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Enter the CES Exhibits Plus Pass Giveaway today

• November 20, 2009
• Site News
• digg this

If you haven’t yet entered our CES Exhibits Plus Pass Giveaway, there’s still time to do so. In our Giveaway of the Month for November, iLounge and CEA are giving away CES Exhibits Plus passes to 100 lucky readers. The pass will allow access to all exhibits, TechZones, SuperSessions, and keynote addresses at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, including the all new iLounge Pavilion. To enter, simply fill out and submit the form on the giveaway page—the giveaway will end on November 30, 2009 at 11:59PM Pacific Time. Good luck!

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Wider distribution boosting iPhone sales in France

• November 20, 2009
• iPhone
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Apple’s increased number of iPhone carriers in France is leading to a boost in sales, which bodes well for a similar result in the U.K. Marketwatch reports that the latest data from Bernstein shows Apple’s value market share in France jumped from 21% in the second quarter to 32% in the third quarter, thanks to the phone’s availability on Bouygues Telecom and SFR. “The expansion of iPhone distribution has clearly benefited Apple, helping it to more than double sales in three months,” said Pierre Ferragu, an analyst with Bernstein. Morgan Stanley had similar estimates, the report states, which showed iPhone market share in France increasing by 17% sequentially in the third quarter. Carolina Milanesi, research director in Gartner’s mobile device department, said France is now the biggest market for the iPhone in Europe with more than 600,000 units sold in the third quarter.

A similar boost is hoped for in the U.K. “Exclusivity in France ended in April. Our numbers show that shelf share tripled and market share doubled quarter on quarter,” said Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston. “Given that the U.K. market is pretty similar and the brand strong there, yes, you can extrapolate that.” O2 was the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the country until earlier this month when Orange launched the device; Orange said it saw first-day sales of 30,000 units, while competing carrier Vodafone will launch the handset early next year. [via MDN]

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Chinon rolls out AVi portable iPod speaker

• November 20, 2009
• iPod Accessories
• digg this

Chinon has introduced its new AVi portable iPod speaker system with integrated digital TV. Featuring a boombox-style design, the AVi offers a Universal iPod Dock on the top of the system, a 7-inch, front-mounted LCD monitor, dual, 2.5W speakers, an integrated ATSC digital TV tuner with AV output, an auxiliary input for connecting the iPod shuffle or other audio sources, a digital FM tuner with 20 presets, an alarm clock, the ability to run for three hours off eight “C” batteries, and an included remote control. Chinon’s Avi portable speaker system for iPod is available now and sells for $200.

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TomTom intros separate Car Kit for iPod touch

• November 20, 2009
• iPod Accessories
• digg this

Following the release of its updated turn-by-turn navigation app that added support for the original iPhone and iPod touch, TomTom has revealed that first-, second-, and third-generation iPod touch users wanting to purchase a TomTom-branded GPS solution will need to buy a separate car kit than the one offered to iPhone users. In a Twitter update, TomTom representatives wrote, “The existing TomTom car kit is designed for the iPhone. A new car kit for iPod touch will be available shortly in the United States.” The iPod touch version of the Car Kit looks physically similar to its iPhone cousin, and will offer a majority of the same features—charging, enhanced GPS performance, an enhanced speaker, audio line out, and a rotating mount—but will lack the microphone of the iPhone unit. The company has put up a product page for the iPod touch Car Kit, which is listed at $100, but has yet to announce a firm release date. [via iFun.de]

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iLounge and MusicSkins announce the Ultimate Design Contest

• November 20, 2009
• Site News
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iLounge and MusicSkins are pleased to announce the new Ultimate Design Contest. Entrants can upload their own design/imagery for the chance to be featured and distributed via MusicSkins iPod, iPhone and Macbook skins at the iLounge Pavilion within the International CES, held January 7th – 10th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Other prizes include a Macbook computer, a third-generation iPod touch, and a MusicSkins licensing deal. The winner and 2 runners up will be chosen by the iLounge and MusicSkins staff. The contest begins now and will run until December 15th; interested readers can visit the Ultimate Design Contest homepage at www.MusicSkins.com/iloungecontest for more information and to upload their design. Good luck!

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Latest edition of iPodweek coming shortly

• November 20, 2009
• Site News
• digg this

iPodweek, iLounge’s weekly newsletter recapping the last seven days in news, articles, reviews, and more, will be sent out to our email subscribers later today. In addition to rounding up the week’s top stories, iPodweek also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies. If you haven’t yet signed up to receive iPodweek, there’s still time to register and receive this week’s edition — just use the simple form below to submit your email address.

