Wesabe is out with a free iPhone application designed to help users manage their money on the go. Users can view all of their bank and credit card accounts in one place; track their spending; edit, categorize and tag purchases; and set up and monitor spending targets. Moreover, the application takes advantage of iPhone’s location capabilities, so when you input a new purchase, it will offer the names of the closest merchants.

Additional features of Wesabe’s app include text-to-graph views, privacy protection via a Wesabe-specific PIN, data protection for lost/stolen phone, pending transactions, and full support for worldwide currencies…

Interested? Got to the AppStore from where you can grab the app free of charge.

Originally posted at: IntoMobile

It's official: China Unicom chairman Chang Xiaobing has disclosed that his company has indeed been negotiating with Apple to bring the iPhone to China.

We had reported rumors of such talks late last months - but now that chairman Chang has spoken, the talks have been elevated in newsworthiness.

However, according to a Reuters report, Chang didn't go so far as to announce a deal, softening his remarks by saying, "We are in talks with many handset suppliers, including Apple."

Rival China Mobile had also been in talks with Apple, but those negotiations apparently broke down over a year ago.

But even if the iPhone comes to China, don't expect it to be an instant success. Although Apple may be a hot brand in the West, it's no Coca-Cola or McDonald's in China.

Also, Chinese clonemakers have been busy copying it and offering their clone-phones at prices that may very well undercut anything Apple has to offer.

The list of iPhone knock-offs in China is staggering. Here's a sampling: the SciPhone i68, GiPhone F5, HiPhone, ePhone M8, DESAY M888, Cect P168, Meizu M8, and the ever-popular CECT-A380i.

Knowing China's fast-and-loose attitude toward software piracy, we don't expect that any Apple efforts to take these phone makers to Chinese court for hardware piracy would bear much fruit.

China Unicom may be poised to launch the iPhone, but it will be launching it into a sea of clones.

Originally posted at: Theregister.co.uk

Play.com is selling unlocked iPhone 3GS handsets in the UK - but the handsets come at the eye-watering price of £900.

Despite rumours that it was losing its exclusivity, O2 remains the sole official iPhone network in the UK, forcing customers of the other networks to jump ship if they want to get their hands on the Apple device.

However, Play.com appears to have got its hands on a batch of unlocked models. The 32GB model is shipped without a SIM card, and can allegedly be used on any UK network. One customer leaving a comment on the Play.com site claims to have had no problems connecting to the Orange network with the device.

The £900 price tag may seem incredibly steep, but it's actually not that much more expensive than the cost of buying the device on contract from O2.

The 32GB device costs £274.23 on a £29.38 per month contract with O2, which lasts for 18 months, giving a total cost of ownership of £803.07.

However, buyers of the unlocked handset will of course have to pay the monthly/pay-as-you-go tariff on the network of their choice.

Play.com may well be looking to cash in on demand for the iPhone 3GS, with stocks reportedly running low at O2.

Originally posted at: P C Pro

The tension is palpable. Apple is preparing to kick off its annual conference next week and the internet has been buzzing with speculation that the company will unveil the next generation of its iPhone.

There is much riding on this unknown bit of kit as the group looks to expand its mass market appeal as well as face down a host of rivals, one of which has today launched what some believe could be the first "iPhone killer". Adam Leach, an analyst at the research group Ovum, said: "Apple has established the product in people's minds, but they have to prove they can keep innovating to stay out ahead. This is an important release for them."

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco kicks off on Monday, hosting more than 1,000 Apple engineers, and acting as a forum for developers and IT professionals who use the company's technology. For the past two years it has been the launching pad for new iPhones. There was good news for the group yesterday as it emerged that its founder, Steve Jobs, had recovered sufficiently from his recent ill health to return to the company sometime this month. He coule even present his traditional keynote at the conference, but currently his lieutenant Phillip Schiller is expected to announce the latest step forward in iPhone technology.

