Now this seems pretty useful, if you ask me. The iPhone 3G FUEL is the latest offering from Case-Mate and offerings a way to carry your iPhone and boost your battery life at the same time. And that’s a deal that you can’t really beat.

The FUEL makes it so you can charge your iPhone no matter where you are. Even if you leave your charger at home, you’ll be okay to go because the device provides you with an extra 9-hours of talk time.

Additionally, you can add on 7 extra web browsing hours, 24-hours of music playback, 8-hours of video playback and up to 250-hours of standby time. You can sync your iPhone 3G with this device as well. You can get the iPhone 3G FUEL Rechargeable Battery Pack today for $79.99.

With a score of 791 out of 1,000, Apple excelled in all areas including operating system, operation, features and design receiving 5/5 stars. However, it received a 2/5 for the battery category. LG and Samsung followed with scores of 772 and 759, respectively.

Also released today was the 2009 Wireless Traditional Mobile Phone Satisfaction Study which showed LG coming out on top with a 733 score. Sony Ericsson followed with a score of 712. Interestingly enough, those who still used traditional mobile phones remain mostly satisfied, even though they know smartphones carry additional feature sets.

The ad shows the iPhone speeding along between web pages and other applications super fast, but the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received complaints by 17 people that the ad was misleading.

Sure, the phone isn’t really that fast, but hey they have to fit in a bunch of information in just 30 seconds. Actual load time does not bode well for spiffy advertising promos. And what sort of ad would be successful if all it showed was a web site loading? That’s not exciting. Anyway, I thought this was ridiculous. What do you think about it? Oh, and watch the ad in question below: 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OknElEusVhM&eurl=http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2008/11/27/uk-government-pulls-iphone-3g-ad/&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

MPTVOutWindow class makes it so your iPhone can transmit video straight from itself to a TV connected to it. So, instead of viewing videos on your iPhone screen, you can view them on your much larger TV screen. You will need to buy a video adapter or cable in order to make the proper hook up, however.

It seems you can also use the accelerometer for controller functions, as any screen touches are ignored when video is being sent out. While limited at the moment, this function seems to have potential and it will be interesting to see what developers do with it and whether or not it is expanded in future upgrades.

Google was quick to dismiss more serious claims that they were linking to dynamic frameworks, however. So what’s the big deal about undocumented APIs? Well, whenever Apple updates their software, the application code could break.

Plus, this raises questions about applications accepted into the App Store by Apple. If Apple knew Google was using these APIs and let the application through anyway, it could point to a sort of favoritism. However, Google might just end up rewriting the code if Apple ends up enforcing the SDK terms.

The retailer is offering up the 8GB black model and the 16GB black and white models of the iPhone 3G. The great thing is the price, however. The pricing ranges depending on what O2 plan you purchase. However, with the higher-end monthly plans, you can get the iPhone for free!

In order to get the free phone, you will have to either purchase a £45 a month plan for a free 8GB, or the £75 a month plan, which gets you 3000 mins, 500 texts and either a free 8GB or 16GB iPhone. If O2 is the carrier for you, then this sounds like a great deal.

It turns out over 200 million applications have now been downloaded from the App Store. That marks a definite increase in downloads since it was just last month when we learned the 100 millionth download had been passed. That’s pretty impressive if you ask me.

This still doesn’t tell us how much Apple is making off of the App Store, but 200 million downloads can’t be hurting business, that’s for certain. We do know, however, that in August Apple was making about a million a day in App Store revenues. 

[via MacRumors]

Jobs, not to be one to speak lightly, pointed out that the iPhone has sold more than RIM phones. Another interesting point? Apple has $25 billion in the bank so the poor economy won’t affect them at least right now.

39% of Apple’s business is from the iPhone. Yeah, that’s crazy! To put this in more specific terms, Apple is now the third largest mobile phone supplier in the entire world. The only two largest are Nokia and Samsung! If anyone doubted the iPhone, it seems this ought to keep them quiet for awhile.

[via CrunchGear]

Since the iPod has become like the Kleenex–you know, brand name replacing the device itself, i.e. MP3 player and tissue?–it makes sense integration would be on the minds of many auto makers.

iPhone and iPod integration makes it much easier to control your tunes while in your vehicle. Things like integration with the car stereo’s controls, steering wheel controls and more do more to keep your eyes on the road, too.

[via The iPhone Blog]

 
The photo above shows the iPhone 3G’s baseband and the modifications that have been made to it. Apparently this fails the “integrity check” but still keeps running anyway. I call that progress!

The Dev Team notes the ability to modify the baseband is “useful” but they are unsure as to how close they are to unlocking for real.

[via blog.iphone-dev.org]

The adapter attaches to any in-car iPod integration system, making all iPhone and iPod models compatible. This way, you can listen to your iPod in the car and charge it at the same time. That’s pretty convenient, if you ask me.

The passPORT from Scosche is now available at Apple retail stores. It retails for $29.99. Check out a few more pictures below.

In the case of this ad called “Game Changer,” the focus is on the app put out by Major League Baseball. Even though the app has been under a bit of scrutiny lately due to its season-only functionality, Apple certainly knows how to be timely.

Even so, if you’re looking to find out all the latest baseball information as it happens, there couldn’t be a more perfectly-tailored app for you. I wonder what app Apple will make the focus of their next ad?

[via The iPhone Blog]

But that doesn’t mean this blog was quiet this week. In fact, we found out that the iPhone firmware 2.2 has a few extra features no one noticed right away, including Emoji and StreetView support in Google Maps.

We also learned that a big group of current iPhone users actually switched from a different carrier in order to use the device. Plus, the iPhone Developer Tech Talks launched this week, bringing iPhone app creation abilities to a wider audience.

The mini-USB plugs were recalled recently, and now customers are getting their replacements. Funnily enough, they have arrived for many in huge boxes with just an instruction sheet warning customers to return the defective plugs or else.

A heart rate monitor app went live on the App Store this week as well, which makes it easier to keep track of your heart rate anywhere at anytime.

Lastly, we took a look at PhoneTag Voicemail. The service that allows users to view transcriptions of their voicemails by means of a text message or an email, was very useful and for the most part intuitive. Many will find it to be a suitable alternative to the iPhone’s Visual Voicemail capability.

This is what Apple has to say about it:

Don’t miss this unique opportunity. The event is free, but space is limited.

Apple technology evangelists and engineers will soon be traveling the globe bringing iPhone development expertise to a city near you. Learn about the tools and technologies you’ll use to create great iPhone applications, then work with the experts to optimize your code, refine your user interface, and apply the knowledge you gain from the sessions to enhance the capabilities of your iPhone application.

You can expect lectures on iPhone User Interface Design, Objective C and Game Development. The Tour will kick off in San Francisco on October 22nd. Other cities include Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle. A few cities in Europe, Asia Pacific and India are included as well.

[via MacRumors]

I think there’s a key word in the name of the product. You know, “mini.” That box could’ve fit at least twenty of those things, most likely more. I guess there’s comfort in knowing your shipment was well packaged and won’t be broken during travel, but come on! This is ridiculous!

All that was in the box was the plug and an instruction sheet. Apparently, if you don’t return the recalled plug, Apple may charge your credit card for it. That’s awfully threatening sounding, don’t you think? Especially when dealing with a defective product of their own!

[via GottaBeMobile]