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I always knew that Mad Magazine was filled with ner-do-wells that will rot your brain and turn you into a big meanie. My teachers in school all told me so... and they were teachers so they must've been right. Now the Apple iPhone App store has finally seen the light of reason on this truism, too. Well, if the App Store didn't deny Mad Magazine exactly, it did lower they kabosh on one of its nasty, mean-spirited artists, Tom Richmond, by denying his iPhone App registration. Serves him right, the troublemaker. The good name of Apple computers will not be...

The second half of 2010 could finally bring a much-anticipated Verizon Wireless iPhone. A new hybrid chip developed by Qualcomm makes it possible to communicate with several different network technologies using only one component. This means Apple can manufacture one device, the "world mode" iPhone that will work on all of the networks it's currently compatible with as well as Verizon's CDMA network. Previous reports speculated that Apple would wait until at least 2011 for Verizon's launch of LTE technology.

Our friends over at major Chinese news portal 163.com are reporting [Google machine translation] that not too many people were actually queuing up to get one, at least in Beijing.These rather disappointing, initial reactions don't mean China rejects the iPhone at all, however.

There’s nothing geeks love more than to argue mobile phone platforms. Here’s Matt Blaisdell saying that apps weren’t key to iPhone’s success. That’s true, but now that Apple has apps the world has changed and challengers to the iPhone will find it very tough. Here’s why: everyone is using a different set of 20 apps. Trillions of combinations. You can see this on Appsfire’s VIP list (my iPhone apps are listed there, along with a number of others). None of us have the same set of apps. So, to get me off of the iPhone you are going to have...

In a not-entirely-surprising move, Apple today announced the renaming of its key products, formerly the iMac computer, the iPhone smartphone, and the iPod portable music player, will henceforth be called the "OMac" the "OPhone" and the "OPod". Apple Board of Director Albert Gore, Jr., released a statement on recycled post-consumer paper, using organic soy ink, pointing out that a the name "GorePod" tested much better with key demographic groups than "OPod", and that he is worried about the amount of paper and electricity that will be consumed in rebranding these already successful products. When Apple pointed out the amount of...

Apple has released iPhone OS 3.1.2 which contains various bug fixes and improvements. This update is available via iTunes for the original iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, and the iPod touch.

The free iPhone OS 3.1 Software Update includes some great new features, as well as all the features from previous updates. iPhone OS 3.1 gives you Genius recommendations for apps, lets you download ringtones wirelessly, offers a new way to organize apps on your iPhone, and more.

Yelp iPhone Application Adds Augmented Reality Easter Egg Thursday August 27, 2009 04:42 PM EST; Category: iPhoneWritten by Eric Slivka Mashable reports on a discovery that the latest update to the iPhone application from popular business establishment review site Yelp [App Store, Free] contains an augmented reality easter egg called "Monocle" that allows users to view business ratings overlayed on a video stream from their iPhone's camera. The feature is only compatible with the iPhone 3GS, which contains the necessary digital compass for properly assessing the device's orientation. Download the new Yelp app (came out yesterday). So you shake your...

The iPhone & Steve Ballmer: It’s Time For Him To Eat Some Serious CrowWednesday, August 26, 2009 There are very few people in the tech world who annoy me quite like Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. It’s not just that he’s loud, dismissive and arrogant. It’s that he manages to be all these things while usually being spectacularly wrong, especially when it comes to Apple. Take for example his thoughts on the iPhone from a USAToday article in 2007: “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance,” said Ballmer. “It’s a $500...

iPhone users talk on the phone less than regular cell phone users [ ... ] they spend a whopping 50% more time using their phones than average cell phone users ... [ ... ] iPhone users spend 60 minutes per day on their phones versus 40 minutes for cell phone users. iPhone users talk on their phones about 45% of the time they use it versus 70% for cell phone users. [ ... ] What makes up the difference? It's not texting - each type of user spends about 15% of their phone usage texting. [ ... ] iPhone users...

Start Mobile has managed to get 18 separate iPhone applications approved by Apple. So you’ll imagine their surprise when one of them was recently rejected. But you may be even more surprised to find out why. Apparently, Apple doesn’t like the way one piece of art in the app depicts President Obama. Is it out of line or tasteless? Well, you can determine for yourself, because you’ve undoubtedly seen the art in question before: It’s Shepard Fairey’s famous “HOPE� image of Obama that was everywhere during his Presidential campaign.So why on Earth would this be rejected? Well, here’s the wording...