Michael Brook, editor of the technology magazine T3, said: "No one is quite sure what to expect, as we've only had two years of the iPhone. At one extreme it could be a whole new model, although it's more likely to be an updated version. At the other end it could just be a few updates, but that would be pretty disappointing."

The consensus among analysts and some of the iPhone-obsessed blogs is that the upgrades are likely to include a better camera, a video camera for the first time, and a compass. The storage capacity is likely to be lifted to 32 gigabytes, while the design could become sleeker, with a higher resolution touchscreen.

Users have also cried out for the battery life to be extended. "An interesting move was Apple applying for a patent on a solar panel screen. It could be embedded behind the touch screen and when you leave it out in the sunshine it would top up the battery power. That would go some way to helping solve the problem of the battery," Mr Brook said.

Yet, technology experts are hoping for something more revolutionary. Mr Brook said the company could follow the path it took with the iPod, by launching an iPhone Nano.

Carolina Milanesi, a research director at Gartner, said a Nano-style iPhone could well be a possibility. "It is taken for granted that Apple will launch something. The question is whether it will be high or low end. I think something like the Nano makes sense." The move will also allow it to hit the mass market more comprehensively, analysts said.

Mr Jobs launched the iPhone in 2007 to great acclaim, selling 270,000 in its first weekend. The following year, the group drove further ahead of rivals with the launch of the iPhone 3G. More than three million were sold in the first month.

Yet the group's rivals are beginning to catch up. Ms Milanesi said: "Apple definitely faces challenges. The touchscreen it brought to the mass market is now everywhere."

The smartphone battleground is heating up. Strategy Analytics said 152 million of the phones were sold last year, and it expects growth of up to a fifth this year. Apple faces unprecedented competition from BlackBerry. The group that cornered the market for corporate contracts is increasingly targeting consumers. It has struggled with its BlackBerry Storm in the UK, but in the US the BlackBerry Curve outsold the iPhone during the first quarter.

It also faces competition from the phones powered by Google's Android operating system. The biggest so far is the HTC Magic, launched earlier this year. Sales of Google-powered phones 8 million this year.

Many are jostling but only one is expected to have the draw to combat the iPhone on its own turf. The Palm Pre launches today after much fanfare, and Mr Brook of T3 said it was "the closest thing yet to an iPhone killer". It is no coincidence that the launch comes two days before the Apple conference, as one analyst said it is "a deliberate move to steal the limelight from Apple".

It is a dangerous strategy. Last year, Samsung launched its Omnia phone on the same day as the Apple conference in an attempt to act as a spoiler, and ended up getting lost. The iPhone still remains ahead, but for how long is unclear, and analysts said next week could be crucial.

"The iPhone is not as differentiated, so the challenge is to create something that looks as different as the iPhone did," Mr Leach said.

The challengers: Five biting into Apple

*The Palm Pre launches today and first reviews say it lives up to the hype. Palm said the phone is so in sync with your life "it feels like it's thinking ahead for you".

*No longer content with Wall Street, BlackBerry has targeted Apple's consumer heartland with Storm and Curve. US sales figures show that the latter is winning fans over.

*HTC Magic brings Google's Android to a touchscreen device. Experts say it takes Google's G1 phone to the next level.

*The industry is eagerly awaiting Toshiba's sleek TG01 device, which is set to be one of the most advanced of Windows Mobile phones.

*Samsung releases its latest smartphone challenger this month. Despite the mystery, hype is building.

Originally posted at: Independent.co.uk

Skype has said that iPhone users will be able to use its internet telephony service to make calls, but only using wi-fi and not the mobile network.

The firm's native voice over internet protocol (VoIP) application - Skype for free iPhone - will be available for download from Apple's iTunes store on Tuesday.

The new service will allow users to make free calls to Skype users, but will charge for calls to other numbers.

The UK's first Skype handset was launched by network 3 in 2007.

