlyMMS will be happy to know that the SwirlySpace Team announced that SwirlyMMS 1.2 for firmware 2.x has been released. [via iPhone Alley]

First post-patch iPhone 3G lawsuit wants Apple to pay $5 million

Jumping on an increasingly overloaded bandwagon, a Little Rock, Arkansas man has started a class action lawsuit expecting at least $5 million in damages for Apple and AT&T overselling iPhone 3G relative to the network load, even though a fix has already been put into place. [via Apple Insider]

What happened today in the iPhone world? Save yourself some time and read this! These are the highlights of the iPhone news for today.

From the iPhone Download Blog:

From other sources:

Apple finding it difficult to crack Japanese cell phone market

Apple's iPhone, a runaway success in the US and parts of Europe, is struggling to see similar success in Japan, where consumers who've long been privy to some of the world's most advance cell phones are passing over the touchscreen handset for cheaper and more familiar offerings. [via Apple Insider]

DevTeam working on a Jailbreak for the iPod Touch 2.1

“U Can’t Touch This” were the words of the great MC Hammer in 1990, but we just couldn’t wait to “touch it” as soon as the new slinky wafer-thin iPod was unveiled by Father Jobs a week ago. We are especially eager to experiment with this device because the n72ap in the new iPod Touch 2G may give us insight into upcoming iPhones. So a few hours ago the large truck backed into the DevTeam warehouse where the crate of iPod touché devices were dropped off and we started the very earliest stages of investigation (which means fun!) ;-) We won’t have more to say unless there’s more to say. Hammertime! [via DevTeam Blog]

AT&T Looking for New Ways to Meld iPhone with U-Verse

U.S. phone company AT&T Inc plans to eventually link Apple Inc's iPhone to its high-speed Internet and video service called U-verse, and introduce new features like using the phone as a remote control. [via Reuters]

Newber adds second line to iPhone

FreedomVOICE has launched a beta program for Newber, a combination iPhone app and cellular service. The software allows users to have an additional number on their iPhone, enabling users to have a "business" line without revealing their personal iPhone. [via MacNN]

T-Mobile sets stage for Android, iPhone showdown next week

An invitation sent out on Tuesday by T-Mobile asks the media to gather next week to see the first phone built on the Android mobile platform, but will also pit Apple and Google against each other -- if reluctantly. [via Apple Insider]