IMPORTANT: Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Earthlink and others, make sure we don’t end up in your spam box. Please accept emails from iLounge.com. Thank you.

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Apple planning more iPod touch apps for retail?

• November 20, 2009
• iPhone Applications
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Apple is planning to roll out at least two more iPod touch applications to be used in its company-owned retail stores, according to an AppleInsider report. In addition to the previously revealed point-of sale application, Apple will reportedly be providing an application that allows employees to replace iPhones and iPods directly on the store floor, removing the need for a Genius Bar visit. A separate application is said to be designed for the stores’ stock rooms, where it will help facilitate necessary tasks performed in all of Apple’s retail stores. According to the report, the new apps will arrive simultaneously, alongside the new iPod touch-based POS system.

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Gameloft, others cutting back on Android development

• November 20, 2009
• Digital Media
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Gameloft has said that it, along with other developers, is cutting back on Android development due to the low financial returns seen on the platform. Reuters reports that Gameloft finance director Alexandre de Rochefort, speaking at an investor conference, said, “We have significantly cut our investment in Android platform, just like ... many others.” “It is not as neatly done as on the iPhone. Google has not been very good to entice customers to actually buy products. On Android nobody is making significant revenue,” he added. Gameloft’s App Store offerings generated 13 percent of the company’s revenue last quarter. “We are selling 400 times more games on iPhone than on Android,” Rochefort said. Google’s Android platform has seen increased press coverage lately in part due to the release of several high-profile devices, including the Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris on Verizon Wireless.

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Google launches Google News for iPhone, iPod touch

• November 20, 2009
• iPhone
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Google has launched a new mobile-formatted version of its Google News homepage. The new offering is optimized for display on the iPhone and iPod touch, as well as Android devices and the Palm Pre. It offers the same personalization available on the desktop, along with more stories, sources, and images, a mobile-friendly “jump to” menu, and the ability to reach favorite sections, find articles, and play videos in fewer taps. To access the new mobile version of Google News, simply visit news.google.com from Safari on an iPhone or iPod touch.

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Magellan releases RoadMate app, Car Kit coming

• November 19, 2009
• iPhone Applications
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Magellan has released its new RoadMate 2010 North America application for the iPhone and iPod touch. Features of the turn-by-turn navigation app include a OneTouch favorites menu for fast bookmarking and retrieval of commonly-accessed places and searches, spoken street name guidance, highway lane assist, QuickSpell with SmartCity Search for faster entry of addresses, 3D landmarks, Address Book integration, in-app music control, the ability to save a vehicle’s parking location, a pedestrian mode for use outside a vehicle, and up-to-date NAVTEQ maps. In addition, the application offers support for the iPod touch, allowing for use with an optional third-party GPS receiver, such as Magellan’s upcoming Premium Car Kit. The Car Kit will offer a fully adjustable, rotating mount to work with any skin or case, enhanced GPS signal via the built-in receiver, the ability to charge the connected iPhone or iPod touch, a noise-cancelling speakerphone with Bluetooth hands-free calling, and an amplified speaker. Magellan’s RoadMate 2010 North America application is available now and sells for $80; the Premium Car Kit is listed as coming soon, but no exact release date or pricing information has yet been announced.

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Proporta ships Antimicrobial Case for iPhone 3G, 3GS

• November 19, 2009
• iPhone Accessories
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Proporta has introduced its new Antimicrobial Silicone Case with SteriTouch for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. The Antimicrobial Silicone Case is made from rugged silicone, which has been treated with an antimicrobial coating to guard against germs and bacteria, and features a textured black outer surface with grey interior. Proporta’s Antimicrobial Silicone Case with SteriTouch for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS is available now and sells for $21.

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Virgin Mobile Canada to offer iPhone 3G, 3GS

• November 19, 2009
• iPhone
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Virgin Mobile Canada has announced that it will launch the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in its Virgin Mobile retail stores and online in the coming months. Although no further details were provided in the official announcement, Canadian mobile news site MobileSyrup suggests that the handset will launch on the carrier in February 2010, and also believes pricing will be similar to that offered by the phone’s other Canadian carriers, with a three-year contract. The iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS are currently available in Canada through Rogers/Fido, Bell Canada, and Telus.

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