"APPLE HAS CHANGED THE WAY THE GAME IS PLAYED", says MSFT Win Mob chief Thu, 08/20/2009 - 01:21 by Jonny Evans "Apple has changed the way the game is played," Loke Uei, senior technical product manager for mobile developer experience at Microsoft said at the company’s first Windows Mobile Developers Camp (WinMoDevCamp) yesterday. His comments came during the developer meeting at which Redmond hopes to inspire/attract application developers to its platform. Attendees also got to see a preview of Windows Mobile at the event. The company hopes to take on Apple when it launches its Marketplace for Mobile later this...

ONE IN FOUR SONGS IN U.S. BOUGHT ON ITUNES By Caleb Johnson Aug 19th 2009 at 1:30 PM Although digital music sales continue to rise, CDs still account for the market majority in the U.S. When it comes to the burgeoning online world, though, iTunes stands alone. Macworld writes that a recent report released by NPD Musicwatch showed that 25-percent of the songs purchased in the United States during the first months of 2009 came from the iTunes store. That makes iTunes the most popular music retailer in the country, beating out former champ Wal-Mart, which boasts 14-percent. (That figure,...

Apple's 99-Cent Apps Are Too Cheap, Microsoft Says By Barry Levine August 20, 2009 9:39AM Microsoft is wooing developers to Windows Mobile by promoting the idea that Apple, Inc. prices App Store apps too low at 99 cents. Loke Uei told developers "your app is worth more than that" in sessions preparing for Microsoft's launch of Windows Marketplace for Mobile. The BlackBerry, Palm and Android stores also plan to charge more than 99 cents. With Apple's App Store offering many free and 99-cent apps whose prices please buyers but frustrate many developers, Microsoft is wooing developers to its Windows Mobile...

As the new owner of an iPhone, I'm overwhelmed by the number of applications available for it. I'm certain many of you must have discovered some gems. What do you consider your top five useful applications? Your top two or three "just plain fun" applications? Your "you gotta see this to believe it" application? I love the phone except the battery life is outrageously short and it required switching to AT&T from Verizon. I live in Atlanta and am stunned and how many dead zones and dropped calls I suffer here with AT&T. Verizon was like a tightly woven blanket.

iHandgun is an ultra realistic gun simulator application for iPhone and iPod touch. When you pull back the slide, it makes a clicking sound. Touching the trigger results a gunshot sound, gun fire, smoke from the muzzle, and even an ejected cartridge! It's of course reloadable. Change magazine and shoot as many times as you want.

Right about now, Apple probably wishes it had never rejected Google Voice and related apps from the iPhone. Or maybe it was AT&T who rejected the apps. Nobody really knows. But the FCC launched an investigation last night to find out, sending letters to all three companies (Apple, AT&T, and Google) asking them to explain exactly what happened. On its face, it might seem odd to some people that the FCC is investigating the rejection of a single iPhone app. After all, iPhone apps are rejected every day. But the Google Voice rejection caused an unusual amount of uproar, and...

With one bombshell already having been dropped at the BlackHat Conference (that most implementations of SSL are configured to give up everything including logins, credit cards, etc.), researchers dropped another one today when they demonstrated how the SMS infrastructures of GSM-flavored operators such as AT&T (NYSE: T) and T-Mobile are hackable to the point that cell phones can be hacked and their users can be tricked into divulging confidential information. By the time you read this, there will probably be some videos of the hacks posted to YouTube. But the net net is that there are different SMS message types....

How can a brand like Apple manage to turn out the kind of growth it enjoyed last quarter in this kind of economy, especially considering that its products generally tend to be pricier than its competitors'? It's tempting to credit iPhone sales for Apple's Q3 numbers, but perhaps the secret really lies in the importance placed on quality, durability and longevity during tight times. To the delight of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) fans everywhere, the company is kicking butt and taking names. There's really no way around that statement, and Apple's most recent report for its fiscal 2009 third quarter backs...

An Apple expert and hacker has shown that the iPhone, in all its various forms and moltings, is child’s play to compromise. This comes despite assurances from Apple regarding the 3GS’s encryption feature. Bad news for businesspeople of the 21st century, who have glommed onto the iPhone and its service halo like no other device. The wonder-phone has certainly changed the way smartphones and other devices are made, but this isn’t the first time Apple’s security measures have been described as being seriously lacking. It seems that with a little creative coding, or access to an insecure computer, the iPhone...

