Samsung Galaxy Nexus represented Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, iPhone 4S stood for Apple’s iOS 5 and Nokia Lumia 800 for Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.

In the first part of this comparison/review we look we checked out the device hardware and performance. In the second part tomorrow we will look at software and features.

Design & Ergonomics

The Galaxy Nexus remains true to its Samsung roots as it is mainly based on different kinds of plastic. The build materials aren’t necessarily cheap but rather very uninspiring, especially for a high-end device. The design is also kept very simple, where the only diversity comes from the textured battery cover, while the front of the device is completely bare and button-less. The phone sits quite nicely in palms thanks to the slight hump at the back, but due to the enormous size of the screen – 4.65 inches – the overall usability takes a hit.

Clearly ambitious in its undertaking, Apple iPhone 4S takes the design to extreme heights. The phone consists of two glass panels separated by a stainless steel frame (thankfully the antenna problems have been resolved with 4S), which makes the phone pretty to look at, but also quite impractical. The glossy glass surface can easily get smeared with fingerprints, and getting it scratched isn’t too hard either if you’re not careful. On top of all that, the phone is extremely slippery, and we’ve already seen some vivid examples of what happens when the glass structure of iPhone 4 meets its worst enemy: the gravity. These undoubtedly premium materials also contribute towards making 4S the heaviest phone in this test.

Nokia 800 Lumia seems to take the golden middle ground both in terms of built materials and usability. It’s made from a solid block of polycarbonate plastic that is not only eye-catching but also quite practical as it barely leaves any fingerprints. The smooth surface and curved sides of the shell also provide some extra grip in comparison to the other two phones in this test. The screen is also decently sized – 3.7 inches – which makes 800 Lumia neither too small nor too big, so the phone fits nicely in hands and pockets alike.

Display

All three are standard candybar touchscreen phones, and as a result, the quality of the display has an immense impact on their look, feel and usability. Unsurprisingly, the first phone to separate from the rest is the Galaxy Nexus with its sheer size of the screen that literally dwarfs the tiny in comparison screen on the iPhone 4S.

(In this and other display pics: top – Lumia 800, middle – Galaxy Nexus, bottom – iPhone 4S)

But there’s far more to Galaxy Nexus than just the physical dimensions of the screen. Samsung has also equipped Galaxy Nexus with an HD quality screen of 1280 x 720 pixels that can easily rival and surpass Apple’s retina display (960 x 640 pixels). Due to smaller physical size, the 3.5 inch screen on iPhone 4S offers a slightly higher pixel density than Galaxy Nexus (316 vs 330 ppi), but both screens look incredibly sharp and detailed. On the other hand, the WVGA resolution of 480 x 800 pixels doesn’t look quite as impressive on Nokia’s 3.7 inch screen.

In terms of picture quality, Samsung Galaxy Nexus with its AMOLED display (in the middle) also comes first, followed closely by Nokia’s own AMOLED display (top), and Apple, unsurprisingly, taking up the rear with its LED-backlit IPS TFT screen. All phones have exceptional viewing angles and great sunlight legibility, but Nokia’s screen comes off as noticeably darker for some reason.

While the physical size could be an issue for some users, it’s easy to recommend Galaxy Nexus HD screen that puts its rivals to shame with the combination of vibrant colors, great contracts and just the sheer amount detail. This especially applies to users who find themselves frequently surfing the web or watching movies on a phone – those particular kind of experiences are head and shoulders above the competition.

Performance

All 3 phones are considered high-end smartphones and are equipped accordingly to run their environments. There are, of course, some notable differences in the hardware amongst the three.

Android has proven to be the more resource heavy OS, and the speedy 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and a whopping 1 GB of RAM really comes into play on Galaxy Nexus to ensure a very fluid and responsive user experience. Unlike most other Android phones with their custom skins or launchers that sip away extra processing power, the Galaxy Nexus additionally benefits from running a clean, unaltered version of the OS.

Apple, and, more recently, Microsoft, has taken a different kind of approach by strictly tailoring hardware to their OS. As a result, Windows Phone 7 runs nicely with the single core 1.4 GHz Scorpion CPU on board the Lumia 800, and no noticeable hiccups were encountered while performing tasks.

The dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 processor on the iPhone 4S, on the other hand, feels more like a response to the market’s shift to dual-core smartphones. The most dramatic improvement over the older generation iPhones is the increased performance in graphically demanding 3D games, and as such, the 4S is well catered towards people who are passionate about this form of digital entertainment.

As mentioned earlier, all phones in this test showed admirable performance on their respective platforms, and opening & switching between apps happened with no interruptions in most cases. If, however, we had to nominate the winner solely judging by its raw computing power, then Galaxy Nexus would take this round.

Camera

By looking at the specs sheet, it appears like Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be not on equal footing in this part of the test. While its hardware in many ways derives from Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S2, the camera has been reduced from 8 to 5 Mpix, which is exactly the same amount as the last Google phone, the Nexus S. On the opposite side of the ring, the other two contestants share a similarity for once as they both are keen to show off their cameras in the same 8Mpix league.

Despite the inferior megapixel count, the underlying improvements in Galaxy Nexus camera in comparison to its predecessor were enough to make the end result look good. Even more so, the quality of the still shots is fairly acceptable in comparison to the other 2 phones in this test.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Apple iPhone 4S

Nokia 800 Lumia

The biggest disappointment, and surprise, comes from Nokia Lumia 800 – the Finns usually put a lot more effort in their smartphone cameras. On the surface, the photos taken with Lumia 800 appear to be OK, but closer inspection reveals that some finer detail is washed away. Could that perhaps be noticeably improved with subsequent software updates? Only time will tell.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Apple iPhone 4S

Nokia 800 Lumia

The camera interface is pretty straightforward and easy to use on all 3 phones, but Nokia does earn a few points back with its more expansive settings that allow tweaking things like white balance, contract, saturation and ISO. In comparison, the Galaxy Nexus and especially iPhone 4S camera settings are very bland, but nothing some 3rd party apps couldn’t fix.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Apple iPhone 4S

Nokia 800 Lumia

Due to the very limiting dimensions of phones, the built-in cameras have always been about having the right compromises. In that respect, the iPhone 4S camera, even though far from showing flawless performance, did manage to deliver the most consistent results throughout the tests. More often than not, this 8Mpix shooter from Apple impressed me with its rich colors and sharp detail, and the ability to take HDR pics right from the start proved to be the icing on the cake.

Battery life

Depending on the user, the results here can vary drastically. The 1430 mAh Li-Po battery took iPhone 4S to the top position in our tests, giving almost 2 full days of moderate usage. That feat was followed with solid 1.5 days from Nokia Lumia 800 with its 1450 mAh battery. Despite having the beefiest battery – 1750 mAh – Galaxy Nexus came in last with an up-time of slightly above one day. It didn’t do too bad – in fact, with its massive screen, the Android could have fared much worse than it actually did.

Also worth noting, Galaxy Nexus is the only phone in this test with a replaceable battery. So, if you’re used to prolonging your phone’s life with an extra battery pack or two, you should take that into a serious consideration.

____________________________

That’s about it for the hardware bit of our Galaxy Nexus vs Lumia 800 vs iPhone 4S review. Check back tomorrow for the second part, where we take a closer look into what makes these devices tick – the software and features inside.

• Verizon exclusive Samsung Galaxy Nexus gets its full specs leaked ahead of October 11 unveiling
• Samsung Galaxy S II unsurprisingly passes drop test that shatters the iPhone 4S
• Some Nokia Lumia 800 phones have battery issues, software update coming soon
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs Nokia Lumia 800 vs iPhone 4S Comparison/Review. Part 2–Sofware, UX&Conclusions
• The first Google Nexus One review shows up

All you have to do is visit this website http://aka.ms/wpdemo on your mobile browser, and you will access an interactive HTML 5 web page that gives you a full tour of the operating system. It allows you to experience the tiles on your own home screen and even gives you a couple of demos of simple tasks such as checking your email or sending a text message.

It would be pretty sweet if this web page could actually convert your OS to Windows Phone Mango, but that feature is currently not available. Kudos to Microsoft for thinking outside of the box with a cool promotional HTML 5 demo of their own OS.

Gizmodo

• Verizon rolling out Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update for HTC Trophy today
• Microsoft confirms some Windows Phone Mango features
• Microsoft Windows Phone Mango officially announced, brings IE 9, Groups, Threads and more
• NEC’s “Bubble Talk” service enables voice message sending on the fly
• Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update coming in H2 2011 with HTML5 support?

Current iOS users were forced to access their Gmail through a third party app or through the web-based view, but they didn’t have access to the best new feature of the iOS Gmail app, push notifications. We saw a leaked video earlier in October that detailed many of the new features of the Gmail iOS app. These features included increased search functionality, contact icons, improved threads, and other small tweaks.

Unfortunately, we don’t have any info on a release date yet since the app hasn’t been officially announced, but you can probably expect it to become available in the comings weeks if it has already been submitted for approval. We will keep you updated on the status of the iOS Gmail app.

Parislemon

• Droid X approved for Gingerbread update
• Verizon’s HTC Droid Eris will get an update on July 16th, it’s not Froyo
• Google enhances mobile search for iOS and Android
• LG KF700 Now Shipping
• Gmail and Google Calendar for iPhone and Android updated

It’s an “Intelligent Personal Assistant” that understands what you are telling it to do and can perform certain tasks. E.g. reserve a table at your favorite Italian restaurant, reply to SMS, set a calendar appointment, tell you whether it will rain tomorrow, or figure out the distance to the moon.

But the opinion about Siri remains divided.  There is a majority of those whose see just nice voice control and speech recognition gimmicks of Siri and think “Meh”. “’Seen that already, many times. Maybe Apple’s stuff is nicer, neater, does a bit more and is interesting in some limited cases. But still, meh.” And then there are those who know a bit more about the origins, history and the insides of Siri, who think that it is a world changing technology, on par with Mouse and GUI.

So who is right?

The problem is, that beyond some hints, nobody wants to share how Siri works, for the rest of us to make up our minds.

There is talk about interfacing with APIs from various web services, some bad ass AI engine with DARPA/Pentagon origins, that ties things together. There is a cool voice recognition technology from Nuance powering it. And that’s about it. For all that Apple chose to reveal about Siri, they were very tight lipped about an actual technology underneath, and what makes Siri different from the failed speech/computing interfaces of the past.

Let’s fix that right now. With the help of the 230 page patent application, coming straight from Apple’s R&D labs, that thoroughly describes all the technology behind Siri Intelligent Personal Assistant, and shows us why it is such a big deal.

The key difference between Siri and other general AI efforts is that Siri is humble. It knows that general human understanding/intelligence is very hard for computers, and it does not try to do that. What Siri does is – narrow the needed understanding to very specific areas– e.g dining/restaurants, sports events, movies/enternatinment, travel, weather, etc;. And then it fills each of these areas with special vocabulary, databases, web services, rules of interaction and machine readable description of how all parts fit and interact together. They call these specialized areas – Active Ontologies.

E.g. Restauarant/dining active Onthology can include one or several restaurant databases, a number of restaurant review services like Yelp and Zagat, accessed via API, a special dining related vocabulary database, a model of actions that people usually perform when they they decide on the next dinner, an access to reservation service like Open Table and the rules for automatically making a reservation through it and entering the reservation to user’s calendar, specially formatted dialogs related to the restaurant choosing and reservation process, etc;.

