It’s a good news for developers (as well as advertisers). Developers could optimize a new app to enjoy traffic exchange in the Admob network, which so far claims covering more than 1,000 iPhone apps. The mobile ad network company will be launching an iPhone App Exchange later this month.

At iPhone 3.0 event, Apple starts off with Scott Forstall, the SVP of iPhone software, with details on the iPhone 3.0 OS and developer programs. First in line is the additional of  a paid app — In-App Purchase – that will prompt you from within the software to buy an update such as a city guide where you can add individual cities.

Two major improvements in the upcoming iPhone 3.0 OS will include Apple Push System and with embedded Google Map for 3rd Party developers. The upcoming push services are introduced to cut off connections running in the background to preserve battery life while maintaining system performance at high level.

Two years late but better than never, the most-asked-for feature — Copy and Paste — is finally here for iPhone 3.0.  That, together with MMS support are being addressed at today’s Apple event.

Yeah, there’s no doubt that iPhone is becoming a popular gaming platform among mobile users now. There are at least two reasons: (1) the statistics of iPhones  sold and  games apps on the App Store; and (2) the latest features on the device’s OS which enriches the upcoming gaming development.

Finally, online movie ticketing service Fandango is out for the iPhone as a free download, allowing users to preview trailers, find local theaters, and even buy up to 10 tickets at a time.

A recent study found that 29.4% of all online searches for consumer electronics among UK Internet users were mobile phones. According to web traffic analysts at Hitwise, Apple’s iPhone leads the Top 5 most-searched gadget brands, with Nokia grabbing second place.

Following the announcement iPhone OS 3.0 by Apple, one of the hottest discussions is what it means to the iPhone in term of facing its potential rival Palm’s Pre.  It’s interesting to compare them in three big areas: search, synchronization and background applications.

A while ago, AT&T announced prices for customers who were not eligible for an upgrade. From March 26, AT&T are offering 8GB and 16GB iPhones at a no commitment price.

One developer was successfully tethering his iPhone 3G to his laptop over USB, MacRumors wrote. Steve Troughton-Smith, the hacker, is now working on the same thing but through Bluetooth connection.

iPhones getting cheaper or free is no longer rumours, according to Telefónica O2 UK. The operator just confirmed it with their new pricing schemes.

Another lawsuit is being thrown Apple and AT&T’s way. Previous lawsuits have included the construction of the devices however this time, it is all about service delivery.

There is no doubt that the iPhone is going mainstream now. There are now more than 6,000 iPhone games on the iPhone application store, according to iPhone app tracking site Mobclix.

According to PCMag blogger, Larry Seltzer, there are serious security implications behind the jailbroken iPhone. [Apple has recently publicly saying that "jailbreaking" an iPhone is breaking the law and voiding the warranty.]

iPhone Developer contracts are not as easy as one would hope if looking to renew. As the year closes since the doors opened for developers to make their own iPhone Applications, some may not be able to renew.

The long awaited iPhone 3G will be launched in Indonesia on March 21 and will be available on retail market starting March 23, a site reported. The country’s biggest operator Telkomsel, the sole operator, will team-up with four major distributors, to sell the Apple’s shiny devices. Following  its neighbor Indonesia, Maxis Communications Bhd will be launching the iPhone 3G in Malaysia this March 20, offering various postpaid plans.

For a moment, two iPhone prototypes were for sale on eBay. There was also a supporting YouTube Video, although before you try to find them; they have both been pulled.

Watchmen: Justice is Coming app is now available for just $0.99. Adventures through the Red Light District, Cemetery and City Park await.  While “American Idol Season 8 Exclusive” follows the quest of this seasons American Idol Top 13 finalists. Released today by FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) and Zumobi, the app is available for $1.99.

A controversial new online store called Cydia Store opened late last week offers unauthorized apps for jailbroken iPhones.  Apple launched its popular online store back in July, and it has become wildly popular.

In an interesting twist to the current state of things iTunes app wise; are double standards now at play? Mippin have been having trouble with an Application for weeks, while their indiscretions are live through competitor.

Apple have announced a special event on March 17th, where the company will launch the iPhone OS 3.0 Software. As usual, it has triggered a lot of speculation about what might be coming in the new release.Mac Rumors cited Boy Genius Report that claims to have heard two most-awaited features: MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) and tethering.

