iLounge

ComScore: iPhone holds quarter of U.S. smartphone market

• February 9, 2010
• iPhone

According to new data released by comScore, the iPhone accounts for more than a quarter of U.S. smartphone market. As of December 2009, BlackBerry maker Research In Motion led U.S. smartphone platforms, with a 41.6% share—down from 42.6% in September 2009—while Apple ranked second with 25.3% of the market, up 1.2% percent from September. Microsoft came in third, with 18% of the market, down 1% from September, followed by Palm, which accounted for 6.6% of the market, down from 8.3% in the previous report, and Google, which placed fifth with a 5.2% share, up 2.7% from September. The report ranked smartphone operating system platforms in the U.S. according to their share of current mobile subscribers age 13 and older.

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iKit reveals Leather Sleeve Case for iPad

• February 9, 2010
• iPad Accessories

iKit has introduced its new Leather Sleeve Case for the Apple iPad tablet. Made from top-quality genuine leather, the Leather Sleeve Case features an embossed design on the interior and exterior, a secure, sleeve-style access flap, a slim, padded design, an included screen protector, and open access to all ports and controls. The iKit Leather Sleeve Case for the Apple iPad is available for pre-order and sells for $30.

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Apple seeking App Store feedback from developers

• February 9, 2010
• iPhone, Apps + Games

Apple has begun sending out a survey to iPhone developers asking for their thoughts on the iPhone Developer Program and App Store experience. TechCrunch reports that while the lengthy survey covers a wide range of topics, the majority of questions revolve around the application review process and the developers’ overall happiness with the program. According to the report, the survey asks developers to rate their level of satisfaction with various aspects of the App submission process, app review process, and the “length of time it takes to get updates available on the App Store,” with options ranging from “Very dissatisfied” to “Very satisfied.” Another open-ended question asks “What one thing could Apple do to make the iPhone Developer Program better?”

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Norwegian resellers halt iPad pre-sales due to high demand

• February 9, 2010
• iPad

Resellers Apple House and Humac in Norway have been forced to close pre-sales of the iPad due to high demand. iPod1 reports (Translated Link) that despite the fact that neither pricing nor an official release date has been announced, Apple House has already received a four-digit number of advance orders, with the 64GB, 3G-enabled version being the most popular. Humac made a similar claim in its order-halting explanation, saying its seen “crazy interest” and will contact customers already in the queue as soon as it knows anything more. Apple has yet to begin offering pre-orders for the device in the U.S. [via @StefaanLesage]

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Hard Candy debuts line of cases for iPad

• February 8, 2010
• iPad Accessories

Hard Candy Cases has unveiled its new lineup of cases for the Apple iPad tablet. The line includes the Hard Case, a rigid EVA-foam case with specially fitted bumpers to keep the iPad in place, a soft interior lining, and a zippered closure. It sells for $45. A variant of the Hard Case, Hard Candy’s Bubble Sleeve offers similar protection, but adds a raised, bubbled outer surface for added shock protection, and sells for $45. The Smooth Skin is a form-fitting case made from TPU rubber, featuring a snap-on integrated screen protector that attaches to the rear of the case when not in use and open access to all ports and controls. It sells for $35. The Rubber Protect case for iPad is made from the same TPU rubber as the Smooth Skin, but offers a more rugged textured design, as well as the Smooth Skins’ snap-on integrated screen protector and open access to all ports and controls. It is priced at $40. Finally, the Hard Shell is a form-fitting polycarbonate case offering internal rubber bumpers, silicone-covered port access points, and a snap-on screen protector. It sells for $50. All of Hard Candy’s protective solutions for the Apple iPad are available for pre-order now and are expected to ship later this spring.

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Apple already considering iPad price reductions?

• February 8, 2010
• iPad

Apple executives, speaking in a meeting with Credit Suisse analysts, have suggested that the company is already considering price reductions for its yet-to-be-released iPad tablet should early sales of the device fail to live up to internal expectations. Citing Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope, the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple wants the iPad to be the best device in several usage cases, including consuming media and browsing the Internet. Since other devices, including laptops and the iPhone or iPod touch, may be more appropriate to use under certain conditions, Shope indicates that cannibalization may be less of a concern than some believe. In addition, Shope said that Apple management indicated that it will remain nimble in terms of pricing, suggesting that the company could lower prices on the iPad if consumer response is lower than projected. Apple is expected to begin shipping Wi-Fi-only models of the iPad late next month.