Apple's App Store is never short of controversy, from shaking babies, to explicit racy content. The latest disputable app to be approved by Apple and hit the store is 'Cannabis,' an application that assists users in finding the nearest available marijuana supply. The application is available for $2.99, and is developed by the "Cannabis lifestyle" folks over at Ajnag, yet they insist that the app should be used for medicinal purposes only. It will not share the location of illegal dealers, and Ajnag claims not to promote the illegal use of the drug.

For eons, people have reached out to the Almighty with prayers and supplications. Soon they might be able to use their iPhones. Fair Oaks teenager Allen Wright thought up an application for the Apple iPhone called "A Note to God."

"No wonder they are called smart phones. Not only can these fancy phones send email, get directions and play music, they can generate huge profits for their makers," Sara Silver reports for The Wall Street Journal. "At least for iPhone's manufacturer Apple and BlackBerry's Research In Motion. The two accounted for only 3% of all cellphones sold in the world last year but 35% of operating profits, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Brian Modoff," Silver reports. MacDailyNews Take: Ahh, to be in the investment business with the name Modoff. Anyway, in WSJ's accompanying chart from Deutsche Bank, of that 35%...

Everyone knows that the modern mobile phone is set up to do so much more than make a simple call. From checking emails to locating friends, there seems little the latest generation of handsets can't do. However – even in this tech-savvy age – the latest offering in iPhone apps has caused a stir. For just $2.99 Apple is offering customers a service that allows them to find local marijuana suppliers. The news has created a buzz online, as the world's stoners contemplate carrying out online price comparisons between dealers in their local areas.

Area drivers looking to outwit police speed traps and traffic cameras are using an iPhone application and other global positioning system devices that pinpoint the location of the cameras. That has irked D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier, who promised her officers would pick up their game to counteract the devices, which can also help drivers dodge sobriety checkpoints. "I think that's the whole point of this program," she told The Examiner. "It's designed to circumvent law enforcement -- law enforcement that is designed specifically to save lives."

Area drivers looking to outwit police speed traps and traffic cameras are using an iPhone application and other global positioning system devices that pinpoint the location of the cameras. That has irked D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier, who promised her officers would pick up their game to counteract the devices, which can also help drivers dodge sobriety checkpoints. "I think that's the whole point of this program," she told The Examiner. "It's designed to circumvent law enforcement -- law enforcement that is designed specifically to save lives." The new technology streams to iPhones and global positioning system devices, sounding off...

Beating up your friends, family, boss, coworkers, celebrities, etc, etc has never been more fun! FaceFighter is one of those games that seems extremely gimmicky, and turns out to be extremely hilarious and fun. Appy, the guys behind AppyNews, are putting their facial integration technology to good use with this game, which lets you fight against anyone who you can find a picture of (online or elsewhere), or take a picture of with your iPhone camera. I’ll start with the best part of FaceFighter… adding faces! The setup is extremely simple, and the game allows you to either take a...

Area drivers looking to outwit police speed traps and traffic cameras are using an iPhone application and other global positioning system devices that pinpoint the location of the cameras. That has irked D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier, who promised her officers would pick up their game to counteract the devices, which can also help drivers dodge sobriety checkpoints. "I think that's the whole point of this program," she told The Examiner. "It's designed to circumvent law enforcement -- law enforcement that is designed specifically to save lives." The new technology streams to i-Phones and global positioning system devices, sounding off...

Start Mobile has managed to get 18 separate iPhone applications approved by Apple. So you’ll imagine their surprise when one of them was recently rejected. But you may be even more surprised to find out why.Apparently, Apple doesn’t like the way one piece of art in the app depicts President Obama. Is it out of line or tasteless? Well, you can determine for yourself, because you’ve undoubtedly seen the art in question before: It’s Shepard Fairey’s famous “HOPE” image of Obama that was everywhere during his Presidential campaign.So why on Earth would this be rejected? Well, here’s the wording in...

The iPhone is currently the best-selling smartphone in Japan, at least at retail, according to a recent survey. Gathered by research firm BCN, data from 2,300 stores shows the 8GB iPhone 3G as the most popular smartphone, followed by its 16GB sibling. Ranking third in the survey is the NTT DoCoMo Aquos SH-04A, designed by Sharp; RIM's BlackBerry Bold ranks sixth, and a full four slots in the list are occupied by devices from HTC. The Japanese iPhone is carried by Softbank, which is said to have adjusted its plans to make the product cheaper in terms of fees and...