Rival applications from Fring and TruPhone are already available for the iPhone. On Monday, TruPhone announced a flat rate charge of £25 a month for unlimited Voip calls to mobiles and landlines in 64 countries.

Unlike traditional mobile calls, which are transmitted over a cellular network, Skype turns your voice into data and sends it over the internet.

Some mobile Voip applications allow users to make internet telephone calls over wi-fi and the cellular network.

In the case of Skype, while calling another Skype user will be free, calling an actual phone number via the service will incur a cost.

iphone users will not be able to make Skype calls, either to Skype contacts or to landlines, over the mobile network, something users of Skype on the UK mobile network 3 can do, and have to use a wi-fi hotspot.

Watching the pennies

Many of Skype's other features - such as video conferencing and the ability to receive a second Skype call - have been left out, although the firm did not rule them out in the future.
Apple iPhone
A number of Skype's features have been removed for the iPhone version

"We're considering video carefully but we have a really high bar on the quality," said Skype's chief operating officer Scott Durchslag. "If we do it we will have to do it incredibly well."

Mr Durchslag said he had high hopes for the application.

"The number one request we get from customers is to make Skype available on iPhone," he said.

Skype plan to launch a service for BlackBerry users in May.

Originally posted at: News.bbc.co.uk

Griffin Clarifi for Apple iPhone 3G snaps on to your iPhone, and helps you capture close up shots with the Apple phone's camera.

Cameraphones may have come on in leaps and bounds, routinely packing 5Mp or even 8Mp sensors, but the Apple iPhone trails badly behind in the image-capture stakes. While it's adept at snapping bright, crisp photos that look good on its 4in screen, they don't compare with even the lowliest of digital camera shots because of their poor resolution.

Even importing iPhone photos from my recent Arizona jaunt to iPhoto showed up the device's shortcomings. Its 2Mp images were pixellated and edges jagged - it just doesn't capture enough detail.

Visit Mobile Advisor for the latest mobile phone news, reviews, tips & tricks, as well as PC Advisor's unique Apple iPhone 3G Spotlight

Visit Photo Advisor for the latest reviews of digital photography and video hardware and software, cameras and accessories. PLUS: get tips and tricks to improve your photos

Griffin addresses this problem with its Griffin Clarifi snap-on accessory for the iPhone 3G.

The Griffin Clarifi is a shiny black half-case that has a magnifying lens for use with close-up shots. This slides across the iPhone's camera lens when you want to capture a subject in more detail, rather than the whole image appearing flat and closer objects blending in to their surroundings.

Of course, this works best when you've got plenty of contrast between subject and background, good light, a steady hand - there's no getting away from the awkwardness of holding aloft your iPhone handset, using its screen to compose the shot and then pressing an onscreen camera icon to trigger the shutter.

It's also worth noting that while the Griffin Clarifi lens can bring out hitherto uncapturable detail on close-to objects, it can do nothing to improve the overall lack of detail caused by the iPhone's limited megapixel rating.

Specifications

Protective polycarbonate case; rubberised coating; built-in close-up lens; compatible with Apple iPhone 3G

Verdict

As with many iPhone and iPod accessories, the Griffin Clarifi is a one-trick pony, but if you're an inveterate snapper who doesn't want to take a 'proper' camera with them on every occasion and you routinely want to snap close-up objects, it may just be worth spending £20 on the well-built and stylish Griffin Clarifi


Originally posted by Rosemary Hattersley at PC Advisor

An online warranty supplier says Apple's iPhone has substantially fewer failures than handsets from BlackBerry and Palm

A study of new mobile phones from an online warranty supplier has suggested that Apple's iPhone has substantially fewer failures than handsets from BlackBerry and Palm.

San Francisco-based SquareTrade sells extended warranties for electronic goods in the United States. At the weekend, it published a report that looked at the failure rates from more than 15,000 new phones within 12 months of ownership.

