Google Earth for iPhone
Google brings it Google Earth application to iPhone and iTouch. Google Earth can be downloaded for free from Apple’s App Store (accessible through iTunes). The application is available for download in 18 languages and 22 countries. The application, by taking advantage of iPhone’s mobile technology, is capable of offering location based results for search of services and products. Google Earth is a virtual globe program that shows the earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery and aerial photography over a 3D globe.
iPhone Gets the Top Spot.
After the release of 3G phone and the price cut, Apple boosted its share of smart phone market by 55% within the past three months. 30 percent of U.S. consumers who purchased Apple’s new iPhone 3G from June through August 2008 switched from other mobile carriers to join AT&T. The top four best-selling smart phones based on unit-sales to consumers were as follows:
1. Apple iPhone 3G
2. RIM Blackberry Curve
3. RIM Blackberry Pearl
4. Palm Centro
Mobile App to Calculate Carbon Footprint.
Carbon Diem, a smartphone app which can calculate a person’s carbon footprint by monitoring the movement by using phone’s GPS. The software determines the mode of transportation from the GPS data and then calculate the impact on environment. The software proved to be 100% accurate when working out or when people were on airplanes or trains. But its only 65-75% accurate at guessing when people travel on buses. Carbon footprint is a measure of the impact that someone’s activities will have on the environment, measured in units of carbon dioxide produced. Reducing carbon footprint is beneficial to the environment. This kind of efforts will definitely help to reduce these footprints.
VISA develops Payment Software For Google Phone.
Visa Inc. announced it’s developing mobile payment software for the new wireless phone powered by Google Inc.’s Android system. The software will allow Android users to receive near real-time alerts about purchases via their mobile phones and the software use location-based mapping technology to find ATM machines and nearby stores where users can redeem special Visa offers. The software will be broadly available to U.S. consumers by the end of the year. Visa also announced an agreement with U.S. Bank, lead bank of US Bancorp, to launch a mobile money transfer pilot program.
T-Mobile G1 with Google’s Android.
T-Mobile today unveiled the highly anticipated T-Mobile G1, the first mobile phone built around Google’s open-source, Linux-based Android platform. The T-Mobile G1 has full touch-screen functionality and a QWERTY keyboard. The phone has a dedicated, physical Google search button and comes pre-loaded with Google maps and an innovative “Compass” mode. The G1 also includes Wi-Fi and integrates with Amazon’s music service. The phone will support multiple browser windows. The G1 has a couple of other things the iPhone omits: copy and paste functionality and a so-called MMS program, which sends photos to other phones without using email.
BlackBerry to Boost Mac Support
BlackBerry maker RIM plans to release a set of new tools which will address a number of longstanding complaints from Mac users. Currently, some of the important functions offered by BlackBerry Desktop software for Windows is not available for Mac. New Mac tools are expected to be released during the first half of next year.
TATA launches BlackBerry In India
While security issues arising from the BlackBerry service is still under investigation by Indian government, Tata Teleservices, a mobile services company in India, launched BlackBerry mobile services. The Indian government requested RIM earlier this year to provide access to e-mails and other communications sent or received on BlackBerry devices. But RIM denied the request saying the encrypted information send across the BlackBerry infrastructure cannot be read by anyone even it self.
McCain Invented the BlackBerry
“If John McCain hadn’t said that ‘the fundamentals of our economy are strong’ on the day of one of our nation’s worst financial crises, the claim that he invented the BlackBerry would have been the most preposterous thing said all week”, said Bill Burton, Barack Obama’s campaign spokesman,in response of the comment made by a top McCain policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin. Earlier McCain policy adviser told reporters “You’re looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create”, showing his blackberry. McCain has acknowledged that he doesn’t know how to use a computer and can’t send e-mail. BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is a Canadian company.
First BlackBerry Flip Phone
Research In Motion (RIM) unveiled the first BlackBerry Flip smartphone. The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 will be available later this year through wireless operator T-Mobile. The quad-band EDGE based BlackBerry Pearl Flip smart phone weighs only 3.6 ounces with two high-resolution, light-sensing color displays. The external LCD in the BlackBerry makes it easy to preview incoming emails, text messages and phone calls without opening the handset. Pearl flip has a large SureType® QWERTY* keyboard like in the earlier Pearl models. It features a 2 megapixel camera with flash, zoom and video recording. The quad-band phone will operate on GSM networks in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and can connect to EDGE.
Nokia Unveiled new Smartphone N85
Nokia unveiled the Nokia N85, the latest Nokia Nseries multimedia computer made to set new standards for mobile entertainment, gaming and sharing. N85 has a 2.6″ OLED screen, in-built FM transmitter and a 5 megapixel camera. The Nokia N85 is expected to begin shipping in October 2008. Each Nokia N85 comes with an 8 GB microSD card, up to 30 hours of music playback time.
BlackBerry twice popular as iPhone.
BlackBerry maker RIM took 44.5% of the US smart phone market for the first three months of 2008, up from 35.1% in the previous quarter. Apple’s iPhone came in second place with 19.2% of the market in the first quarter. Palm and Samsung were in the third and fourth places respectively with 13.4% and 8.6% of the market. BlackBerry smartphones have a strong hold in the corporate world, where it got its start,but it’s expected to have a tougher time winning the hearts of consumers.
RIM launches mobile VC fund
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is working with three other companies to launch a $150 million venture capital fund that will invest in companies developing new applications and services for mobile devices. According to RIM the fund won’t be restricted to investing in BlackBerry-specific applications. It will also invest in start-ups as well as relatively mature software developers.