Facebook on Saturday finally launched the new Facebook Connect for iPhone at the SXSW in Austin, TX. First announced last July, Facebook Connect for iPhone does similar functions like the PC version, allowing Facebook users to login to affiliated sites and share with their Facebook friends.

CBS Sports has launched a new mobile application for iPhones and iPod Touch, allowing iPhone users to watch the live stream of upcoming NCAA March Madness basketball games. It’s available in App Store and costs $4.99.

CBS Mobile releases its new TV.com app for iPhone, offering free streaming video content from CBS,  CBS-owned CNET as well as some other places  including Today on CNET, the Buzz Report, and Loaded.

An Austrian jeweller, Peter Aloisson, has designed a limited edition customised iPhone sported with gold and diamonds with a price-tag worth $2.51 million! Tagged as “Kings Button”, it is the most luxurious phone to date. What?!

ShoutOUT, the first voice-to-SMS application for iPhone users in the U.S., has been introduced today by Promptu Systems Corporation. It allows users dictate their text messages, check and correct messages, and delivered them as text messages or status updates to Twitter or Facebook.

Yeah, you were aware that your iPhone has multiple functions: as a travel mate, an entertainment media, a learning tool as well as a communication device. And now, a research project found that the iPhone could be a heart monitor and fitness tracking system.

Style.com of Vogue Magazine recently had the pleasure of interviewing Mr and Mrs Gates. Bill Gates is best known for his part in Microsoft, although his wife Melinda seemingly sometimes lusts for the competitor.

MobileMe subscribers recently received an email detailing a few changes. Initially the 2008 launch of MobileMe in was tragic although now, the Push is back.

iPhone rules! Thanks to its user-friendly browsing interface, iPhone has been becoming the preferred mobile device for web searching activities, according to a report.

Warner Bros has announced its online multiplayer game Watchmen: Justice is Coming for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Yeah, iPhone users can play the Watchmen MMO iPhone game alongside the movie’s debut on March 6.

Once installed on your device, the app searches for any wireless HP printer on your home network. Then it is as easy as click and print.  Images stored on your iPhone can print on most HP networked ink jet printers connected to a local WiFi network.

Amazon has released a free application that delivers Kindle book-reading to the iPhone, extending the company’s sales of e-books to devices beyond its Kindle e-book reader.

Apple’s success with iPhone applications was not preordained, however the company had a huge leg up on the competition. Today, Apple has a hit device, mature software platform and the one of the biggest online stores on the planet and the future is up to you.

Now, iPod docking stations support charging capability for iPhone 3G, thanks to Scosche’s converter called passPORT Home Dock. It allows users to charge their iPhone 3G on the iPod docking stations.

EA Mobile just introduced the first screens of its Tiger Woods 09 game for the iPhone via Facebook, according to Pocket Gamer. So far, there are no solid details on this golfing game.

The remote control car loving child in all of us will be jumping for joy with Rinspeed to unveil an iPhone controlled car the iChange, next week. Removing the need for keys, total control of the car can be managed through your iPhone including starting the car, changing any setting and even the shape of the vehicle.

Starting today, “Supersize Me” iPhone App for ZumoDrive is available – for the grand price of $0 for a limited time.  Hurry up and grab it now, or else you’ll have to shell out $4.99 later on when the company starts charging for it.

Nomadics introduced a new iPhone application called MultiCal, allowing users to view Google calendars. iPhone users can view one, some, or all their Google calendars in real time in one interface.

Kyte offers a turnkey framework that streamlines the creation of custom music applications for the iPhone, allowing artist and labels optimize the apps as both a promotional tool and an extension of the traditional album release.

Apple launched its first-gen iPhone in November 2007, and its 3G version in July 2008 in the UK. As of today, O2 has revealed that sales of the iPhone in the country have just hit the one million mark.

InstantAction are actively working on the next Galcon project to enable iPhone gamers to take on PC users who play the popular strategy game. Developed by Phil Hassey and originally appeared on desktops version before finally making its way to the iTunes App Store last year.

Japanese iPhone carrier Softbank Mobile will introduce a new program giving customers free 8GB iPhones under a two year contract.