After the first year of handset use, it found a 5.6 percent malfunction rate reported on the iPhone, which was "significantly lower" than malfunction rate of 11.9 percent for BlackBerry handsets. Palm Treo users suffered the worst, with a malfunction rate of 16.2 percent.

SquareTrade says it measured the failure rates at the one year mark mostly because the iPhone was less than 15 months old when the study was conducted. Also, the secondary reason was that the one year mark is traditionally when the manufacturer warranty expires.

On that basis, it projects "the iPhone will have few malfunctions over the 2 year minimum lifetime of a phone" (the length of most mobile carrier contracts in the US). It projects a failure rate of 11.3 percent for the iPhone over two years, whereas it recorded 14.3 percent for the BlackBerry, and 21 percent for the Treo.

The research also rubbished concerns over the limited battery life of the iPhone, as fewer than 0.5 percent of iPhone users reported a battery problem in the first year. Roughly 1 percent of BlackBerry and Treo handsets reported battery issues during the same period.

But the iPhone does have a weakness it seems, namely its touch screen, with one third (32 percent) of all reported iPhone problems were screen related. The majority of these screen problems were "dead spots", found on some screens.

SquareTrade also examined the cause of accidental damage to the iPhone and found that users found the iPhone quite slippery to hold, making the iPhone the more accident prone than any other handset. The BlackBerry meanwhile seems to have fewer software faults than the other two handsets.

SquareTrade says it examined customer data on 15,000 phones over the last two years. Apparently, it randomly selected 6,678 BlackBerry, 5,651 Treo, and 4,902 iPhone handsets covered by SquareTrade Care Plans between October 2006 and October 2008.

It included all handsets marketed under the iPhone, Treo, and BlackBerry names and purchased brand new. Only malfunctions reported directly to SquareTrade were included in the data. The company also insists it does not have affiliation with any handset manufacturers cited in this study.


Originally posted at: Infoworld

A report published by mobile advertiser AdMob showed that UK advert requests on WiFi during the month of November were more than twice that of August (8% vs 4%) as WiFi enabled devices like the iPod Touch, the iPhone and newer smartphones spearheaded a WiFi renaissance for mobiles.

42 percent of iPhone requests were made from WiFi which compares very favourably with other WiFi-enabled phones which tend to hover around 10-20 percent. Unsurprisingly, WiFi usage happened to spike for iPhone specific websites and applications.

Furthermore, Admob figures showed that worldwide requests from iPhones shot up by 52 percent from October to November reaching a phenomenal 359 million, accounting for one in every 16 requests recorded by Admob.

Apple accounted for 78.5 percent of WiFi requests in the US with 154 million, significantly more than the rest of the all other mobile manufacturers put together.

AdMob's survey only covered its own network but should realistically represent the rest of the mobile advertising market in US and UK. Non Mobile phone devices as well are generating significant traffic on WiFi.

The data also showed that Android generated 15 million requests in November and represented 7 percent of all T-Mobile traffic recorded. In terms of mobile OS traffic in the US, Android accounted for 2 percent.


Originally posted at: itproportal.com

We've shown you a selection of free iPhone apps we've tested out. Now take a peek at some iPhone apps you actually might not mind paying for.

The Apple AppStore is chock-full of free iPhone stuff to download. We've already shown you a few of the coolest free iPhone apps available, but what apps are actually worth paying for? To find out we took five premium iPhone apps for a test drive.

Our favorite of the bunch is Avatron's Air Sharing app. Apple doesn't make it easy to use your iPod to store non-media files, even though the device is perfectly capable of doing so. Air Sharing comes to the rescue with a handy app that turns your iPhone into a networked drive that can wirelessly transfer files to and from your computers, while also letting you view a wide variety of file types on your phone. It works with Mac, Microsoft, and Linux, and it gives you Web access to files on your iPhone. This handy app costs $6.99, but if you're the type who needs access to files on the go, it's well worth the cost.