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Chinese maker of iPad clone vows to sue Apple

• February 8, 2010
• iPad

Shenzhen Great Long Brother Industrial Co., which produces the P88, a Windows-based, multi-touch tablet computer, is vowing to sue Apple for patent infringement as soon as the company launches the iPad in China. Claiming that the P88, which was announced last October, is “identical” to the iPad, Wu Xiaolong, president of Shenzhen Great Long Brother Industrial Co., said, “I was very angry and flabbergasted when I saw the news of the iPad presentation… It is certainly our design. They’ve stolen because we present our P88 to everyone six months ago at the IFA (International Electronics Fair in Berlin).” Wu went on to add that sales of the P88 in China would “definitely take a hit” should the iPad launch in China, and admitted that it would be difficult to take on Apple in the United States, but also said “if the iPad enters the Chinese market, we will sue them this spring.” While the P88 does share a slightly similar design, with a black front bezel surrounding a touch screen, the iP88 offers a variety of ports that the iPad does not, and overall more closely resembles the original iPhone than the iPad.

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zoomIt brings SD card access to iPhone, iPod touch

• February 8, 2010
• iPod Accessories, iPhone Accessories

ZoomMediaPlus has announced its new zoomIt application-enabled accessory for the iPhone and iPod touch. Working in conjunction with the company’s free zoomIt app, the Works With iPhone- and Made For iPod-certified Dock-connecting accessory enables users to access a variety of content stored on any SD card mounted in the zoomIt’s SD card slot. Features include support for all iPhone OS 3.0 file types, including photos, videos, music, and documents, including PowerPoint, Excel, Word, PDF and others. The app lets users view, listen and share the files via e-mail, Facebook, and Flickr, and supports the transfer of files from the card to the iPhone or iPod touch for unconnected access. In addition, the app will enable users to save photos and videos from the card to their Camera Rolls, or move media from the Camera Roll onto the SD card. The company also plans future updates to support protected content types enabling the streaming of licensed music, videos, and other forms of protected content. The zoomIT SD Card accessory for iPhone and iPod touch is expected to ship in April for $59.95, and is available for pre-order now. ZoomMediaPlus is offering pre-order customers a $10 discount, and will bundle a free 4GB Kingston SD card with the first 250 orders.

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Hutchison Austria to offer iPad + 3G modem deal

• February 8, 2010
• iPad

Hutchison Austria has announced plans to sell the Apple iPad for a discounted amount in a bundle with an i-Mo wireless Wi-Fi router. According to TamsIJungle, Berthold Thoma, CEO of Hutchison Austria, said the iPad would be offered at a discount of €333 (roughly $455) when purchased with a two-year contract for 5GB of data at €30 a month. Thoma said that since the first iPads sold in the country wouldn’t include 3G radios, the company was instead going to offer the Wi-Fi-only version with the i-Mo, which connects to the company’s 3G network and then uses that connection to create a Wi-Fi hotspot which the iPad can join. It is unknown exactly when Apple plans to launch the iPad in Austria, or whether Hutchison plans to offer a similar subsidy for customers who purchase a 3G-enabled iPad along with a data service contract. [via Engadget]

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Enter the Uncommon Custom Case Giveaway today

• February 5, 2010
• Site News

If you haven’t yet entered our Uncommon Custom Case Giveaway, there’s still time to do so. In this unique giveaway, iLounge and Uncommon are giving away 200 custom cases for the iPhone 3G, 3GS, or iPod touch. With such a large number of prizes available, we are splitting the cases up over four weeks, with 50 to be awarded each Monday, on February 8, 15, 22 and March 1. To enter, simply fill out and submit the form on the giveaway page—Good luck!

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Nedrelow outs Book case for Apple iPad

• February 5, 2010
• iPad Accessories

Nedrelow has introduced its new Book case for the Apple iPad. Hand-made from sustainable, natural materials, the Book is a hard case that resembles a traditional hard cover book, with a linen book cloth hard outer surface and a wool felt inner sleeve tailored to hold the iPad. It will come in three styles, one with the Book logo on the cover and spine, one with no writing on the cover or spine, and one with a spine that reads “this is not a book.” Nedrelow’s Book cover for Apple iPad is expected to ship in early April for $89 and is available for pre-order now.

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Apple CEO Jobs meets with NYT, WSJ, Time for iPad demos

• February 5, 2010
• Apple, iPad

Apple CEO Steve Jobs reportedly visited New York City in recent days, stopping by both the New York Times newsroom and the Wall Street Journal for personal demonstrations of the new iPad tablet. Gawker reports that Jobs’ NYT visit was strictly off-the-record, but a person who was present indicated that Jobs is preparing to sign up magazines and newspapers for distribution on the iPad, after focusing on books prior to the device’s unveiling. Little is known about Jobs’ visit with the Wall Street Journal, beyond the fact that he was reportedly confined to the office’s third floor, and did not meet with several interested staff members.