Seems live television could be making its way to the iPhone. PacketVideo (PV) announced its mobile video application for the Apple’s  iPhone, allowing iPhone users to watch operator-branded TV and on-demand video.  Hmm, are you addicted to YouTube? Definetly you need this app. TubeJunkies is an app made just for YouTube addicts. You can subscribe to video channels and never miss any new videos uploaded.

Vic Gundotra, VP of engineering at Google, demonstrated an offline-capable webapp for the iPhone 3G that allows full access to a user’s GMail even while the handset is in airplane mode.  The app – which Gundotra described as a “technical concept” – relies on HTML5′s AppCache and Database standards, keeping an on-device store of not only the user-data but the software itself.

Yeah, you might be asking: iPhone 3G or HTC Magic?  Chris Davies of SlashGear has wrote an early comparison of these devices. Check-out some pointers here.

Mozilla and Skype also joined in to endorse a request by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) for an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act related to iPhone jailbreaking –which is a practice that Apple Inc. considers against the law.

Despite the fact the iTunes store currently sells South Park’s television show, movie and an uncensored version, but the South Park for iPhone has been rejected by Apple.

Are you a fan of  the nineties hit-maker The Presidents of the United States of America? The pop band has released a $2.99 iPhone app that contains four of their albums plus live tracks, demos and regular updates. Any song you like can be bought from the iTunes store directly from within the app.

A turn-by-Turn GPS application for the iPhone, the G-Map application, already exists in the App Store. There is no monthly fee required and no internet or wi-fi connection needed. Each application (XRoad Co.’s G-Map U.S. West and G-Map U.S. East) will cost you $19.99.

A recent study found that most free iPhone apps are rarely used after the first day they’re downloaded. According to analytics company Pinch Media, which analyzed over 30 million downloads from Apple’s App Store, only 20 percent of users go back for more the following day.

China’s mobile users have to wait a quite while to get their own iPhone. Apple’s latest attempt to bring iPhone to China broke down for the third times –this time over App Store mechanism. From Japan, FreeBit offers a new iPhone application called “ServersMan@iPhone”, allowing your iPhone to be  any other web server on the Internet. The app is only available in the Japanese App Store.

Thanks to Google, iPhone users now can sync their Gmail Contacts and Google Calendar events to their lovely device. Just visit m.google.com/sync to get started. British news agency ITN has launched a video-focused news iPhone application, allowing users to watch video news reports on their iPhone, even if they have no Wi-Fi connectivity or 3G reception.

Seems Google doesn’t want to fight against Apple’s iPhone multi-touch patent (as Palm will do it to keep its Pre’s multi-touch technology), they already dropped multitouch support from their Android platform.

Apple may be planning a cheaper USD 99 iPhone sometime this summer, according to RBC analyst Mark Abramsky. It is told that the $99 iPhone will not run on AT&T’s faster 3G. The report also says Apple will start selling updated iPhone 3G.

Images of the back cover of next generation iPhone has started circulating on the Internet, according to MacRumors. Looks pretty, right? I hope it’s the real deal…

The bad news: Apple has publicly saying that “jailbreaking” (and seems it’s involving “unlocking” as well) an iPhone is breaking the law and voiding the warranty.  But the good news is:  AdMob says that Apple’s iPhones now dominate the U.S. mobile Web traffic, gives the iPhone a majority 51 percent share of smartphone market in the country.

In the ocean of the social networking services, especially among dekstop-based users, Facebook is quite popular. And it also goes with mobile users.  It’s reported that Facebook for iPhone is the service’s most popular application.

Once famous rapper, spoken-word poet, interpretive dancer, trendsetter,  Internet Empresario  MC Hammer launches its own iPhone app called Hammer Time. Hell yeah!  ”U Can’t Touch This” is on the list!

Whatever you call it  — iPhone Pro,  iPhone One,  iPhone ’09, etc –  seems the next-gen iPhone is now around the corner. AppleInsider wrote about the hint of new iPhone in June. Apple is planning allowing iPhone apps running in the background, according to MacRumor today. Will it be implemented in the next-gen iPhone?

Nine-year old Singaporean kid writes an application called Doodle Kids for Apple’s iPhone. Lim, who is in fourth grade, developed the painting software which is originally dedicated to his younger sisters.  Just touch the iPhone’s touchscreen to draw and then shake the phone to clear it.