After user request passes through the language recognition/interpretation module, with the help of relevant active ontology Siri tries to figure out user intent. After it does that, the intent is routed to the “Service orchestration component” (SOC). This component figures out out what external services can be used to fulfill the request, and translates it into a commands that these services can understand, collets the information, sorts it out for the user and performs required actions.

E.g. to answer the question about good Italian restaurants nearby – SOC can get a list of Italian restaurants with addresses in the city from a business directory, with the help of geolocation service pick those that are within 2 miles of current location, check reviews/ratings on Yelp and Zagat and present user with the list of best rated Italian restaurants nearby. Then, after user made the selection, and asked to do it, SOC will call Opetan Table service API and reserve the table,  enter the dinner appointment  into a calendar via calendar service API, reformat the relevant data for a taxi service API and order the taxi.

The Service Orchestration Component has its own tools for mapping various external service APIs to the actions to be performed by SIRI. Active Ontologies also have their own set of tools to map different domains and areas of human activity. Both of them allow to plug in additional relevant modules, services and databases as they become available. Thus making Siri infinitely expandable and flexible.

While Siri is currently available only on iPhone 4S, this figure from patent application shows that Apple has much bigger ambitions for it:

Apple sees its AI technology not just as a thing to play with on your phone. In a few years we may be talking to Siri in our cars, Macs, Web browsers, home appliances, TVs, stereos and many other things.

As for the topics that Siri may cover in the future – here are just a few examples that Apple lists:

Local Services (including location- and time-specific services such as restaurants, movies, automated teller machines (ATMs), events, and places to meet); personal and Social Memory Services (including action items, notes, calendar events, shared links, and the like); E-commerce (including online purchases of items such as books, DVDs, music, and the like); travel Services (including flights, hotels, attractions, and the like), navigation (maps and directions); database lookup (such as finding businesses or people by name or other properties); getting weather conditions and forecasts, checking the price of market items or status of financial transactions; monitoring traffic or the status of flights; accessing and updating calendars and schedules; managing reminders, alerts, tasks and projects; communicating over email or other messaging platforms; and operating devices locally or remotely (e.g., dialing telephones, controlling light and temperature, controlling home security devices, playing music or video, etc.)

For all the nice stuff that we’ve seen Siri perform on stage, for now it is extremely limited. No wonder Apple decided to slap a beta label on it. But the original iPhone was also a very limited device. And, arguably, iPhone did not really catch up to all the capabilities of modern smartphones until iPhone 4 came out. Even if the revolutionary elements of graphical/multi-touch UI were easier to grasp at once.

Just as with the first iPhone, each successive iOs and OSX release will have a better, more encompassing version of Siri, making inroads into ever wider collection of devices.

Also, just like the first iPhone – Siri is a closed system for now, with all domain mappings and service additions done inside Apple, or in close cooperation with select companies. But it does not have to be this way forever. As soon as the infrastructure technology behind Siri matures enough – Apple can open its APIs to outside developers ushering an explosion of new kind of Siri based apps.

So, yes, from the looks of it – Siri is a really big deal. And speech recognition we are so (not)impressed with now, is only one of the smaller, interchangeable parts of it.

Plus, Apple is not the only one trying to add some intelligence to our mobile devices. And now, that Apple showed the way once again, Google, Microsoft and Nokia can get busy doing the same for their devices too.

Looks like the era of a new breed of intelligent computing is almost upon us.

I was able to give only a very general description of Siri technology here, omitting a lot of important parts. If you want to learn more about Siri, you can download full Apple patent application here (*.pdf, 10MB).

• Apple is working on its own mobile P2P payment service for iPhone and iPad
• OpenTable.com to let users book restaurant tables from their BlackBerry or other phones online
• Samsung wants to block Apple from selling the iPhone 4S in Italy and France
• Apple wants to embed cardiac sensors into an iPhone case to identify you
• Apple sues HTC, says 20 iPhone patents are infringed

How big?

If Digitimes reports from iPhone suppliers are to be believed – Apple has recently upped the iPhone order volumes from 50 million to 56 million for the second half of 2011. Most of that increase comes from an estimated demand for iPhone 5, orders for which have increased from the originally estimated 21 million units to 25.5-26 million.

It seems that Apple had to delay the iPhone 5 launch for a bit. Previous Q3 iPhone 5 orders were reduced from 7 million to 5.5-6 million units, while Q4 volumes were upped to 20 million from 14 million before. Still, the delay isn’t that big, and to sell those 6 million units Apple will have to launch iPhone 5 sometime in the third or early fourth week of September.

The orders for the old iPhone (3Gs, 4 and 4 CDMA) in Q3 will exceed 20 million, but for Q4 2011 they have dropped to only 8 million units. Which is the natural product replacement cycle, with iPhone 5 taking the bestselling flagship spot.

For the whole 2011 Apple plans to ship a total of 95 million iPhones.

• Apple Increases iPhone Production to 17 million?
• Apple hopes to sell 20-21 million iPhones in Q1 2011 (CDMA models included)
• Rumor: Apple places orders for 10 million CDMA iPhones. Verizon impatiently waiting
• Apple ordered 15 million iPhone 5s, report says
• Report: 8 million iPhones sold and counting

And, unlike its many smartphone competitors, Apple isn’t focused only on technical gimmicks. They are trying to find actual use cases that could make pico projectors an indispensable part of iOS ecosystem.

In a patent application “Projected display shared workspaces” Apple describes pico projector accessory that can be connected to your iPhone or Macbook, or even integrated into an iPad. The projector also comes with a camera, and can read multi-touch gestures performed on a projected images.

The business environment/presentations are the most obvious place to use the projectors. By having several projector enabled iOS devices beaming  their output to the screen on the wall, and coupling them via NFC or Bluetooth, users can create several shared workspaces. With a flick of the finger, they can transfer presentation files, graphics and images between devices, or create a single unified display from several projected screens.

Pico projectors have been promised to become an integral part of our mobile devices for a while now. We even have some projector smartphones like LG Expo and Samsung Beam, already in the market. And LG also has some similar camera/projector integration ideas to those above. But nobody has found a compelling use case for them yet and projector phones remain a niche curiosity for geeky show-offs.

So don’t hold your breath for finding this in your iPhone 5 or iPad 3, pico projecting technology does not seem to be up to Apple’s standards yet. But not so long ago camera in a phone was also a niche curiosity, taking really crappy pictures of your geek friends. And look where we are now.

Give it a few years, and Apple may figure out how to make pocket projectors work.

• Microvision confirms picoprojectors this year
• LG projector phone with remote touch operation
• Sony Ericsson projection display phone
• Samsung Galaxy Beam now official on Samsung Singapore site
• Samsung to Unleash DLP Pico Projector Phones at MWC

A few weeks ago, everyone has pegged September as a most likely release date for next generation iPhone. There were even rumors about AT&T cancelling all employee vacations for the launch.

Now AllThingsD has it that there won’t be any new iPhone  this September. Instead, Apple will have a surprise event sometime in the second half of October for iPhone 5/4s.

And it sort of makes sense.

Apple usually does have a major launch event in September. But more often then not – the launch is mostly about  music business/iPods. With a promised September availability of iCloud service, it will make sense for Apple to put a spotlight on it’s music service/iPods at that event.

With iPhone 4 still selling like crazy, with no slowdown in sight, there is no need for Apple to rush the next generation iPhone. Just have it ready before holiday shopping season starts, and sales will explode.

On the other hand, there was that major product transition that may affect Apple’s numbers in Q3, mentioned during earnings conference call. It’s hard to see what other product except for iPhone could have such impact. It will also be strange to see a next generation iPod Touch announced before we get a chance to see the new iPhone.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens in September.

The only thing I’m sure about right now, it’s that this is not the last iPhone 5 launch date rumor we are going to see in the next couple of months. And we will keep guessing /obsessing right until the time the next generation iPhone launches.

• Apple to host event on September 7 – iPhone 5 expected
• Apple’s iPhone coming to all major US carriers (Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile) this year?
• Apple posts another record quarter, new iPhone confirmed to come before the end of September
• Apple’s iCloud agreement with major US labels worth $100M+ in upfront cash payments
• Apple iPhone 8GB, 16GB currently unavailable at Apple Online Store

Radio Shack plans on cutting the price on the 16GB iPhone 4 from $199.99 on a new two year contract to $169.99. The 32GB version will also drop $30 from $299.99 to $269.99 on a new two year contract. The 8GB version of the iPhone 3GS will be available for $19.99 on a new two year contract at Radio Shack as well. Target is also slashing their prices: the 16GB iPhone 4 will be available for $149.99 on a new two year contract on both Verizon and AT&T. Verizon is also cutting the price by $50 on the 32GB model at Target, but apparently AT&T is not.

You’ll also be able to get another $100 off your iPhone 4 if you trade in a iPhone 3GS at Target. It may not be news of a new iPhone, but everyone loves a price cut, especially on an item such as the iPhone 4.

Engadget/ PhoneArena

• Sprint iPhone 4S 16GB Now Being Offered At Radio Shack
• AT&T LG Thrill 4G may be sold for just $79.99 at Target
• Verizon LG Revolution now only $49.99, Samsung Droid Charge $149.99 at Target online
• AT&T LG Thrill 4G gets delayed again, will be available on September 4
• HTC EVO 4G pre-orders to start this month at The Shack, Sprint might sell it on June 6

Stylus? Why would you need one, when you got this amazing, finger operated multi-touch interface on a device with a super responsive capacitive touch screen?

It is true in most cases. Except one – when you need/want to actually write or draw something on the touchscreen display. Finger really sucks as a writing tool on touchscreen. And, if a couple of patent applications is any indication, Apple may soon be ready to admit as much.

The first patent app for “Stylus for touchscreen devices” describes just that – a stylus for devices with capacitive touchscreen.

The stylus has a rechargeable battery and “includes a conductive tip that creates capacitive coupling between the stylus and the touch-screen of the computing device”. The tip can also be heated for “more consistent interaction between the capacitive-sensors in the computing device and the stylus” . And, as you can see from the picture above, Apple even thought of the dock inside your iPhone to store and recharge your stylus.

The second patent application is called “Communicating stylus” and describes a bit smarter device, equipped with motion sensors, data storage and wireless transmission chips. With such stylus, you can write on any surface you want – e.g a piece of paper or a whiteboard, while the data is transmitted to your iPhone or iPad nearby.

What’s most interesting about both of these patent applications is that they are brand new. Usually, when we see such “old fashioned” technology in Apple’s patent filings – it’s a continuation applications for some patents Apple has filed years ago.

Not in this case – both stylus patent applications have been filed on January 6, 2010 and only reference each other as related.

Could Apple be really warming up the idea of stylus on at least some of it’s iPhones?

• Apple is looking to improve multi-touch with “hover sensing” on iPhones and iPads
• RIM files for hybrid capacitive/ resistive Blackberry touchscreen patent
• Apple’s touch surface keyboard with tactile feedback
• iPhone Nano is real
• Apple is looking beyond Multi-Touch

Of course, the most popular iOS Twitter app is the app made by Twitter itself, but the truth is, it is far from the best. Another popular Twitter app is Tweetdeck, which was recently acquired by Twitter, and despite its dominance on the desktop, does not have as big of a user base.

There are many Twitter apps that stand out from the crowd because they offer a different user interface, a better user experience, or just a unique feature not supported by other apps.

The following are six iOS Twitter apps, some of which you may not have heard of, that have managed to stand out and create a loyal audience that keeps coming back.

