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Those who have tried Layar, swear by it, those who haven’t, well get with the times already. Layar works by using the camera on your Android handset to show the world to you with an extra layer of location-based content. If you’re using Google search or Yelping for a restaurant, the Layar browser will plot results in a 3D layer above the live video displayed on your screen from your camera. But the fun doesn’t stop here, Layar is actually a platform, an OS if you please. And many developers have seized the opportunity to make the OS more functional, Currently available content includes Flickr, Wikipedia, Yelp, Google local search, Qype, Britekite, Twitter and more. The augmented reality browser in now globally available on the Android OS, it even comes pre-installed on the Samsung Galaxy. AND, there are talks that the makers of Layar are eyeing the iPhone 3GS with intentions of launching a browser for the iPhone by next year. In the words of Homer Simpson; Woohooooo!

Demo video

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Ok so it’s pretty cool news that that Apple and Unicom China have struck a deal that lands 5 million iPhone 3GS in China, but now it seems like the officials on both side of the table are party poopers. China Unicom spokesperson Yi Difei was quoted saying that China Unicom and Apple are still in negotiations and the International Business Times’ report about a $1.5 billion order is not true. Tiffany Yang, an Apple spokesperson in Beijing, also put in that there is no new information about an iPhone agreement with China Unicom. Of course it’s highly possible that both sides want to keep the details hush hush to build some launch hype, but we do need official word after all.  We choose to hope, despite the pessimism. Keep faith Chinese Apple fans.

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After what took a good part of a century, Apple and Unicom China have managed to strike a deal. Unicom China has finally gotten Apple to send them a tweaked version of the iPhone sans Wi-Fi. And what made Apple agree to this act of great generosity…making a special iPhone especially for China; three words people…barrels of cash. According to the International Business Times, China Unicom has ordered 5 million iPhone 3GS units from Apple as the preliminary order which will back the country-wide launch of the handset in September. The order, totaling ¥10 billion ($1.46 billion USD), will put China Unicom’s launch inventory at nearly the same number of handsets Apple sold worldwide last quarter. This means the carrier is expecting heavy sales of the coveted touchscreen device. According to China Unicom’s GM of Customer Development Yu Zaonan, Apple’s handset will be priced at ¥2,400 ($352 USD) for the 16GB model and ¥4,800 ($704 USD) for the 32GB model.

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Among the latest software to become the victims of Apple’s relentless stance on annoying the world is mobile video streaming service Qik. The Qik app for the iPhone 3GS is ready to go…with two modifications; a. Wi-Fi only and b. no live streaming. Right. That definitely serves our purpose. Not. Another app build of Qik which makes for live video streaming over 3G has been sent to the App Store for approval, but lately, Apple’s been on a roll with apps. Downhill, but a roll nonetheless. Qik without the ability to stream live videos…does the extent of the insanity even dawn on Apple?

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The iPhone OS 3.0.1 update was a relief to many since it fixed the SMS exploit, but a good number of users didn’t take to it for the simple reason that they wanted to keep their iPhone 3GSs jailbroken. Well fear no more, the Dev Team has just made it public that the jailbreak that worked so well on the iPhone 3.0; both redsn0w and ultrasn0w, works just as well on the new iPhone OS build. You’ll have to be a bit trickier, but you know how to be tricky now don’t you? To jailbreak, all you need to do is install the 3.0.1 software, start up redsn0w, select the IPSW file for OS 3.0 (which you will be wise to keep on your computer) and sit back while the software labors for you. Also, if you want to take it one step further and soft unlock, just grab ultrasn0w through Cydia and you’ll be rolling in puppies. How does life get to be this easy? Because OS 3.0.1 is a spitting image of OS 3.0 with the only exception being that it has a new code that boards up that nasty SMS exploit.

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For all those who have been losing sleep over the iPhone SMS vulnerability, time to take that breath of relief. Apple has come out with the iPhone OS 3.0.1 which promptly takes care of the SMS vulnerability and makes your iPhone as secure as if Stone Cold Steve Austin was standing guard over it. Now get anti-cracking.

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Rogers/Fido had significantly toned down their smartphone plans to make sure the iPhone 3GS sold like hot cakes, but because of low inventory levels, a lot of iPhone 3GS enthusiasts have been deprived of their iPhone action, not to mention the smartphone option that was exclusively set up for the iPhone 3GS. So Rogers, sympathizing with all of you has extended the iPhone 3GS promotion to September 15^th. Yay! The discount promotions for original Rogers/Fido iPhone 3G owners as well as the 6GB/$30 data plan all fall in this category. The details are exactly the same as they were the first time around. So time to sweet talk your friendly sales rep and get that iPhone 3GS.

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Everyone knew this was coming, the iPhone 3GS would make the old iPhone 3G a step-child. Boo hoo. So how does AT&T go about trying to get through the iPhone 3G inventory, price cuts of course. So now again we are faced with the temptation of a fall in the price of a refurbed iPhone 3G down to $49 for the iPhone 3G 8GB and 16GB to $99. So now if you’re one of those incredible people who have $1600+ to spend on an iPhone over the next two years but just the extra $30 was where you choked, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. But for those who the hotness that is the iPhone 3GS, what exactly are you waiting for? The next of next generation iPhone? Anyway nice try by AT&T, not sure it’s going to work, the previous price hacks were apparently ill fated and we’re not too crazy about this one either.

