It has been reported that the highly anticipated TomTom kit for the Apple iPhone, has been made available for pre-order, from one online retailer in the UK. The pre-order price has yet to be officially confirmed by TomTom though, so it could be wrong.
According to AppleInsider, the TomTom iPhone Kit is available to pre-order here for £99, which is around $168.50. The price includes the TomTom cradle, as well as the accompanying software instructions.
However, TomTom spokesman Kevin Carter had this to say on the news:
“At this point we haven’t publicly announced pricing,either in the U.K. or the U.S.”
If the price turns out to be true though, $168.50 is not a bad deal at all, considering most standalone TomToms retail for around $200. Let us know your thoughts on the news.
2 Apple’s iPhone 3GS outsold by RIM’s BlackBerry Curve
It has been confirmed that RIM has secured the top position, beating Apple in the process for the most phone sales during the second quarter of 2009. One of the main reasons for RIM’s success is thought to be down to their BlackBerry Curve handset, and the fact that is available on all four major U.S. wireless carriers.
According to InformationWeek, RIM’s BlackBerry Curve managed to outsell the Apple iPhone 3GS, during the second quarter. No specific figures were revealed by data specialists IDC, but did highlight RIM’s success over the iPhone.
Another factor for RIM’s success could be down to the fact that the BlackBerry Curve comes in a variety of forms, which give the customer a more varied choice.
3 IPhone and iPod Touch get basic steering wheel
A new accessory has been developed for the iPhone and iPod Touch, this is a steering wheel that allows you to put your iPhone or iPod Touch into the middle of it. The steering wheel is called “Basic Steering Wheel for iPhone and iPod Touch” and is manufactured by CTA Digital.
The steering wheel is basically a plastic framework to hold your iPhone or iPod Touch in, there are apparently no electronics involved whatsoever. The steering wheel just makes turning corners more natural then just changing the angle of the iPhone, check out the video at the end of the post to see it in action.
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best, however with this device I have my doubts, all in all it is a bit of fun which if cheap enough may sell a few units, but perhaps I am wrong, we will soon see. Check out IntoMobile for their article.
4 O2’s iPhone 3G exclusive reported to end on October 9th
According to a report on ITProPortal it seems that O2 may soon be coming to the end of their deal with Apple for the exclusivity for iPhone handsets. When O2 originally signed the deal for the exclusivity for the iPhone the understanding was that O2 would hold exclusivity until 2012.
According to reports shown on ITProPortal it seems that this exclusivity will end as of the 9th of October, however it seems that O2 will still hold exclusivity for the iPhone 3GS along with other future Apple iPhone versions.
If this news is true it could be huge for carriers such as Orange, Vodafone. T-Mobile and Three, although they will not be able to supply the iPhone 3GS it should still see a higher demand for the carriers.
5 Apple’s Phil Schiller talks iPhone App Store process
We have an ‘interesting’ article for you to engage your thoughts on now, which talks about the Apple App store and the process it goes through when approving, or in this case, disapproving apps.
According to IntoMobile, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller recently exchanged emails with John Gruber from the DaringFireball blog.
The topic of conversation here was a certain ‘Ninjawords’ iPhone app that was disapproved for the App Store, for certain uses of vulgar words. It was only after the Ninjawords app was resubmitted to Apple with parental controls implemented that the App was successfully approved by Apple.
Its very interesting as you don’t often see an Apple employee as high as Phil Schiller talking about the App Store and the way it works. If you’re a developer and have become frustrated with Apple over time, its a good idea to check out John Gruber’s blog here.
6 Apple iPhone 4G may register abuse events
According to an article on IntoMobile, it is thought that when the iPhone 4G is finally released it may have a system which records “abuse events”, these “abuse events” will be logged and kept permanently on the handsets storage. The obvious benefit of this system is to expose warranty-voiding actions.
Apple’s patent would have future Apple products fitted with a range of sensors such as shock, thermal, liquid and continuity sensors. These sensors would hopefully record any abuse to the handset, and could in turn cause warranty claims to become void.
Whether this technology will ever be used in Apple handsets is hard to say, but if a decent system is developed it could prove to be very cost affective for Apple, however I would imagine it will cause a lot of upsets with its customers. Check out IntoMobile for full details.
7 Apple iPhone Virus: The antivirus solution
The days of Apple having invulnerable systems is long gone, with the Apple pop culture spreading worldwide and becoming ever more popular, it has in doing so, attracted the likes of hackers and exploiters too. Luckily the CEO of AVG (JR Smith) has come forward to calm the nerves of the Apple supporters whose faith in Apple’s security has been somewhat shattered over the last month due to articles like THIS one about the iPhone, and THIS one about the Mac keyboards.
JR Smith has revealed to CNET UK, that he is releasing a full AVG desktop product for OS X next year, and also that he plans on releasing a piece of real-time AV software for the iPhone before the end of 2010. But when developing for the iPhone he has one big problem to overcome, the iPhone in its current state does not allow for apps to run in the background, therefore destroying the ability to have a real-time scanner, but he says it is something they are working on, “We can’t add a layer of protection on to the iPhone today, so that’s a lot of the conversation that we’re having with Apple.”
So it seems that AVG are stepping up their game to the same level of the hackers and exploiters, making plans for the Mac community as well as the portable gaming community. AVG, we here at product reviews salute you! So what does everyone else make of AVG’s plans? A promise of something good, or a promise that will never amount to anything? Let us know what you think, right here at Product Reviews.
8 Apple iPhone 3GS: 8GB Version on way
According to The Boy Genius Report they have received a number of tips informing them that Rogers Wireless (Apple’s Canadian iPhone partner) is currently shipping the 8gb version of the Apple iPhone 3GS to its retail stores. The Boy Genius Report has been sent photos of what appears to be an internal Rogers memo announcing the introduction of this new model to the staff and advising how the transition will take place.
It seems that they are first going to clear all their 8GB standard iPhone 3G handsets before bringing in the new 3GS versions. There has been no official statement from Apple or Rogers at current. Keep checking back at Product Reviews for up-to-date information about this rumoured release, and all other news and reviews!
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