All of these apps, in addition to their unique characteristics,  offer a full fledged Twitter experience that allow you to perform any and all operations that you are able to perform on the desktop or using a Web client such as Twimbow or Hootsuite:

Maha – $1.99

Out of all the apps on this list, the chances that you have heard of this app are lowest. The UI however is one of the best out there. It can only be compared to the UI of Windows Phone 7, which is metro, intuitive, and smooth. Maha is a feature-rich Twitter app that offers a superior user experience with clean and fun transitions.

TweetList Pro- $2.99

This app is unique in that the entire UI is built around Twitter list functionality.  Many people, myself  included, manage their Twitter networks via lists. Creating a list based on topic makes the whole Twitter experience more manageable. For such users, most Twitter apps fail to meet their needs. Tweetlist enables you to use the familiar swipe gesture to navigate between all your lists and to access lists with one click. Of course, besides the lists, the app is full of the regular functionality that will enable you to tweet on the go.

Tweetbot- $1.99

This app is unique because, simply put, it is the best designed Twitter app on the App Store and I dare you to challenge that statement with another app. Tweetbot is relatively new in the game, but it took the Twitter community by storm and everyone is raving about the Tweetbot UI. Whether it is the blue on grey contrast or the stylish icons, if you have used any Twitter app and found the UI to be lacking that extra kick, Tweetbot is a must.

HootSuite- Free

If you are not using Tweetdeck on the desktop, chances are you are using Hootsuite. It is the most powerful Twitter Web client with built in stats, scheduling capabilities and much more. The iOS app is no different. With more customization options than any other app, you can tweet from Hootsuite on iOS however you want, whenever you want, and track the results better than any other solution. The UI is a little more complicated than other apps I have tried but the possibilities are endless with Hootsuite for iOS.

Flipboard- Free

Why is Flipboard a unique Twitter app? Well, a good start is the fact that it is not a Twitter app at all, but it sure does enable you to tweet and engage with your Twitter network. Flipboard is of course first and foremost a very well designed reader app for iPad that provides a magazine-like experience on the wildly popular tablet. However, the latest releases have added full social features including sharing posts on Twitter, but also replying and engaging on the micro blogging platform. I would not say Flipboard, as a Twitter app, is as feature-rich as Echofon or some of the others, but if you are interested in content first and Twitter second, Flipboard is a great choice.

Echofon – Free

Out of the tens of Twitter apps I have tried, I always come back to Echofon. Why is it unique? Because it is not missing any feature I can think of. Echofon has the most advanced features out of any Twitter app I have tried on any platform and has a super intuitive UI that has close to no learning curve. To name one example of a feature I found in no other app, if you want to reply to multiple tweets from multiple people with one answer, Echofon allows you to do that. For example, if you are getting happy birthday wishes from a lot of people, you can either say thank you to each person individually or reply to all of them (within 140 characters of course) with one tweet.  This is not to be confused with a Reply All option to reply to everyone mentioned in one tweet.

If you have any iOS apps to add to the list, please share them in the comments below. I can be found on Twitter at @hilzfuld, please share them with me as well.

• Twitter upgrades SMS functionality: Fast Follow, alerts and more
• TwitterPeek device launched, costs as low as $99.99
• Android Market Web Store Review
• How Social Media is Evolving Before our Eyes Thanks to Mobile Technology
• 10 Features I Would Love to See in the New Facebook iPad App

The following are 8 iPhone apps that will actually enhance your life in a way that a game cannot, no matter how much fun it is to fling birds at pigs:

1: 360 Panorama ($0.99)

There are various apps in the App Store that allow you to take a panorama photo. Microsoft even has its own iPhone app for this,      PhotoSynth. 360 Panorama has to be the best designed, easiest to use, and most feature-rich panorama app out of the bunch. As soon as you open the app, you are presented with a grid, and 3 icons along the bottom for adding a photo from your library, snapping the photo, or configuring the settings. Then you take the picture, rotate the phone and begin to capture a 360 degree panoramic photo of what you are seeing.

You can then easily upload the photo to the site that is associated with the app and share the 360 degree photo across the Web. All in all, the app is very user friendly and the resulting photos are super impressive.

2: ToonPAINT ($1.99)

This app, out of the hundreds or thousands I have tried makes my top ten list in terms of apps that blew me away. The design of ToonPAINT is fantastic and the pictures that it creates are truly phenomenal. So what does it do? You can load a photo or take one with the camera, and the app turns the picture into a full fledged cartoon. You can then customize the look of the cartoon with colors and easily share it via email or the social Web. There are some extra enhancements that you can buy via an in-app purchase, but even without them, the app is sure to impress your friends and create superb cartoon-like photos.

3: QuickPix ($0.99)

I have followed the evolution of this app since it was first introduced into the App Store and it was awesome then, and it is awesome now. The basic premise is that due to the nature of a mobile device, you want the ability to snap a photo using your phone instantly. If the camera on your phone, in this case the iPhone, takes a few seconds to load the camera app, those seconds can be the difference between capturing an image and missing it.

QuickPix loads instantly and enables you to take a photo significantly faster than the iPhone camera. You can also capture images in burst mode, which works unbelievably fast on the iPhone and somehow, even faster on the iPad. There are many other features as well such as the ability to snap a photo right in the middle of a video, something that can come in handy.

4: FlyScreen (FREE)

Originally a wildly popular Android app, Flyscreen recently launched on the iPhone. The app offers an easy-to-read and pleasant-on-the-eyes user interface that enables you to add your favorite RSS feeds, or social networks such as Twitter and Facebook and read them on the go. Each feed has its own view similar to the “card” concept we have seen in other platforms such as WebOS or on the Playbook and you can share articles directly from within the app and fully customize the look and feel including premium themes.

In addition to the regular “reader” functionality, Flyscreen is the only app that not only lets you actively read your favorite content, it also has a “passive” reading mode that lets you dock your device and the app slowly streams your content onto the screen enabling you to click on articles that only really draw your attention.

5: doat (FREE)

This one is interesting. DoAT launched at the recent TechCrunch Disrupt event and has since seen some nice tech coverage. What the developers set out to do is revolutionize mobile search and while competing with giants like Google might be a huge challenge, DoAT seems to be doing a fantastic job so far. When you launch the mobile app, you can search for anything you would generally search via Google on Safari. DoAT then shows you results of Web apps for the query you entered.

For example, if you search for your name in DoAT, you can see results for you under different categories such as People, Internet,  Reference, and others. As soon as you select the relevant category, you are presented with live dynamic results in the form of Web apps. So in our example, if you click People, the app will show you your Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Google results for your name, and others. If you had clicked Reference as a category, you might see any mention of your name on various sites such as Wikepedia, Answers.com, or others. The app might take you some time to get used to but it definitely offers a lot of value depending on your search query.

6: Boxcar (FREE or $4.99)

I think Boxcar might be a little more well known than the other apps here, but it is well worth a mention. Boxcar is the notification system that the iPhone is missing, at least until iOS5 is out to the public. However, even after iOS5 is out, Boxcar offers a lot of value that Apple will not offer. With boxcar, you can get notifications for so many services including Twitter, Facebook, Email, a specific Twitter search, an RSS feed, and so much more.

The app lets you customize the way  you are notified and in the year and a half I have been using Boxcar, I  have become increasingly dependent on the service and with the exception of a few cases, it never disappointed me and was always a reliable solution.

7: Silent Film Director ($0.99)

This app, like ToonPAINT, is pretty much guaranteed to blow you away.  With Silent Film Director, you take a video either from your library or the video camera, choose your soundtrack and effect, and convert the video to an old-fashioned movie that kind of reminds of you of a Charlie Chaplin clip depending on the year you choose in the settings. There are tons of customization options in Silent Film Director and the design of the app is nothing short of stunning.

8: Onavo (FREE)

To end off with a bang, here is an app that you will use, love, and want to share with your friends. Onavo will save you serious money on your data plan and without you even knowing it is there. Basically, Onavo runs your Web traffic through their servers and basically shrinks your data. Onavo also enables you to see what apps are using the most data and how much of your plan you have used. This is great for users with limited data plans and it is even greater for people who travel a lot. It can save you serious money on roaming charges, which we all know are completely out of control.

There you have it, folks, 8 fantastic apps most of you have never heard of and will absolutely love. If you have others you can recommend, please leave them in the comments so others can benefit from them as well. You can also let me know what you think of these, find me on Twitter at @hilzfuld.

• Updated Google Mobile App for iPhone available now
• Google Search for iPhone and Android enhanced with app search results
• New Google Image Search results available for Android, iPhone
• Yahoo launches Sketch-a-Search, Yahoo Search apps for iPhone
• Voice-enabled Google Mobile app for iPhone now available

We already addressed the first two, but the iPad app has been making headlines for days and no one really knows when it will show its face. Supposedly, the Facebook iPad app will have extra features not found in the iPad-optimized Facebook site and will have a completely revamped full screen UI, which is sure to make iPad users smile.

If I may, I would like to name some features that would be incorporated in my ideal Facebook iPad app. Some of the features I will mention will surely make an appearance in the Facebook app, and some will remain a fantasy, but a man can dream, right?

The following are 10 features I would love to see in the up and coming Facebook iPad app:

1. Full Screen Photos and Videos: The most important and impressive characteristic of a tablet device and the iPad specifically is the large screen. The display is what differentiates tablets from smartphones and enhances the overall experience. There has been much said about the new photo UI on Facebook.com and suffice to say, most people are not fans and find the new UI to be buggy and confusing. A solid photo and video UI on the Facebook app is a must-have.
2. Dropbox Integration:  This feature will most likely remain a fantasy, but the thought of full Dropbox integration in an iPad Facebook app raises all kinds of possibilities. Easily backing up your Facebook data to Dropbox, easily adding notes or files to Facebook from Dropbox, and many more scenarios. This might be a far fetched feature, but it sure would be an awesome one.
3. Photo Slideshow: If you have used the Facebook iPhone app, you surely found that the photos often load way too slowly. How cool would it be if the new Facebook iPad app somehow pre fetched your photos and loaded them automatically as a slideshow? This is a feature that can’t be too hard to implement and would have me opening my Facebook app before I look to my iPad Photo app to show my photos off to my friends.
4. Simple Privacy Options: The privacy settings on Facebook.com are so annoyingly complicated, despite their importance; I almost never go there to adjust them. If the iPad app is to replace the site, Facebook should provide a well designed Privacy screen in which I can configure my privacy settings without getting a headache. Wouldn’t that be nice?
5. Multiple Account Support: Everyone is on Facebook nowadays. The other day someone tweeted that “I am not on Facebook” is the new “I don’t own a TV”. It would be great for users to access their Facebook in the new iPad app, then be able to hand the iPad over to their wife/husband and have them use the same app to access their Facebook, without the need to log out and log in again. The Facebook iPhone app does not support this but almost all Twitter apps do, no reason the iPad Facebook app should not support multiple accounts.
6. Instapaper Support: This, just like the Dropbox feature will most likely never come to fruition, but the ability to save Facebook posts to Instapaper and read them later, would definitely make the iPad Facebook app more usable and efficient. Again, this is a feature found in most social apps on iPhone and iPad including Flipboard, which only recently added it, I would love to see it in the Facebook iPad app as well.
7. Social Sharing Options: Think Tweetdeck meets iPad meets Facebook. I am fairly certain this will never happen, but the ability to tweet a Facebook post or add it to LinkedIn would make this iPad Facebook app an absolute killer. Unfortunately, something tells me Facebook’s ego (read Zuckerberg’s ego) is too big to include Twitter functionality in any Facebook app, and the iPad app is no different.
8. Facebook Apps/Games Support: Many people use Facebook to play games and access apps. Unfortunately, most of these Facebook apps are Flash-based and we already know how much Steve Jobs loves Adobe. I am no developer and am not sure how or if this is possible or if it would require the developers to rewrite their entire app, but if somehow the iPad app was released with supported Facebook apps, that would make a lot of people very happy.
9. Photo and Video Upload: The Facebook iPhone app allows users to upload photos but as far as I know, videos are a no go. The iPad Facebook site does not support either one. With cameras now built into the iPad, it is kind of a no brainer for the iPad Facebook app to enable photo and video uploads. I am pretty sure this is a feature we will see in the new iPad Facebook app.
10. A non-annoying Group Implementation: Here is the thing with Facebook, the company; they have done a lot of things right, but along the way, they have made many mistakes. The way groups are implemented on the site is one of their worst mistakes in my opinion. Notifications for groups you did not even ask to join, as well as posts you did not subscribe to are just two examples of how bad and annoying Facebook groups are. The iPad app is Facebook’s opportunity to fix this error and make it right. Let’s just hope they seize the opportunity.