New York Magazine claims Jobs held another meeting with New York Times Company executives in the basement of Southern Asian restaurant Pranna, to which Jobs wore a “funny” hat. The report states that Jobs was seated next to NYT publisher Arthur Sulzberger during the “intimate” event, and demonstrated the iPad and its functions while speaking about how it could shape the future of media. Finally, Fortune reports that Jobs also visited the Time & Life Building while in town to demonstrate the tablet to Time Inc. CEO Ann Moore and several select magazine editors.

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Be.ez unveils LA robe Allure for iPad

• February 5, 2010
• iPad Accessories

Be.ez has unveiled its new LA robe iPad Allure sleeve for the Apple iPad. Arriving in several colors, including moka, black, multi-color, and red, the zip-access LA robe features memory foam padding, a soft, high-grade fleece interior lining to prevent scratching, and a striped outer pattern. Be.ez’s LA robe iPad Allure sleeve for the Apple iPad will be available this spring and will sell for $30.

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Latest edition of iPodweek newsletter coming soon, sign up today

• February 5, 2010
• Site News

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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Apps & Games News section added, comments appreciated

• February 5, 2010
• Site News

Ever since the App Store opened in 2008, we’ve been working to determine the “correct” balance of iPhone/iPod touch application and game news for our readers, while looking for the right place to put that news on our main page. Now that Jesse Hollington has come on board as our full-time Applications Editor, we have an interim solution in place, and are looking for your feedback.

This week, we added a new section to the main page specifically for Apps & Games News, which you will hopefully see on the left hand column near the iLounge Poll. Like all of the left column sections, you can collapse this one if you don’t care about apps and games, move it downwards, or move it upwards and keep it open. Since a very significant percentage of iLounge’s readers now own iPhones or iPod touches, we think that many people—but not everyone—will want to keep it open.

Another option would be to integrate the same Apps and Games headlines completely within the main News column, giving the stories equal footing with all other news, or otherwise include them solely as headlines in a dedicated box like our reader comment spotlight. Since news for this section can range from small to important, depending on both the story and the individual reader, there are reasons that each approach might work.

So we’d like to know what you’d prefer, and why. Please share your (on topic) thoughts in the Comments area below. Thanks!

3 comments.

FCC warns of iPad-led wireless network overload

• February 5, 2010
• iPad

In a blog posting on the body’s official Broadband.gov site, the FCC’s Director of Scenario Planning Phil Bellaria, and John Leibovitz, Deputy Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, warn that the iPad and other future devices like it could lead to network congestion. Comparing the current situation in which data-hungry mobile devices are becoming increasingly common to the rise of Internet access demands in the late 1990s, particularly those faced by AOL after announcing unlimited dial-up access in 1996, Bellaria and Leibovitz note that “[w]idespread use of smartphones, 3G-enabled netbooks, and now, perhaps, the iPad and its competitors demonstrate that wireless broadband will be a hugely important part of the broadband ecosystem as we move ahead.” Continuing the comparison and noting that AOL was eventually able to resolve its problems with network and backbone upgrades, the pair conclude that “[w]ith the iPad pointing to even greater demand for mobile broadband on the horizon, we must ensure that network congestion doesn’t choke off a service that consumers clearly find so appealing or frustrate mobile broadband’s ability to keep us competitive in the global broadband economy.”

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Booq intros new Taipan bag, sleeve for iPad

• February 5, 2010
• iPad Accessories

Booq has introduced its new Taipan Sneak XS sleeve and Taipan Shadow XS bag for the iPad and other 9- and 10-inch devices. The Taipan Sneak XS is a zipper-access sleeve hand-sewn from 3mm-thick neoprene, featuring a YKK zipper with two pulls, a soft, non-scratch contrast fabric interior lining, and jersey trim on the inner edges to provide a barrier between the encased device and the zipper. The Taipan Shadow XS is a vertical messenger-style bag featuring a densely padded, zip-closure compartment for the iPad or netbook with soft plush interior, a hidden phone pocket with soft lining, an internal front pocket divider that un-snaps to provide more room for larger items, and a unique Terralinq number which can be registered with the Booq Terralinq service to help reunite the user with the bag should it be lost. It comes in black, charcoal, or violet, each with contrasting inner linings. Both products were designed “in anticipation of the iPad” and are available now for $25 and $70, respectively.

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Speck ships SeeThru Satin for iPhone 3G, 3GS

• February 5, 2010
• iPhone Accessories

Speck Products is now shipping its SeeThru Satin case for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. Winner of an iLounge Best of Show Award at the 2010 International CES, the SeeThru Satin is a translucent polycarbonate hard case featuring a soft-touch outer finish, raised rubberized front trim, and open access to all ports and controls. Speck’s SeeThru Satin case for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS is available now in a variety of colors and sells for $30.

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