iPhone
iPhoneOS 3.1.3 available now for iPhone users
Feb 3rd
It is not 3.2 as the iPad. The upgrade for your iPhone that Apple just issued is a minor upgrade to your iPhone.
The new iPhoneOS upgrade offer a few fixes and enhancements to you iPhone:
- Improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
- Resolves issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances
- Fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard
Although it may not be a no big deal for many of you, you can still update your iPhone to get the latest OS from Apple.
Apple rumoured to dump Google and use Bing as default search
Jan 21st
This make sense as Google is becoming the common enemy of Apple and Microsoft.
With Google’s strong push of Android in the market and works from Google to integrate their services tightly to the platform, it will slowly capture the mobile search market and soon the mobile market.
And with the recent purchase of Admob (a mobile ads company) and release of its first Android phone, Nexus One, to the market, the big G has shown its interest to conquer the mobile market as well.
So it is obvious that Google is stepping into Apple’s iPhone territory. And Microsoft’s Bing has to find its way to more mobile devices besides its own Windows Mobile. The alliance between the two companies will slow down Google’s attack.
Well, we will see whether it will happen soon.
[via businessweek]
Rumour: iPhoneOS 4.0 features
Jan 20th
Everyone is hoping to hear from Apple on 27th of January what will be the new features available on iPhoneOS 4.0 when it is released, especially when facing tougher competition coming from Android and soon to be coming Windows Mobile 7.
According to some guys from Gizmodo, we are expecting the following features:
- There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide.
- “A few new ways” to run applications in the background – multitasking.
- Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient.
- The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date.
- There will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.
Excited? Let wait till next Wednesday.
[via Gizmodo]
Microsoft releases Bing for iPhone in App Store
Dec 17th
Looking for an alternative search engine on your iPhone? Microsoft has made its search engine Bing available in iPhone App Store. And it will compete with Goole’s mobile app.
The key features of the new application include:
- Daily image from Bing.com
- Easy to access voice search
- Tips and tricks on the home page
- “Locate Me” functionality
- Ability to add pushpins and save locations
- Show multiple locations on a single map
If you wish to try it out, pick up you iPhone and search the app in the App Store.
M1 and Starhub added more armours to fight the iPhone war in Singapore
Dec 12th
M1, one of the three operators in Singapore that started selling Apple iPhone on 8th of December, has added more goodies to the iPhone price plan bundle.
Original bundled with 10Gb of data (and it was the highest until Singtel and Starhub raised theirs to 12Gb), M1 is now bundling 12 Gb of data and cap the data charge at SGD30.
For Starhub, it has thrown in free IDD (international) calls to 18 countries for free, instead of paying SGD5 for monthly subscription. Take that, Singtel and M1 where we have to pay SGD5 monthly to enjoy that. This is a good news for people like me who need to call some countries like US, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia quite often.
Do something Singtel and Starhub, I don’t want to pay the extra 5 dollars for this service.
Time names Motorola DROID the gadget of the year, Apple iPhone 3GS comes in number 4
Dec 10th
Time has named Motorola DROID to be the number one of “The Top 10 Everything of 2009″.
The reasons given on the web site:
“The Droid is a hefty beast, a metal behemoth without the gloss and finish of the iPhone, but you don’t miss it. The Droid’s touchscreen is phenomenally sharp and vivid, it has an actual physical (not great, but good enough) keyboard, and best of all, the Droid is on Verizon’s best-of-breed 3G network.”
And the iPhone 3GS comes in as number 4 on the list. I guess the main reasons are there are not much changes and improvements from the previous iPhone 3G except speed and some new features.
[via Time]
Singapore iPhone war continues, M1 increases data bundle to 12GB, Starhub data fee capped at SGD30
Dec 10th
This is another proof that open market will benefit the consumers 
When there are more competitors in the market, there will be more choices and the prices will be more competitive.
Singapore consumers, you are now free to choose your iPhone operators. And we are seeing the prices and bundles keep changing from the 3 operators these few days. M1’s iPhone plans were bundled with 10Gb of data originally, and now they are bundled with 12Gb of date after Singtel and Starhub increased their bundled to 12Gb. And Starhub data usage charge is capped at SGD30 (from SGD48) now, after Singtel changed the data charge to be capped at SGD30.
And I am not sure when this will end. If you are planning to buy one, I suggest you wait till everything settles down
At the end, the consumers win. And yes, Apple will win too, because the iPhone market in Singapore will now be expanded.