The question is not whether there will be a Facebook iPad app, the question is when it will be released. Supposedly, the company has been working on it for over a year, which leads me to want to believe that when it is eventually released, we will see a superior product like the Facebook iPhone app when it was released. Then I remember, we are talking about Facebook here, so I might want to lower my expectations.

This post has been written by Hillel Fuld. Hillel  is a tech blogger who manages multiple sites such as Technmarketing, Appboy, and inneractive. In addition, Hillel has written on many leading online publications such as Mashable, Gigaom, and others. In addition to his blogger hat, Hillel is an active Twitter personality who defines himself as a “Social media addict”. When Hillel is not blogging or tweeting, he is the Head of Marketing for inneractive, a mobile startup that deals with app monetization across all mobile platforms.

• Facebook To Create Photo-Sharing App For iPhone
• Facebook for iPhone 3.0 is almost completed
• How Facebook Plans to Take over the Mobile World
• Facebook App For iPad in The Works
• Skype for iPad promo videos leaked on Youtube, confirmed by Skype Exec.

If there only was some way or gadget to let me know if she’s even interested in flirting. Or some common things to talk about to warm things up.

Well, pretty soon you might have just such a device in your pocket. Your iPhone.

According to a patent application “ Ad Hoc networking based on content and location”, Apple is currently working on a social networking app to solve your pick-up problems next time you go out.

Tell the app that you are interested in meeting new people that are nearby. The app already knows your music and film preferences from the way you use an iPhone, it knows places you’ve been (remember that GPS location database stored inside your smartphone?), pictures you shared. And it knows where you are. It can broadcast this info to the iCloud social networking server in the sky, and then match your profile to other people who are interested and are nearby. And if he/she accepts your invite – you already have a list of things to talk about – places you both been to, songs you listened, movies you’ve seen, people you both know, etc;

Initial contact problem solved. Now you just have to be cool and impress your new friend for a second date. Easy peasy…

I know that there were dozens of attempts to solve this local social networking problem. But most of the previous efforts have relied on some new service or app that a huge number of people have to adopt first. So all of them had limited success.

But a native app, pre-installed on those hundreds of millions of iOS devices?   This could be huge for all those lonely hearts out there

• Google Buzz for mobile announced, integrates with Gmail, Google Maps
• Nokia Purchases Plazes
• Whrrl lets Motorola and Samsung in on the fun, adds new features
• Early Nokia 5800 XMs have a major speaker defect. It’s likely to die within months
• AT&T launches Buzz – new local search experience

Apple announced three new products, OS Lion for Mac, iCloud, which will keep all your various Apple products in sync, and iOS5 for iPad, iPod, and iPhone.

The main attraction of WWDC 2011 was most definitely the newest version of Apple’s wildly popular mobile platform, iOS. iOS5 also has more than 200 new features and is the biggest advancement the operating system has made since its original introduction.

You can read a complete list of iOS5 features, but I wanted to focus on the negative press the new features have gotten, with many people claiming that Apple simply “stole” ideas from other platforms.

The way I see it is that Apple took a good look around at the competition and hand picked certain features it viewed as successful, then adapted them for iOS5. Apple did the same with Copy Paste in the past and many believe Apple’s implementation of the basic function that has been around for years, is the best in the industry, hands down.

The following are three iOS5 features that Apple clearly borrowed from other mobile platforms, but the iOS5 version significantly improved:

• Notifications: OK, let’s just get this one out of the way. The new iOS5 notifications are pure awesome. They fundamentally change the way I use my iPhone on a daily and hourly basis. However, to ignore the similarity to Android’s notification system would be to fool yourself. They both enable you to get a short and unintrusive popup when you have a new notification, and they both enable you to view all your missed events by sliding the notification bar down from the top of the device.However, I do believe Apple took the Android notification system, and improved it on almost every level. The ability to choose what apps are included in the Notification Center is much clearer and more intuitive on iOS5 than it is on Android. The information included in the Notification Center in iOS5 is much richer and more practical than in Android. All in all, Android might have given Apple a glimpse of how to best implement  a solid notification system, but Apple hit a homerun on this front…
• iMessage: The first thing everyone said when the rumors started circulating that Apple was going to announce its own iOS to iOS messaging service is, bye bye BBM and RIM. Well, of course that is an exaggeration and RIM isn’t going anywhere so fast, but again, Apple clearly received inspiration from the tremendous success of the popular Blackberry messaging service.However, and this is a big one, Apple integrated the iMessage system into the already existing Messages app. No need for a separate app. What does that mean? It means that as far as iOS is concerned, you do not need to open something new to message your friend for free, it is the same app, the same familiar interface, and the same experience as SMS. iMessage might not have killed SMS revenue as many claim, but it sure will put a huge dent in SMS revenue on iOS devices.
• Home Screen Notifications: Another huge advancement that iOS5 has made is that it utilizes the dead real estate of the iPhone’s lock screen. Applications such as Flyscreen on Android have long since discovered that the lock screen of a mobile device is a great resource to include useful information. iOS5 now enables you to see your most recent notifications without unlocking the phone.This, again, is not a new or revolutionary feature and it existed on other platforms such as the old Windows Mobile platform as well as the new Windows Phone 7 OS. However, based on my experience with all three platforms, iOS took the feature and improved it significantly. Not only are the notifications richer in information, but using the familiar gesture of swiping on one of the notifications will immediately open up the relevant app. If you have a new mail and are viewing it on the lock screen for example, just swipe your finger right on the notification, and that message will then be opened with no delay in the Mail app. Implemented to perfection.

In conclusion, no one can deny that Apple included features in iOS5 that are just a little too close to other platforms, to be a coincidence. However, it all depends on how you look at it. Perspective is everything and any company that does not conduct an analysis of the competition is a company doomed to failure.

Apple looked at Android, RIM, and Microsoft, took the best of all worlds, and added it to iOS5. In the few days I have been using iOS5, I can safely say, that when it comes to the user experience, there is no operating system on the planet that can even play in the same league.

So, did Apple steal from its competitors? Maybe, but did Apple just raise the bar for the entire mobile industry? Absolutely!

This post has been written by Hillel Fuld. Hillel  is a tech blogger who manages multiple sites such as Technmarketing, Appboy, and inneractive. In addition, Hillel has written on many leading online publications such as Mashable, Gigaom, and others. In addition to his blogger hat, Hillel is an active Twitter personality who defines himself as a “Social media addict”. When Hillel is not blogging or tweeting, he is the Head of Marketing for inneractive, a mobile startup that deals with app monetization across all mobile platforms.

• Apple unveils iOS 5, many new features you won’t actually see until “this fall”
• Apple’s iOS 5 is now available to download
• Both iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S coming this fall?
• 10 Features I Would Love to See in the New Facebook iPad App
• How Facebook Plans to Take over the Mobile World

The promotion applies for both the white and black versions of the iPhone 4, as well as the AT&T and Verizon editions. To obtain the promotion, you must be eligible for an upgrade or willing to purchase a new two year contract. Walmart stated that this deal will run through June 30

There are several plausible reasons for the discount. First it could be due to the strong relationship Apple and Walmart have shared since 2008 when Walmart first began selling the iPhone 3G. It could also be that they are looking to attract more attention to their dedicated wireless department. Unfortunately, both the white and black models are currently out of stock online, so you will have to hope that Walmart restocks soon, or you’ll have to travel to your local Walmart and hope they have one.

Walmart

• Walmart goes official on iPhone before selling it on Sunday
• White iPhone 4 available at Walmart on launch day?
• Walmart to sell iPhone on December 28th, with a 2-year AT&T contract and not for $99
• White iPhone 4G / HD caught in the wild?
• Walmart starts stocking iPhone 4

Which is probably why, despite numerous requests from users and tech press, Apple was in no rush to make an inductive wireless charger for it’s iPods, iPhones, and iPads. In the meantime, Apple might be quietly working on it’s own wireless charging system that will make current solutions look like toys.

The system, described in a patent application “Wireless power utilization in a local computing environment” is based on the mid range wireless power transfer physics described in this paper (.pdf). It makes use of wireless near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power transmission to power devices up to 1 meter distant.

Apple’s NFMR power supply will be integrated into desktop iMac or Macbook Pro and will create a 1 m zone in front of it, where computer peripherals like mouse and keyboard, or smaller devices like iPods, iPhones and iPads can be wirelessly charged. Peripherals, of course, will have to be equipped with special coupling antennas able to received the power.

To expand the wireless charging zone, the antennas in peripherals can be configured to act both as power receivers, and repeaters – sending some of the received power down the line and expanding the charging zone coverage.

And, just to make sure that your older Macs can wirelessly charge everything else, Apple proposes to also build NFMR power supply into separate USB dongle.

Unfortunately, this is now just a patent application and I have no idea if this wireless charging will ever make it to the real products. But Apple says that NFMR physics are good to transfer at least several watts of power for about 1 meter of distance. Which should be quite enough for most purposes.

Patent Apple wireless system (*.pdf)

• iOS/ iPhone 5 to get pop-up radial menus?
• Apple iPod/iPhone as a remote control for Apple Media Centre
• ITC judge: Apple doesn’t infringe on HTC patents, no import ban in sight
• Wi-Fi to replace Bluetooth?
• PA Semi to make new chips for iPhone, iPods

The latest rumor was said by analyst and Mobile-Review.com editor, Eldar Murtazin. He wrote the following comment on his twitter page: “Just one comment. Apple iPhone 3Gs wont be upgradable to iOS 5.x. iPhone 4 will.” Although there is no hard evidence to support his claim, he has been right in the past about the Nokia N8 and the Nokia/Microsoft deal.

According to other rumors, Apple has been testing out iOS 5.0 on the iPhone 3GS and the 3rd gen iPod Touch, but they may have decided that it doesn’t run well enough on devices from 2009. Apple has been consistent with leaving other devices in the dark such as the original iPhone with iOS 4.0 in the summer of 2010 and with the iPod Touch 2nd gen and iPhone 3G with iOS 4.3 earlier this year. We will keep you updated on the rumors preceding WWDC.