One bewildering omission is the iPhone's lack of cut-and-paste functionality. TextGuru rectifies this oversight by giving you the ability to cut, copy, and paste in documents you create with the program. In addition, it also lets you view PDF and Microsoft Word files. It's a little rough around the edges, but for $4.99 you can cut and paste on your iPhone to your heart's delight.

While SpeakEasy Voice Recorder isn't the only app out there that can turn your iPhone into a voice recorder, its simple interface and its ability to download files to play in iTunes make it stand out among the crowd. Technical limitations, like the inability to record actual phone calls, detract from the otherwise-perfect SpeakEasy, but, for $1.99, you get a simple app that provides a more foolproof way of downloading your recordings to your computer for archiving or transcribing.

OneTap Movies is a prime example of an app that just isn't worth the cost. It helps you locate a nearby flick when you're on the go, but so can other apps that don't charge you $1.99. Our advice: Save your money for the popcorn.

Another example of an overpriced app is BeejiveIM, which sells for a whopping $16. Of all the apps that let you use your favorite instant-messaging applications on your iPhone, Beejive, so far, is the only one that lets you stay connected to multiple IM services on your iPhone when you close the app. Might be worth the price for IM addicts until Apple finally lets third-party apps run IM apps in the background. Otherwise, we've gotta say it seems too expensive.

Read the short descriptions that follow and decide for yourself whether these premium apps are worth your investment. Also, be sure to check out the full range of phone and PDA apps we've reviewed in our product guide. More are on the way! If you've got a favorite iPhone app you'd like us to consider, tell us about it on this article's discussion thread.

Featured in This Roundup:

Air Sharing for iPhoneAir Sharing

Air Sharing turns your iPhone into a networked drive that can wirelessly transfer files to and from your computers, while also letting you view a wide variety of file types on your phone. At $7, it's not cheap as iPhone apps go, but it's well worth the outlay.

BeejiveIM for iPhoneBeejiveIM

For a whopping $16, BeejiveIM gives you the ability to stay connected to multiple instant-messaging services on your iPhone—even when you close the app.

OneTap Movies for iPhoneOneTap Movies

The OneTap Movies iPhone app can help you locate a nearby flick when you're on the go, but so can other apps that don't charge you $2. Save your money for the popcorn instead.

SpeakEasy Voice RecorderSpeakEasy Voice Recorder

SpeakEasy Voice Recorder stands out among the many voice-recording iPhone apps, thanks to its simple interface and ability to download files to play in iTunes. A few technical limitations keep it from being a perfect solution, however. Still, it's only $2.

TextGuru for iPhoneTextGuru

A full-featured text-editing app, the $5 TextGuru finally adds cutting and pasting to the iPhone. Its implementation isn't ideal, however, and the interface could stand a few additions to make this a standout program.


Originally posted at: www.pcmag.com

Another day, another promising new iPhone rumour. At this rate, if Apple doesn’t announce something iPhone shaped next week, thousands of Mac-heads may succumb to lethal amounts of disappointment. The latest speculation comes from a leaked image, belonging to Fido – a Canadian mobile network – which strongly suggests that a 4GB version of the iPhone is on its way.

Furthermore, this coincides neatly with a rumour that Engadget is reporting, namely that the new iPhone will come in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB flavours. That’s according to a trusted and obviously anonymous source.

The rumoured 4GB model stands out in particular. With the current iPhone 3G already available in 8GB, and so many other phones adopting 8GB or 16GB as a standard, it would seem odd for Apple to be taking a step back. That, however, has let to further speculation that Apple might be about to launch a lower budget handset.

Other specs visible in the leaked image suggest the 4GB model would only have a 2.0 megapixel camera – a feature Apple is also rumoured to be upgrading for the new iPhone. Could this be the first indication of the oft-speculated iPhone nano then?


Originally posted at: Mirror.co.uk