'Store iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in a place where the temperature is between -20º and 45º C (-4º to 113º F). Don’t leave the device in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range.' If the iPhone gets too hot, according to the firm, a warning will appear on the screen advising the user to switch it off. The warning continues: 'If this message appears, you should turn the device off, move it to a cooler environment, and allow it to cool before resuming use. 'Some conditions and activities that may activate the temperature warning message:...

In Malcolm Gladwell’s review of Chris Anderson’s new book, “Free: The Future of a Radical Price,” he said that Apple will soon be making more money from iPhone downloads than it does from the iPhone itself. He said this to make a point that businesses can still be successful charging for content. But a quick glance at the iPhone’s numbers show that he may have been a little too hasty in his assertion. By “iPhone downloads,” Gladwell is probably referring to the software programs that people download from Apple’s App Store, which offers a selection of more than 50,000 applications,...

Out with Treos, in with iPhones Monday, June 29th, 2009 by Scott Lowe Over the weekend, my family and I visited Louisville, Kentucky for TechRepublic’s tenth birthday and had a blast! The TechRepublic crew, as always, was a fun and friendly bunch.  While I was there, I mentioned to Jason Hiner that Westminster College was moving away from Windows Mobile-based Treos in favor of iPhones for mobile devices.  He tweeted this to the world (the guy has like 8 billion followers), so I thought I’d follow up on that conversation with a little bit of the background information. ———————————————————————————————– Obviously,...

Jobs Is Back, Apple's Still Standing, Life Goes On By Richard Adhikari at MacNewsWorld 07/01/09 4:00 AM PT Apple stock did not explode on news that Steve Jobs has indeed returned to the company following his medical leave. Indeed, shares grew at a fairly steady clip during the CEO's absence, and now they're nearly 100 percent above what they were when Jobs announced his leave. Meanwhile, the iPhone 3GS enjoyed a solid debut, but reports of excessive heat generation may spell trouble. After all the excitement about Steve Jobs' health, the market reaction to news that the Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL)...

June 25, 2009, 8:00 am iPhone share of U.S. smartphone traffic hits 69% See the blue slice in the pie chart at right? [ABOVE] It represents the iPhone’s share of U.S. smartphone traffic on the network maintained by AdMob, one of the companies that run those little ads that appear on the screen of your mobile phone.We’ve been watching that slice grow over the past few months. In February it covered 51% of the pie. By April it had grown to 59%. And by Thursday morning, when AdMob released the May edition of its U.S. smartphone pie, Apple’s (AAPL) share had...

Apple Sells Over One Million iPhone 3GS Models Press Release Source: Apple On Monday June 22, 2009, 8:30 am EDT iPhone 3.0 Software Downloads Reach Six Million CUPERTINO, Calif., June 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple® today announced that it has sold over one million iPhone(TM) 3GS models through Sunday, June 21, the third day after its launch. In addition, six million customers have downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software in the first five days since its release. "Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "With over 50,000 applications available from Apple's revolutionary App Store, iPhone...

My contract will be up soon for my current phone. I have decided between 2 models - the Blackberry Storm or the iphone. I know the Storm had some initial problems, but from what I have read the lastest software release corrected them. I also like the iphone, but I would have to switch carriers for it. Does anyone currently own the Storm, and if so do they like it? How reliable is the iphone? From what I have read, the Storm screen has better resolution.

Let’s say you’re one of millions of Americans with a Verizon contract. Let’s say you really want an iPhone. And let’s say you don’t have hundreds of dollars necessary to break your contract, ditch your BlackBerry, and hop on board with AT&T. Right now, the whole furor over the 3G S is probably pretty frustrating, right? Well, now you’ve got someone on your side. Yesterday, Sen. John Kerry and three others on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation fired off a note to Michael J. Copps, the acting chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, asking Copps to look...

WASHINGTON -- Do exclusive relationships between handset makers and cell phone carriers, like AT&T has with Apple's iPhone, help or hurt consumers? Senators grilled AT&T executive Paul Roth about the issue on Wednesday after hearing constituents' complaints about lack of competition. Roth said the exclusive deal drives innovation and his company's subsidies make the iPhone more affordable.