Twitter

• Could WWDC 2008 see launch of dedicated Apple handheld gaming console?
• Another new iPhone Rumor: 802.11n Support
• iPhone 5 likely to be announced on June 6 (at WWDC 2011)
• 3G iPhone already developed, says iPhone chip-maker Infineon
• More Apple Rumors: 6-inch iPad This Fall?

We’ve also heard some good news that the iPhone 4S will be coming to the following carriers: Sprint, T-Mobile, and China Mobile. The iPhone 4S will not be significantly different than the iPhone 4 besides some hardware changes including new cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support.

This news is correlates with news we heard a while back that Apple sent iPhone 4S prototypes to game developers. Although HSPA+ support is a nice upgrade from the 3G before, it would’ve been nice to seem some LTE support included as well. The phone is still expected to debut in September.

Forbes

• Apple to host event on September 7 – iPhone 5 expected
• New iPhone with 4G (TD-LTE) support confirmed for China?
• iPhone 5 doesn’t support LTE, but iPhone 6 will, says analyst
• iPhone 5 production might only start in September
• iPhone 5 likely to be announced on June 6 (at WWDC 2011)

The information doesn’t stretch much further than the screen shot you see above, so take this news however you want because we know as much as you do. The source also said a Verizon version should be released as well, so no worries Verizon costumers, you’ll get your white iPhone 4 very soon if rumors are correct.

Via: 9to5Mac

• Apple’s white iPhone 4 may be released on April 26 (in Italy)
• Rumor: Verizon LTE iPhones already shipping, may be launched after Christmas
• First iPhone 2 Pics?
• Verizon HTC Thunderbolt to be launched on March 8?
• White iPhone 4 to hit the UK next month

Engadget then got their hands on some pictures of a 16 GB white iPhone 4 from one lucky very lucky customer in Britian. The salesperson accidentally rang up the sale as a black iPhone. Vodafone UK found out and sent out a notice to halt all shipping of the devices until next week.

As mentioned above, the phone is expected to make its debut sometime next week. Another rumor has the phone being released on April 27th.

Engadget

• White iPhone 4G / HD caught in the wild?
• iPhone 5 to have 16GB and 32GB white and black versions?
• Nokia E72 White Edition coming later this month (in Malaysia first)
• Vodafone UK drops iPhone 4S prices before launch
• White iPhone 4 to be finally released next month?

The database, or otherwise known as consolidated.db, contains information such as the longitude and latitude coordinates as well as a timestamp. It is unknown what actually prompts the phone to collect this info, but the device uses the cell-tower triangulation on devices with 3G connectivity to pinpoint the device location.

The researchers also pointed out that a list of wireless hotspots that the iPhone or iPad has connected to has also showed up in the database. The researchers said that iPhone user’s best bet until Apple responds is to choose the “Encrypt iPhone Backup” option while syncing your device in iTunes.

The Guardian

• Steve Jobs tells user “We don’t track anyone”
• iOS 4.3.3 now available with fixed location tracking
• Apple responds to iPhone “tracking” concerns
• Apple’s next tablet to be called iPad HD, not iPad 3?
• iPad 2 to be followed by iPad 3 later this year?

For all we know, this could just be a clean jailbreak mod, but Tinhte has gotten its hands on Apple products before everyone else in the past, so it is difficult to challenge the credibility of this video.

There are a few new features worth noting in the video below. One feature is the cool new multitasking menu. This menu replaces the apps icons in the current version of iOS 4.0 with a visual page of each app currently open. You tap on the page to open up the app, or hold down on it to bring up the X in the corner to exit the app. Another feature shown in the video is the search box or spotlight feature located on the top of the screen as opposed to the current way to search by scrolling left past the main home page.

Check out the video below and let us know what you think of this “new iOS.”

Via Tinhte

• Updated Google Mobile App for iPhone available now
• White iPhone 4 to be finally released next month?
• Apple’s iPhone 4G / HD shows up again (in Asia)
• White iPhone 4G / HD caught in the wild?
• Barcode scanning available with Google Product Search for Android

This lawsuit mostly pertains to the Samsung Galaxy S 4G and the Galaxy Tab. I am confused on why Apple took so long to file this lawsuit since these products have been out for a while now. Maybe Apple didn’t care too much before about Samsung “copying” Apple’s device, but now that Samsung is selling tens of millions of Galaxy S devices, Apple has decided that it needs to take action against Samsung. The claim is stated as:

“Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smart phone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple’s technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products.”

This lawsuit was filed on Friday in the Northern District of California and will seek injunctions, both actual and punitive) and a finding that the infringement is willful. One apple employee commented on the situation:

“It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,” said an Apple representative. “This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”

Samsung responded to Apple’s lawsuit and said that it will fight Apple in court. The company statement said:

Samsung’s development of core technologies and strengthening our intellectual property portfolio are keys to our continued success,” the company said in a statement. “Samsung will respond actively to this legal action taken against us through appropriate legal measures to protect our intellectual property.”

It will be interesting to see how this lawsuit may affect the relationship of these two companies since Samsung supplies many different parts for Apple’s iPhone, iPods, iPad, and Macbooks.Probably not much, Apple already knew that Samsung is “copying” the iPhone, and they still buy from Samsung.
Via All Things D

• Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 temporarily banned in Europe, Apple rejoices
• Samsung fights back against Apple with ten patent infringement claims
• Apple likens Samsung discovery request to “harassment”
• Nokia sues Apple, claims iPhone infringes 10 of its patents
• Nokia says Apple also infringes patents in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands

Well, in iOS/iPhone 5 we can expect another round of tweaks to improve the device  usability. And one such possible tweak surfaced in recent Apple patent application called “Radial menus “.

In it Apple talks about – you guessed it  – radial menu pop-ups in various Apple products. Touchscreen based iPhones, iPods and iPads among them.

Radial menus are nothing radically new in computer interface design. But Apple is adding it’s own touch (pun intended ) to make them work seamlessly on it’s touch devices.

What exactly Apple is patenting here, that’s for the folks versed in patent law to decide. In the application Apple says that:

“…The novel radial menu techniques of some embodiments include (i) non-uniform spacing of menu items, (ii) the use of shading or highlighting within a region associated with an item to indicate the present selectability of the item, and (iii) the use of radial gestures for opening sub-menus and the subsequent display of the sub-menu.”

If implemented the right way, e.g. long-press on the screen and contextual radial menu pops-up with relevant options a finger swype away, this could be a really nice improvement to the iOS5 ease of use.

You can download the patent application here (*.pdf, 2.7MB)

• True Apple Media Center in the Works
• Apple patents iPhone’s intelligent keyboard
• Is Apple warming up to iPhone stylus idea?
• iTunes 7.7 pre-release version Read Me hints at iPhone/ iPod Touch remote app
• iPhone Nano is real

Foursquare started it’s business on it. There are also quite a few iPhone games, like Gunman, that let’s you do some sort of Augmented Reality gaming with your mobile device.  But Gunman, and other games like this have to rely on their own  image recognition and other techniques to make them work.

Now Apple wants to take the possibility of interactive iPhone to iPhone real world gaming  a step further, by natively including device state – location, position, direction and orientation – sharing capabilities into iOS.

With this new capability, game developers can use real life location, orientation, time and movement data of connected iPhone devices in their gaming environment.

The most obvious implementation would be a first person “shooter” game like Gunman, where developer uses this newly available data to determine whether another player is in a shooting range and place “gun” crosshairs on him. But with the device state data shared in real time via 3G network, creation of games that merge virtual and real world are much wider and can spawn a whole new class of social apps.

Apple is not the only one exploring these new interaction possibilities, offered by always-on, connected and place aware devices. Nokia, Microsoft, Sony Ericsson and other companies have a bunch of similar patent applications pending too.

But, if they make the device state sharing available in iOS 5 as a set of new API’s for game developers, Apple might be the first to get the interactive real world mobile gaming right.

• Neil Young leaves Electronic Arts to launch NGMoCo for next-gen iPhone games and more
• Top 10 developers for Nokia’s Mobile Games Innovation Challenge revealed
• Nokia Mobile Games Innovation Challenge inspires the Future
• Orange UK to kick off new mobile gaming initiatives for iPhone
• Could WWDC 2008 see launch of dedicated Apple handheld gaming console?

Me? No way. It’s a real fun to watch Apple’s arrogance taken down a notch, but this antenna debacle.

It was fun even when only us, tech geeks, were talking about it. And when Apple had the gall to try to blame us for holding it wrong way, or dupe us with a story about how the only problem iPhone 4 had was the faulty bar counting formula…

Now that this iPhone 4 antenna fiasco exploded into the mainstream, is all over late night comedy shows, and grandmas are calling their kids to inquire about the reception on their iPhone, Apple is better to come up with a fix. Pronto.

We will know for sure of whether they have it or not tomorrow, when Apple has a surprise iPhone 4 press conference. But it looks like they do have a hardware fix for iPhone 4 antenna issues in the works.

At least that’s what Rodman Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar is telling us. According to his contacts at iPhone manufacturing partners:

Apple has created “a design fix for the iPhone 4 that more adequately insulates the transceiver”…Apple has told its manufacturers to alter the iPhone production process to include an internal component that will insulate the defective antenna connection that has disrupted the phone’s signal reception… This internal bumper will give Apple a non-cosmetic solution and will presumably avoid the need to change the appearance of the phone.

Woop-de-do. It’s really good to hear that you won’t have to hold your  iPhone 4 the right way, if you buy it later.

Now the question is what will Apple do with those millions of iPhone 4s that they already sold.

Total iPhone 4 recall doesn’t seem likely, and is not needed. But some gift vouchers and  free bumper offers to all current iPhone 4 owners will be a smart move. As will the free exchange/fix offer to those clients who feel unhappy enough to go through all the trouble.

Via TheStreet.com

• Apple: yes, iPhone 4 has reception problems, but it’s your fault
• Apple releases software to fix Connection Problems but furnishes no details
• Free bumpers for all iPhone 4 buyers, white iPhone 4 to come at the end of July
• Apple on iPhone 4 reception. It’s better then fine. We only had a bad bar calculation formula…
• iPhone 3G antenna put through its paces and seems normal

Almost every competitor with  a grudge against iPhone had to chime in with their own version of “you can hold our device anyway you want and it still works” quip.

Looks like Apple is feeling the heat, and now they decided to address  issue head on. Their conclusions?

Reception on iPhone 4 is just fine. Every phone gets weaker reception, when you hold it the certain way  But we had a wrong formula to calculate the number of bars indicating signal strengths. We actually used this faulty formula for the last 2 years, in iPhone 3G and 3Gs too. We are working on a new formula for the next firmware update. As soon as it’s out, the problems will go away and you will be able to hold your iPhone anyway you want… If there’s enough signal, that is…

Here’s the relevant part of the press release:

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.

To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.

It actually correlates quite well with the detailed analysis of iPhone 4 reception issues the AnandTech did.

But it still doesn’t address the the problem of the lack of insulating coating on external antenna, which is the primary reason for the problem, and why bumper cases fix the issue right now.

Let’s hope Apple at least quietly adds a thin insulator layer in the next iPhone 4 production runs.

• Google Nexus One plagued with 3G issues?
• Consumer Reports’ engineers confirm iPhone 4 reception issue, suggest duct tape as quick fix
• iPhone 4 also has reception problems, “brilliant design” is to blame
• Apple will hold an iPhone 4 press conference on Friday
• Apple’s got a hardware fix to iPhone 4 antenna problem

Sorry, can’t help you.  CDMA iPhone 4 on Verizon rumors, will only get more loud and frequent in the next few months.