8GB Refurb

16GB Refurb

The Wall Street Journal just put out some facts and figures about the International Cellular Industry that comes as no big surprise to those who’ve been watching carefully. At least the industry leaders were predictable. Deutsche Bank analyst Brian Modoff did the research and it shows Research In Motion (RIM) and Apple in major lead. Both companies combine to control 3% of the Global Cellular scene and have a joint market share of 35%. So anyone could have guessed they would be industry leaders, but the sheer magnitude of their presence is beyond impressive. Apple’s new handset won’t be out till next year, but Rim has several handsets still due before the year is over including; the Storm 2, Bold 9020 (Onyx) and the Magnum. The iPhone 3GS is continuing its venture into newer markets and is getting enthusiastic responses from all sides. Our educated guess would be that both companies could well reach a 50% market share before the year closes. The other giant on the chart, apart from this deadly duo, is Nokia. It’s profit share is greater than its market share and with a 40% chunk of the market all to itself, it’s very impressive work. But the difference between Nokia and the Apple/RIM is the that Nokia somehow seems to be missing out on the kind of handsets it needs to put in the hands of its users. Unless the Symbian Foundation achieves all targets, the future may not be as bright for Nokia as it is now. Oh and yes we saw the epic fail that is Motorola’s profit bar hanging upside down. That’s gotta hurt.

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AdMod, the company that serves Mobile Ads and is the one iPhone OS devs and mobile Web devs all turn to, has just issued a mobile metrics report analyzing the geographic distribution of the iPhone and iPod Touch. The group analyzed data from over 16.8 million unique iPhones and iPod touch units browsing over 7,000 mobile sites and using over 2,500 different ad-toting apps over the course of June. Some of the major findings of the AdMob report are;

• 54 percent of iPhone and iPod Touch users are in the United States.
• After the U.S., France, Germany and the UK each had more than 5 percent of all iPhone and iPod Touch devices.
• iPod Touch users represent 38 percent of total iPhone OS devices in North America.
• Of the 45 million iPhone OS devices Apple has sold, approximately 13 million iPhones and 12 million iPod Touch units have been sold in the US. That leaves about 20 million devices spread across the rest of the world.

Right so basically 46% of all iPhone and iPod Touch users are outside the U.S. what does this mean?  For one thing that Apple still has a pretty big chance of increasing the size of its pie by focusing outside the U.S. a bit more. It also means that the current user base of the iPhone and iPod Touch is closer to home and Apple knows exactly what to sell and how to sell it in the Land of the Free. But what will happen if and when the non-U.S. iPhone user base crosses 50 percent, where will the product offering shift? Does this have anything to do with carriers being able to support the full functionality of the iPhone and iPod Touch? It very well could be.

Another interesting revelation in the report is the fact that Android’s share is up by 25 percent on a month on month basis. Android has a 5 percent worldwide OS share, placing it ahead of Windows Mobile for the first time. It isn’t king of the universe yet, but looks like it’s started the journey.  Here’s the AdMob press release;

AdMob June 2009 Metrics Report Details

Distribution of iPhone OS Devices by Country

46% of iPhone & iPod touch Users Outside the U.S. and Growing

SAN MATEO, Calif. and LONDON, July 23, 2009 – AdMob, the world’s largest mobile advertising platform, examines the geographic distribution of iPhone OS users in its June 2009 Mobile Metrics Report. AdMob’s latest report also uses this network data in combination with Apple disclosed figures to estimate the number of iPhone and iPod touch devices in various countries.

The report finds that worldwide adoption of Apple devices continues to grow. While North America leads with 58 percent of iPhone and iPod touch users, Western Europe and Asia have increasingly become popular geographic regions, representing 26 and seven percent of Apple device users, respectively. The worldwide ratio of iPhone to iPod touch users in the AdMob network was roughly two to one in June; although this varied from region to region, this ratio has remained relatively constant over the last several months, implying a similar growth rate for both devices worldwide.

Highlights from the June 2009 AdMob Mobile Metrics Report:

• 54 percent of iPhone and iPod touch users are in the United States
• Following the U.S., France, Germany and the UK each had more than five percent of all iPhone and iPod touch devices
• iPod touch users represent 38 percent of total iPhone OS devices in North America
• Requests from the Android OS increased 25 percent month over month. Android has five percent worldwide OS share and is slightly ahead of Windows Mobile for the first time

For the first time, AdMob’s June 2009 Mobile Metrics Report also features an estimated breakdown of the number of iPhone and iPod touch devices sold in various countries. Given Apple’s recent announcement that 45 million iPhone OS devices have been sold worldwide1, AdMob estimates that there have been 13 million iPhone and 12 million iPod touch units sold to date in the U.S. based on user data in AdMob’s network. Additional details and worldwide country estimates are listed in the feature section of the report.

This analysis is based on the 16.8 million unique users on iPhone and iPod touch devices on the more than 7,000 mobile sites and 2,500 applications in AdMob’s network in June 2009, the vast majority of which were free to download. Please see the notes section of the full report and the Metrics blog for more details on methodology.

Visit AdMob’s Metrics Report site to access the full June 2009 report, view past reports, or sign up to get an email notification when future reports become available. AdMob stores and analyzes handset and operator data from every ad request in its network to optimize ad serving.  Each month, the AdMob Mobile Metrics Report aggregates this data to provide insights into major trends in the mobile ecosystem.

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