The good: The iPhone 3G S finally adds common cell phone features like multimedia messaging, video recording, and voice dialing. It runs faster; its promised battery life is longer; and the multimedia quality continues to shine. The bad: The iPhone 3G S' call quality shows no improvements and the 3G signal reception remains uneven. We still don't get Flash Lite, USB transfer and storage, or multitasking. The bottom line: The iPhone 3G S doesn't make the same grand leap that the iPhone 3G made from the first-generation model, but the latest Apple handset is still a compelling upgrade for some...

It looks like Microsoft is working on a top-secret smartphone deal with Verizon to take on Apple's iPhone. The project's code-name is "Pink." The goal...

iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update The free iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update includes some great new features, as well as all the features from previous updates. iPhone OS 3.0 also lets you run the next generation of iPhone apps, like peer-to-peer games1 and more. If you’ve never updated before, now is the perfect time.

Well, here's hoping you waited on that $99 refurbished iPhone 3G, because as of Monday you can get a new one for the same price. Apple just announced at WWDC 2009 that the 8GB iPhone 3G will stay on the market for $99. Forget refurbs--now you can get a new iPhone 3G for just $99.(Credit: James Martin/CNET) So what do you think? Now that you can finally get a shiny new iPhone with a full warranty (one year) for less than a hundred bucks, will you pull the trigger? Based on the comments in last week's aforementioned refurb post, I'm...

TomTom for iPhoneTomTom for iPhone has been a long time coming, but it looks fantastic. Check out these official photos and video to see how it’ll change the way you drive with your mobile for ever! TomTom’s car kit for iPhone lets the phone work in landscape or portrait mode, boosts the volume of the iPhone’s loudspeaker and even enhances its GPS signal. Not enough for you? It also charges the iPhone, and offers an audio output. All that on top of slick TomTom software that spurts spoken directions and offers all the usual satnav skills you’d expect. Check it...

Posted in reverse order, read from the bottom up! • No "One More Thing." Event ends. • Schiller recaps todays announcements... • iPhone 3GS new ad now playing... • iPhone 3GS available in over 80 countries. • iPhone 3GS available June 19th. • Current iPhone 3G stays on market. 8Gb model only. Now just $99. • iPhone 3GS: $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB. WHite and black versions. • iPhone 3GS goes from 6hrs. to 9hrs. for Internet/Wi-Fi, from 7 to 10hrs. for video, from 24 to 30hrs. for audio, from 10 to 12hrs. for 2G talk, still 5hrs for...

Apple today introduced the new iPhone 3G S, the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, packed with new features including improved speed and performance--up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G--with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control. iPhone 3G S includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, the world's most advanced mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS*, Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard and more. iPhone 3G S customers get access to more than 50,000 applications from Apple's revolutionary App Store, the...

Apple's new iPhone set to heat up phone war The battle for dominance of the lucrative "smartphone" market will step up a gear on Monday as Apple is widely expected to launch a new version of the iPhone. By Rupert Neate 07 Jun 2009 The new iPhone is so important to Apple that Steve Jobs, the chief executive, is expected to return from sick leave to attend the launch at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco. Mr Jobs, who has previously battled against pancreatic cancer, went on medical leave in January suffering from a hormonal imbalance. The company...

Recently we were approached by a source who is closely connected to Apple’s hardware development team. The source was willing to provide detailed information on the specs and release date of the next generation iPhone. We have checked the source’s credentials to the best of our ability and at this point deem the source as reputable. Of course we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the source’s claims since Apple will neither confirm nor deny any future product releases, including if a new phone will even be released! Many of the specifics proposed by our source have been discussed in recent...

Apple has apparently rethought its decision to allow an iPhone application that allows you to shake a baby to death to quiet its crying. "Baby Shaker", a simple app from Sikalosoft, was first released Monday for 99 cents. It shows pictures of babies with the sound of them crying and a stop watch. To stop the crying, you shake the iPhone hard and then little Xs appear on the eyes of the baby, who will presumably never cry again. Apple apparently pulled the app sometime this afternoon after blogs and sites like Tech Crunch and CNET caught onto the story....

Do my fellow iPhone owners have the secret for happy FR reading while out and about? I would like some kind of formatting secret or app that would allow me to see the entire column of text at a comfortable size on Free Republic in my view at once so as not to necessitate scrolling left and right to see the complete lines. Please help if you can.