And that is, because, IMHO, this time they are true.

I remember similar rumor fest raging about Apple’s iPad.The darn device was talked about and predicted for years, but never released. Starting from last summer, and going into the fall, the crescendo of rumors about iPad’s imminent arrival reached  unbelievable levels. Every week brought claim from someone, who talked to someone, who knew something about Apple’s tablet device.

Well, I see something similar playing out now about iPhone 4 for Verizon. With the latest Bloomerg report, citing “2 people familiar with the plans” of iPhone 4 January launch on Verizon, adding to the noise.

And the  signs that AT&T is loosing it’s iPhone exclusivity this year, are pretty clear by now.

First, there are those extremely generous iPhone 4 upgrade subsidy extensions, where AT&T is allowing free upgrades months before current customer  contract runs out. The only reason for AT&T to do that, and lose money in the process, is the need to lock-in current iPhone customers into 2 year contracts, before they decide to go somewhere else.

Then there’s the fact that, by now, almost everyone who wanted to get iPhone  on AT&T, already got one. To revive the U.S iPhone growth, Apple now must look to other carriers.

The first sign of that was Apple’s Q2 financial results, that showed a clear slowdown in iPhone U.S. sales growth, Now, after a mega successful iPhone 4 launch, we get analyst estimates, that 77% of iPhone 4s went to upgrades, which confirms that future iPhone growth possibilities on AT&T are extremely limited.

I don’t know when it is happening exactly, for Holiday season, as some say. Or next January, as Bloomberg reports now, but, IMHO, iPhone on Verizon is imminent within next 6-12 months.

• Verizon iPhone to enter mass production by year’s end
• Upcoming iPhone launch impeding Verizon’s phone sales?
• Apple Q2 financial results: 8.75M iPhones for $5.75B, 131% growth. But iPhone U.S. sales growth may be slowing
• White iPhone 4 delayed again, will be out in early 2011
• 4th generation iPhone to come with 5MP camera. Apple tablet to be showcased in January

Just don’t go to your local AT&T store, to get one. AT&T has just announced that they won’t have any iPhone 4s for walk-in sales until June 29th. Those lucky chaps, who were able to get their pre-orders through last week, should get their new shiny handset as promised.

Your best bet to get your hands on iPhone 4 on Thursday, is the local Apple store. Then, as you probably know, some iPhone 4s should find their way to local Best Buy and Walmart branches. The lines will probably be shorter there, but the supplies will be smaller too.

And some iPhone 4 launch day info, for  those countries that were promised iPhone 4 for June 24th. If you haven’t pre-ordered your iPhone 4 yet,  don’t get your hopes up for getting one on Thursday. We are getting hints that international iPhone 4 demand is  huge, and supplies are even more limited.

E.g., blaming short supplies, U.K.’s O2 will sell the new iPhone only to existing customers until the end of July.

Now, reports coming in from France, tell us that Orange has received a shipment of only 20 000 French iPhone 4s, while 600 000 customers expressed interest  in getting one. According to another French source, Orange will be limiting iPhone 4 supplies to  only 10 units per store in France. And I’m sure no other international operator is doing any better.

All-in-all, if you think you know what to expect from an Apple product launch day craze from previous iPhone or iPad launches, you haven’t seen anything yet. The way things are shaping up, June 24th iPhone 4  launch day mania will dwarf anything we have ever seen before. Worldwide.

• iPhone 3G is no longer exclusively sold by Orange in France
• iPhone 4 pre-orders start today in the US, UK, France. T-Mobile Germany announces tariffs
• Apple fails to deliver international iPad on time, delays launch by one month
• More than 600,000 iPhone 4 units pre-ordered. AT&T pre-orders are temporarily suspended
• Cartier sues Apple over iPhone apps, withdraws suit the same day

It seems, that Apple has been looking into possibility for it’s own mobile contextual advertising solution long before it bought Quattro mobile ad network.

At least, that’s what a new Apple’s patent application for “System and method for providing contextual advertisements according to dynamic pricing scheme” indicates.

In this patent application, Appple describes a mobile ad system, that will work on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, and provide ads based on various direct or indirect  marketing preferences through a “Local ad” app . The ads are served by the owner of the network you are connected to at the time.

Shopping mall owner, airport operator, or anyone else, providing Wi-Fi access, can serve ads from local merchants; wireless carrier can offer local ads, triggered by a location data from a base station or your GPS sensor,  and search keywords you just entered in a search app, etc; :

For example, if the submitted advertisement provides a coupon for food at a restaurant, the submitting advertiser may include an indication that the advertisement is directed to food sales, times of day when meals are popularly served, a GPS location of the restaurant, keywords that may relate to the restaurant in an Internet search, how weather may affect the use or non-use of the coupon in the advertisement, etc.

The ad prices for advertiser may be set dynamically, based on the various directly or indirectly expressed marketing preferences, e.g choices you selected in your “Local ad” app, and your proximity to the advertisers outlet, time of day, whether you previously responded to similar ads, whether you’ve already eaten at advertisers restaurant, etc;

Looks pretty useful and interesting. And also shows, that the things we know about iAd platform today, are only just a start.

• Google launches mobile image ads
• Yahoo launches Sketch-a-Search, Yahoo Search apps for iPhone
• Google launches new Local Search for Mobile
• Verizon chooses Microsoft for mobile search and advertising services
• Sprint and Google announce partnership to give users better mobile experience

But, at prices ranging from $730 for Wi-Fi less iPhone 3g 8GB, to $1000+ for an iPhone 3Gs 32GB, unsubsidized, it does not seem that China Unicom was happy with the initial demand.

The main reason? Imports of jail broken grey market iPhones to China. Where, according to some estimates, there already are 1.5 million of them. Bought at a prices, ranging from $430 for iPhone 3G 8GB to $730 for iPhone 3Gs. For a  $300 mark-up, quite a few potential China Unicom customers are happy to overlook that they are not carrying the original.

So what now? Well, if you can’t beat them, join them, they say. And that’s exactly what China Unicom plans to do.

One of it’s subsidiaries – Shanghai Unicom – already said that they have an amnesty for the grey market iPhone users, who will be able to sign a contract and use all the services available  to “legal” China Unicom customers. The amnesty to grey market imports will be extended to all China Unicom customers later.

Looks like a pretty smart move on behalf of Chinese carrier. They, after all, are not in the business of selling mobile phones. They are a communications service provider.

And, if the opportunity of not worrying about jailbroken software updates, hassle free iTunes sync, and access to the official app store gains them a few hundred thousand new lucrative 3G service customers, why the heck should they care were the phones are coming from?

Via: China Business Times

• China Unicom to announce the iPhone today and launch it in October
• China Unicom sold over 100,000 iPhones since October
• China Mobile launches microSIM card to lure grey market and China Unicom iPhone 4 customers
• China Unicom to launch iPhone on Oct. 15th. $293 for 8G, $439 for 16G on a 2 year, $27 a month contract
• China Unicom will launch iPhone 4 next month, gets iPad 3G exclusive too

And last month Apple finally managed to clinch the deal with one of the smaller (for China) operators, to start selling it. But no shipping date or price info has been made official yet.

We still don’t have anything official about the iPhone’s launch over there, but as China Unicom is  preparing to ship the device, the info about it started trickling out from the regional offices and sales channels.

According to China Business Times, China Unicom has set an internal iPhone launch date for October 15th. Two iPhone models – 8GB and 16 GB –  will be shipped. 8GB iPhone in China will cost 1999 yuan ($293), with 16GB model selling at 2999 yuan ($439). Both models with be offered on a 2 year contracts, starting at 186 yuan ($27) a month.

Well, it would be interesting to see how iPhone does in China. But, if the rumors of the price points above are true, I think that sales should be pretty brisk.   690 million strong mobile user base is actually bigger then the U.S. and Western Europe combined.

And, if you consider that there already are around 1.5 million grey market iPhones in China, which were bought at an average price of $680,  the deal offered by China Unicom sounds pretty darn good.

• 5 million iPhones bought by China Unicom – sales to debut in September
• iPhone 3G S may hit China in Q4 2009 as China Unicom and Apple sign 2-year deal
• China Unicom officially confirms Apple deal; iPhone will be launched in Q4
• China Unicom will launch iPhone 4 next month, gets iPad 3G exclusive too
• China Unicom sold 100,000 iPhone 4s in 4 days

It’s called “Consumer abuse detection system and method” and is meant to help Apple service reps to see whether the broken device you brought in was your fault or Apple’s.

To do that, Apple proposes placing a number of sensors that can detect liquid, thermal changes, shocks and tampering inside the device. Those sensors then record any occurrence of the “abuse” events – like dropping, drowning or burning your iPhone – onto memory chip, and make this info available to the service center staff.

Looks like an interesting approach, which, if implemented, can help Apple reduce  bogus warranty service claims.

And,  incidentally, help them rebut those stories about  iPods and iPhones exploding for no good reason, that get so much attention from the press.

Like that stupid story about exploding iPod, that ruled interwebs this Monday.

Why do I say it’s a stupid story? Because it is.

The guy in the original Times Online article admits that he actually dropped the iPod on the floor. And then, for good measure, threw it out the backdoor, before the darn thing exploded.

But our devices shouldn’t explode at all, even if dropped,  you say. Yes?

Errr… Not necessarily.

Look, it is an electronic device. If you drop it hard enough – it will crack. And, if you throw it really hard, you know, like 10 or 20 meters out the back door, maybe even non-removable battery cover inside your iPod will crack. And, if your battery cover has cracked, and it’s wet  outside, what happens?

It is Lithium Ion battery you have inside. Lithium! Remember your high school chemistry classes? What happens when you mix Lithium and water? Big Kaboom…

In case you forgot, here’s a nice YouTube video, showing how disposable lithium battery strap reacts to water:

Doesn’t that look exactly like what happened to the unfortunate iPod touch? And where’s Apple’s fault in that?

• Apple’s iPhone – iPod Phone coming to Japan first
• Is Apple warming up to iPhone stylus idea?
• Apple wants to embed cardiac sensors into an iPhone case to identify you
• FaceTime is coming to the iPad and iPod Touch
• One iPod dock to hold them all

Last we told you about event based modes, intelligent and scheduled communications that could come with your new iPhone 4.0 or 5.0 OS.

Today a new batch of Apple’s patent apps surfaced, showing us some more interesting things that may come with your next major iPhone OS update.

Real world object identification

The idea in the patent app is somewhat similar to Nokia’s Point & Find service being tested right now in some countries – point your iPhone to a real world object, your handset will recognize what it is and then provide relevant additional info about it.

The object identification could be done via camera/image recognition technologies, RFID tags, barcode scanning, etc;). The user can set different location and context based modes to make the object recognition easier (e.g. Museum, Restaurant, Electronics shop, etc;), or an iPhone can to it itself based on location and other parameters.

The user also can create logs/albums of recognized objects for future reference.

Face detection and recognition

This one is pretty obvious. In a patent app Apple  decribes the techniques how to incorporate face detection and recognition technologies into an iPhone, iMac and other devices.

After implementation, face recognition capabilities  can be used to control the operation of the device – controlling access privileges and restrictions, deciding whether to put a device into a sleep mode, etc;

Text Message Filtering

In this patent app Apple describes  methods for filtering and controlling various text based communications via your iPhone.

This filtering can be applied to outgoing and incoming e-mails, text, MMS, IM and other  messages. The text control app can be set up alter the objectionable text (e.g – swear words in an e-mail app), or to help your kid lean foreign language, by making him send e-mails in it:

control application includes an instructional tool or study aid where the administrator sets one or more modes, such as language, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, punctuation and/or other content of a text-based communication based on, for example, a user’s age or grade level. This can be especially useful, for example, such as when a child’s grades go down. A parent can then institute a condition to improve a child’s grades. For example, the control application may require a user during specified time periods to send messages in a designated foreign language, to include certain designated vocabulary words, or to use proper designated spelling, designated grammar and designated punctuation and like designated language forms based on the user’s defined skill level and/or designated language skill rating. If the text-based communication fails to include the required language or format, the control application may alert the user and/or the administrator/parent of the absence of such text.

Smarter messaging interface

There are also couple of patent apps that describe the ways to make your overall messaging/communication experience easier.

One of them is related to multiple recipient messages. E.g. You send a message to your work team and not all the messages get delivered. After a preset time interval the messaging app checks the status of message delivery. If some messages have not been delivered, it alerts you and then provides an interface to easily resend a message to those who did not get it via the same or different means.

Another app is designed to help you deal better with unread messages.

Apple thinks  that if you have some unread messages from a person you are about to contact (call or send a message to him), you might want to at least look at them before initiating contact. And that’s exactly what this app does – compares your  unread messages, e-mails, voicemails, etc; to the info of a person you are about to contact and informs you if you have some unread messages from him sitting on your phone.

In addition to checking the contact info, the message app can also check for certain keywords – e.g. the name of a project you are writing about and alert that you have some unread messages relating to it.

This one sounds like one of those obvious (“Darn, how come I didn’t think of that..”) cool  little things that Apple is especially good at.

Changes voice output in your iPhone

And then there’s a patent app that describes the possibility of altering audio output from your iPhone.

There may be a multiple reasons you’d want to do this. Some of them, described in a patent app are:

Despite the restrictions involved in playing back audio files, users of media devices may wish to change the audio output of audio files. A mother, for example, might wish to change the narrator’s voice in a pre-recorded, commercially available audiobook to her own voice, so that her child can listen to the audiobook as narrated in the mother’s voice in her absence. In another scenario, a student listening to a lecture as a podcast file might want to change the audio of certain sections of the lecture to sound like someone else’s voice, so as to emphasize important parts of the lecture.

Well, that’s about it for today. Let’s see what Apple will try to patent next week.

• Apple wants to embed cardiac sensors into an iPhone case to identify you
• Audio navigation for your iPod
• Karaoke iPod and iPhone as an ultimate Karaoke machine
• Apple patents iPhone’s intelligent keyboard
• TigerText (for iPhone) to revolutionize the way we send and receive SMS

We’ve already seen some of the things, like integration between Mapping and Calendar app in recent Apple patent filings. Some new patent applications from Apple reveal even more.

iPhone event based modes

One such patent application, called “Event-based modes for electronic devices” describes how your iPhone 4.0 device could be able to automatically adapt to different locations and life events.

The “life events” can include such things as:

any location-based event (e.g., the device entering or exiting a specific geographical location, such as a country, or a specific type of location, such as a movie theater, etc.), any environment-based event (e.g., the device being subjected to a specific physical orientation, movement, temperature, sound, light, etc.), any calendar-based event (e.g., the device reaching a specific time of day, day of week, date, etc.), any usage-based event (e.g., the device being used for a specific function, for a specific period of time, the device’s battery having less than half of its capacity remaining, etc.), any news-based event (e.g., the device receiving information about a particular worldly occurrence, such as a weather forecast, news report, or sport score, etc.), and combinations thereof.

In reaction to these life events your iPhone would be able to to automatically reconfigure it’s settings – e.g. switch the sound off and turn on a voicemail when calendar shows that you are in the meeting; prioritize certain functions and assets based on your location and time – e.g.messaging functions, e-mail access and notifications  during working hours and when device knows you are in your office, music and multimedia when you are out of your office in the evening; turn off or limit some power hungry functions -e.g active data connection – when your battery is running low, etc;

Scheduled communications on your iPhone

Another Apple patent app, called “User-programmed automated communications “  is somewhat similar to the one above, but describes a way for you to automatically schedule/preset communications activities based on calendar events, your location, caller id and other conditions.

E.g. your iPhone can automatically send a birthday greeting SMS or e-mail to your friends on a certain date, play a specific message based on caller id, if you are unable to pick-up the phone at the moment, send another message to your colleague  if your haven’t answered his voicemail message in an hour, set-up a call with John on specific time,  if a calendar entry says “Call John”, or send  an e-mail to your friends in LA when you arrive there.

Intelligent iPhone communication modes

Most of today’s smartphones are pretty dumb when it comes to setting up communications with others and reacting to communication requests. So it’s up to you to make it right.

Your phone doesn’t really care that you are in a meeting right now, so it’s your problem if you forgot to turn the sound off and some telemarketer calls. When you login on some IM service, all your contacts get an update that you are available, and it doesn’t matter that you only want to show that to your family and closest friends. And when your are unable to pick up the phone, people calling you are left wondering where the heck are you. And there’s no way  to tell the boss that you are closing the deal with a client right now, without broadcasting this to everyone else.

Well, patent app called “Systems and methods for intelligent and customizable communications between devices” shows how Apple might be able to do something about that.

By that I mean:

select appropriate communication modes for incoming communications requests based on a user’s preferences and availability. In addition, the communications device can determine the communication modes of a user based on the current activity and allow the user to provide customized information to his contacts.

If implemented in iPhone OS, the new software will let to set up various communication modes, different reply messages, availability notifications and status updates to all your contacts and contact groups in an address book. These modes then can be turned on/off manually or automatically based on your location, time of day, calendar entries or current activities.

Of course, all of these are just patent apps. But most of these things, if implemented right can make your iPhone much more useful and capable device.

And Apple is not the only one working on the ways to make your next phone an intelligent device.  Google also has some similar ideas in that direction, and I am sure Nokia ain’t sitting still too.

I guess our smartphones may actually become smart in a few years.

• Apple plans to integrate iPhone Mapping and Calendar apps
• Next in your iPhone OS: live object identification, face recognition, text filtering, smarter messaging, voice alteration
• iPhone 4.0 OS to finally enable multitasking?
• Cheap and simple iPhone Nano for your Grandma
• Apple confirms iPhone event for October 4, iPhone 5 likely to be announced then

But that is not the biggest problem.

The worst part is that swayed by the lure of iPhone 3G last fall, Russian mobile operators bent over and signed the contracts with Apple committing themselves to sell millions of iPhones during the next two years.

And, as the sales of the handset did not take off, they are now facing hundreds of millions of in fines from Apple.

Here’s what I’ve been able to parse from a few Russian sites – Vedomosti, Mobile-Review and Eldar Murtazin’s blog:

• All three main Russian operators have signed-up to sell iPhone in Russia. Of them,  Vimpelkom pledged to sell 1.5 million of iPhones in the next 2 years, Megafon took on to move 1 million iPhones in 2 years, and MTS went for 1 mil of iPhones in 3 years.
• At this moment a total 900 000 iPhones have been imported to Russia. The problem is, that only 400K of them were officially brought in by Apple’s operator partners. The rest are jailbroken iPhones that got there through “grey” channels.
• Of the 400K iPhones bought from Apple in Q4, 2008, operators were able to sell into retail channel 280K until April. And only 127 000 of them have actually been sold to the end user (or at least that’s what operators were paid by retailers).
• None of the operators have actually bought a single iPhone from Apple in 2009.  (data by Mobile Research Group, Russia)

So in the first six months from  launch, operators were actually able to sell only 127 iPhone units. If this trend continues, Russian mobile carries will sell around 400K of iPhones in the next 18 months, for a total of something like 550K units. Leaving them with a pile of 2-2.5 million of pledged, but unsold units when the bill comes due.

Depending on the actual iPhone sale price or fines in the contract, this could amount to $500 mil to 1 billion $ in fine payments to Apple. Two Russian carriers, in their reports to shareholders,  have already officially admitted possible significant fines and negotiations with Apple.

According to sources, since the start of the year all three Russian carriers have been busy in negotiations with Apple to change the terms of the deals. They want reductions either in price or quantities.  But so far Apple won’t budge.

Given the still enthusiastic support elsewhere and vibrant “grey” iPhone market in Russia, Apple may not care much what Russian carriers have to say. A deal’s a deal, after all.

On the other hand, angering all main Russian carriers with multi-hundred million dollar fines may close both official and “grey” Russian market to iPhone altogether.

Well, it would be interesting to watch how this situation develops in the next few months. Stay tuned

Update: While I was writing this article, Eldar posted an update on his blog.

Apple is now also looking to sell iPhones directly through big retailers in Russia. However the terms offered by Apple are unacceptable for now.

Meanwhile, mobile operators now officially told Apple – renegotiate the contracts, or there will be no iPhone in Russia. And (privately) noted that they’ll do anything in their power to disable all jailbroken iPhones on their networks otherwise.

• iPhone Will Come to Russia in 2009
• MegaFon announces plans to sell iPhone in Russia later this year
• Apple hopes to sell 20-21 million iPhones in Q1 2011 (CDMA models included)
• Apple to sell more than 10 million iPhones this quarter
• Report: 8 million iPhones sold and counting

I’d say spilling a coffee on it, or dropping it into a water somewhere. We all know that water is bad for electronics, but this sh$#& happens quite often.

Then, we may try to dry it and hope the whole thing works again. And, the less honest among us, may take the iPhone to the store, and claim that “… it stopped working and I have no idea why…”

Looks like Apple had a fair share of such claims. It is now thinking about installing water exposure detectors into the iPhones and iPods, so a technician can see what the problem is with a single glance, and tell you that the warranty is void, without even opening the darn thing.

The water exposure detector can be made to be seen by everyone, as a seprate opening in the device. Or it can be installed inside the headphone jack and require an additional simple tool to view.

I won’t go into the technical details of how it will be achieved. Looks a pretty easy thing to do, and if you want more, go read the full patent application for this here.

• Apple “tax” for iPhone accessories may be in the works
• Apple patents iPhone Mobile Navigation / Mapping App
• China Unicom to launch iPhone on Oct. 15th. $293 for 8G, $439 for 16G on a 2 year, $27 a month contract
• Apple’s device abuse detection system and the stupid exploding iPod story
• iPhone 3G to Launch 8 AM July 11 in USA

Made from regular silicone, the ChocoCase from Homade sure can protect your beloved first-gen iPhone from scratches among other things but imagine whipping out your glossy black iPhone to answer a call and instead end up talking on a chocolate bar. For just $29.99, you could pretty much end your social life and begin a new courtship with toothsome confections.

But still if you want to carry a bar of chocolate in your pocket that does not melt, you can take home your style killer from GizFever for just under $30 a piece.

• New LG Chocolate – next generation “Black Label” series phone preannounced
• Apple’s dating app will transform your iPhone into an ultimate pick-up device
• Verizon’s LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 gets pictured?
• Apple launches iPhone Your Life mini-site
• New in iPhone software patents

The problem with this is that T-Mobile and Starbucks had already made an exclusive agreement for this matter, with T-Mobile already providing these services.

T-Mobile admits that there was a transition deal in place between Starbucks, AT&T and themselves, but they are alleging that the other companies are not living up to the proposed agreement over how Starbucks should transfer from its T-Mobile partnership to a new partnership with AT&T announced earlier this year.

T-Mobile had been exclusively providing Wi-Fi service at the Starbucks locations since 2002, and after filing a 12-page complaint Thursday, T-Mobile said publicly that “The conduct of Starbucks has caused T-Mobile monetary damages, and such damages will continue should Starbucks continue its breaching conduct”.

The amount of proposed damages and legal fees is unspecified, but an order is also included in the legal filing to prevent Starbucks from further breaching the transition agreement that was decided among the three involved companies.

To T-Mobile’s claim that they secretly developed a promotional plan with AT&T with which they would still offer “free” AT&T/Starbucks Wi-Fi even in store that were still reliant on T-Mobile’s infrastructure, Starbucks responded back stating that “Our goal is to ensure Wi-Fi access at all Starbucks locations. This is a benefit offered to our Starbucks Card Rewards members as well as AT&T subscribers and steps are being taken to ensure that this access continues”.

T-Mobile is seeking financial restitution for the unfair competition Starbucks has apparently created, and it will definitely be interesting to see what sort of agreement comes about here. We will be staying right on top of this story and letting you know when any new information becomes available to us.

Via: Yahoo! News

• T-Mobile, Starbucks, and AT&T settle Wi-Fi dispute
• AT&T finally offers free Wi-Fi for all iPhone users
• Starbucks to offer two hours of free AT&T Wi-Fi a day
• Starbucks adds Android, Safeway to mobile payment solution
• T-Mobile USA Launches Services In Former SunCom Markets

We already discussed the past rumor of DoCoMo bringing the iPhone to Japan and most of us thought this was a sure thing, but with this announcement there are sure to be some more dominant SoftBank customers.

DoCoMo spokesman Shinjiro Minami let it be known that the company was unhappy SoftBank had really beaten them to the punch here, as he admits that they were in fact strongly considering a deal of their own with Apple before SoftBank came into the picture.

There have been very few details released on this agreement, and SoftBank spokesman Naoki Nakayama said no further details such as pricing and dates were available as of yet. Regardless, now no one can question the fact that there will be a 3G iPhone within the year.

Japan is considered as being a huge market for the iPhone, just take a look at how well Apple’s other popular product, the iPod has done.

We will be sure to keep you up to date with new information as it becomes available to us.

Via: SoftBank

• NTT DoCoMo still waiting for “right condition to sell” iPhone in Japan
• Softbank confirms $215 iPhone in Japan
• Softbank Mobile nets first major corporate iPhone customer in Japan
• Apple’s iPhone – iPod Phone coming to Japan first
• Korea’s KTF in talks with Apple to bring the iPhone home

The Super Grip helps protect your iPhone from falls, ensuring a long life well worth the initial cost, making sure that it stays in perfect condition.

It grips onto even the slipperiest surfaces, costs $10.50 and is available in black and white. You can purchase this handy iPhone accessory through Mobile.Brando.Com.HK and there are also various other retailers with this product in stock as well.

It may not be the most attractive accessory in the world but for a mere ten bucks we think it is at least worth checking out.

Via: IntoMobile

• White 3G iPhone in the wild?
• White iPhone 4G / HD caught in the wild?
• Solar power leather case charges your iPhone the green way
• Brando starts selling iPhone 3G SIM unlocking tool
• iPhone 5 to have 16GB and 32GB white and black versions?

Sources close to the 3G iPhone launch reported this information to Gizmodo just this morning, telling them that Apple will announce this new model at the WWDC Keynote almost exactly three weeks from today.

This move is clearly a logical step, one that was expected and now we know the details and can’t wait for the upcoming launch date.

According to sources, the 3G iPhone will not be available at a fixed price point after this, but the specific prices have not been released as of yet. We will be sure to stay on top of this story, providing you with further specs as they become available to us.

As the obvious cellphone to beat on the market today, one thing is for sure – the lineups for this new Apple iPhone model are going to be out the door.

• AT&T store stock rooms hold last Apple iPhone stocks
• An 8 GB iPhone 4 may be the iPhone Nano everyone’s waiting for
• “iPhone 4G” to be released in June, say Korean sources
• iPhone 5 launch only in late October
• June 22 iPhone HD / 4G announcement date confirmed?

The DioPen software is able to recognize Korean, Chinese and English/European characters and digits written in cursive, print or mixed cursive/print.

One of the best features of this software is that it can easily be implemented with other mobile devices with capacitive touchscreen as well as resistive touchscreen, making it more versatile and convenient.

We will keep you posted on more details as they become available on this software.

Via: ZD Net Korea,

• DioTek’s DioPen 7 for Windows Mobile now available
• Google Cloud Print goes mobile (Android, iOS)
• Capacitive touchscreens to take 50% of touchphone market
• Apple wants to embed cardiac sensors into an iPhone case to identify you
• Interactive keypad for Nokia phones

If this is true, then Apple will be on track for a June 3G iPhone release date, just in time for the forthcoming WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) 2008.

If I remember correctly, the reason why the iPhone is only capable of running on an EDGE network is because the Infineon chips were not ready for 3G yet. Well, it seems, now they are.

But again, you know how ugly rumors can get sometimes. I say the best option would be to wait for either company to drop a press release or watch out for the keynote of Steve Jobs at WWDC.

Via Wiwo

• T-Mobile Austria confirms upcoming 3G iPhone, becomes testing ground
• iPhone 3G to receive firmware fix on September
• New iPhone 3G teardown details chips, says Infineon and TriQuint bring home the bacon
• iPhone 5 likely to be announced on June 6 (at WWDC 2011)
• Apple selects Qualcomm baseband chip for iPhone 5, ditches Infineon/Intel?

There was not much information released alongside the pics, but our source says they received two photos not seen on the net that were possibly those of the iPhone 2 undergone all rumors in recent weeks or photos of a Chinese copy.

Check out the pictures to see for yourself and decide what you think, and either way not much is distinguishable from what we see here.

There is bound to be a certain level of hype surrounding the launch of the iPhone 2 as there was with the original, and there have been several rumors surrounding the specs and release date, nothing confirmed as of yet.

We will be sure to keep you updated on all the details and let you know when we receive further information on this.

• First Blackberry Clamshell Unveiled
• Rumor: iPhone 5 to have a metal chassis and a 3.5-3.7-inch screen after all
• Latest 3rd-gen iPhone Pics Brought to Life
• Why the iPhone 2 leaked photos could be fake
• 3G iPhone confirmed to be cheaper, thinner, and more powerful?

This is some fantastic news for residents of the Great White North – the iPhone is finally heading to Canada.

It seemed like it would never happen with millions of people across the country were hoping that it would, and now this wish has come to fruition.

Rogers recently revealed in their latest earnings report that they were thrilled to announce a deal that would bring the iPhone to Canada. This potentially could result in something even bigger than the introduction of the iPhone, because it may mean that other services not yet accessible to Canadians may become so in the near future.

The date of release has not yet been revealed, but it seems at this point as though it will be sometime in the fall of 2008. We will keep you up to date as more specs and retail information becomes available to us.

Via: Engadet Mobile

• BlackBerry Bold to debut for Rogers Wireless on July 25th
• Telstra’s Australian iPhone prices revealed
• Telus to launch the iPhone 3G S in Canada?
• Rumor: new iPhone 5 will arrive in early October in Canada (via Telus)
• Nokia N95 really coming to Rogers Canada, actually 8GB version

As stated on the AT&T website:

Today, AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) announced a new Text Accessibility Plan (TAP) for iPhone, designed to give iPhone customers with disabilities the choice of unlimited text messaging, Web browsing and easy access to e-mail for $40 a month.

The plan is available to both new and current eligible iPhone users with disabilities. In order to find out if you qualify for the plan you must complete an application form for eligibility, which is available through AT&T and which you can also go directly to here.

This is a great commitment on AT&T’s part and we will be sure to keep you updated on any further news on this in the future, and on any additional information about AT&T’s NCCD and other offerings for customers with disabilities.

• AT&T Unveils TAP system for iPhone 3G
• Microsoft Tag Reader is the company’s first Android app
• AT&T to offer $50 unlimited prepaid plan starting June 26th
• eReader for iPhone and iPod Touch in the works
• Orange UK Introduces iPhone and iPad Connect Plan

This is a more significant release of the iPhone than usual because to date Indians have had to illegally buy, unlock and then use these devices if they want to take advantage of the technology.

The launch would mean that this would no longer be an issue as the iPhone would be made widely available throughout India.

The launch will be with telecom operator Vodafone, and hopes are high that this will all go through as planned, to offer Indians access to this desirable gadget as soon as possible.

One Apple source commented that:

The carrier deal for India is being worked out with Vodafone. Vodafone could also become the carrier for the Australian market once iPhone is launched there, though more than one carrier is likely for Australia.

Apple retail sources have also revealed that it will be the 8 GB version of the touchscreen iPhone which will be launched initially, with other models to follow up in the future.

The expected price is between Rs 27,200 to 28,000, but again this may change by the time it is actually released. We will be sure to keep you informed of any and all information on this.

Via: Business Standard

• Apple iPad finally arrives in India on January 28
• Bharti Airtel will launch the iPhone 4 in India in September or October
• Airtel and Aircel will launch the iPhone 4 in India in the coming months
• Official iPhone 4 prices for T-Mobile UK unveiled
• Vodafone brings down iPhone 3G price in India by $47

Even though the company’s research shows that smartphones from HTC Corp. are used for accessing the internet even more often (percentage-wise) than the iPhone, the latter has a much larger market share; large enough, in fact, to send Bank of America and Google scrambling to improve their support for mobile internet activities and meet the demands of increased web traffic from iPhone users.

What is the cause of such wide mobile internet usage among the iPhone owners? Apple’s product is, undoubtedly, ergonomic and convenient device, great for checking your e-mail or reading some news online without having to carry your laptop around. That is not the only reason, however; the unlimited Edge plans that the operators in US offer with the iPhone probably played a big part in making mobile web browsing with this device so popular. If a similar survey would be ran in Europe, where many operators charge per-MB fees, I would expect somewhat different results.

Via: iSuppli

• Study: US Spends More Time on Mobile Web than UK
• Google Search for iPhone and Android enhanced with app search results
• Updated Google Mobile App for iPhone available now
• iSuppli’s virtual iPhone 3G teardown puts BOM at $173.00
• iPhone 2.0 software coming free to iPhone in July, $9.95 for iPod Touch

He informs us that:

The first piece of news is that Nike+ will definitely be extending its compatibility beyond the iPod Nano to the iPhone and iPod Touch. No surprise there really, but the interesting detail is that it could also make use of both devices Wi-Fi (and, ultimately for the iPhone, 3G capability) to let you update your training log on the fly. Once you’ve legged round your local park you’ll be able to send the data (probably via a software app like the one the new SportBand uses) wirelessly without having to sit down and drip sweat over your computer. Very cool.

This is going to come in very handy for users around the world, even though it is still not super sophisticated when compared to miCoach. You will be able to add notes to each run and then share and compare schedules with your Nike+ buddies.

• iPhone Nike+ UI in the wild
• iPhone 2.0 software coming free to iPhone in July, $9.95 for iPod Touch
• Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch outed by Amazon
• Google offers improved search results for iPhone, iPod touch
• PwnageTool 2.0 released for old iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPod Touch