Google’s just-announced Latitude, a service that lets you see your friends on a map and get in touch, is “coming soon” for the iPhone and iPod touch. Vic Gundotra, vice-president of engineering with Google’s mobile team, expects an iPhone version of this service will follow “very soon.”

Gizmodo points us to a new concept of the next-gen iPhone. The site also called this concept phone as “iPhone 4G”. The features offered are quite interesting, but not the design.

It’s a great idea if we could access literature’s greatest works right from our iPhone, right? Thanks to Google Book Search, over 1.5 million public domain books in the US (and over half a million outside the US) are now available for perusing on iPhone.

Not just one, but three new iPhones will appear in 2009, according to an analyst with the Canadian research firm Canaccord Adams.  Seems this news confirmed the Dubai’s launch of the next-gen of iPhone and the-once-rumor iPhone Nano.

Apple has released a software update for its iPhone and iPhone 3G devices. The firmware update 2.2.1 addresses two issues: (1) improved general stability of Safari; and (2) fixed issue where some images saved from Mail do not display correctly in the Camera Roll.

iPhone users already had several softwares or solutions in doing copy and paste, but seems most of them have a few drawbacks: all the text you copy and paste get sent over the Internet (iCopy), works only within the app – so there is no cross-app copy and pasting (MagicPad) or it works only with the jailbroken iPhones (Clippy). But now, there’s a bookmarklet that allows iPhone users to copy and paste Web content to an email: iClipper. You can do it without a jailbroken iPhone! Worth trying.

It’s hard to say that iPhone isn’t a promising gaming platform. No wonder Apple always keeps moving forward in this field. As part of their roadmap, Apple is planning to offer a premium games section to its iTunes App Store, say sources. A range of iPhone and iPod Touch games will be sold for $19.99.  In another news, Apple’s iPhone, along with the BlackBerry Curve, have replaced the RAZR and low-end flip phones as the most popular gaming platforms, according to comScore.

Palringo just added its location functionality to its popular rich messaging application, enabling iPhone users looking down their contact list see not only the location of their Palringo contacts but also how far away that contact is.

Joost announced that more than one million iPhone and iPod Touch users have downloaded the free Joost application from Apple’s App Store.  Over their Wi-Fi connection, iPhone and iPod Touch users can use the global web video service’s app to enjoy thousands of hours of movies, comedy, drama,  music, documentaries, sci-fi and sports. Since the Joost iPhone App is ad-supported, similar to the web-based version,  this service is free to all the Apple’s mobile device users.

It looks like Taiwan will be the next to get the iPhone 3G. The release date over there is set for December 13th. Chunghwa Telecom is the lucky provider to get the very popular handset and plans to sell 50,000 units by March of 2009. RusianiPhone.ru made claims this week that the new iPhone firmware 2.2.1 includes push notifications and notes sync. This rumor was quickly debunked however, simply just wishful thinking gone a little too far.

A new Silicon Touch iPhone case is in the works to bring the iPhone to visually impaired users. While it is only a concept right now, this shows great promise. One of the most interesting facts about this case is that users get the full functionality of multi-touch and gestures. People keep stirring up rumors of a 32GB iPhone 3G in high hopes, but it just never seems to be true. The latest rumor is that Apple will announce this version at Macworld. None of these rumors have any credibility behind them.

Apple did announce the top ten applications of 2008 by categories. Some were easy to figure out while others we have not even heard of. For all of you who have had trouble getting connected to AT&T’s free Wi-Fi hot spots there is now an application that will get you connected fast without many steps. Devicescape’s Easy Wi-Fi for AT&T takes care of all of the steps whether it be entering a username and password or clicking the “I accept” button to start browsing.

The new iPhone firmware 2.2 is reportedly locking legitimately unlocked iPhones that were imported from other countries. We are told that any update other than the one from the country of origin will indeed lock the handset and waste the extra money you spent on it. We are finally seeing an Amazon.com application for iPhone. The thing about this application is a new feature that allows you to snap a picture of an item you would like to purchase. If that item is later identified you will be notified with an email.

It appears that Walmart will be getting the iPhone 3G on December 28th. The difference is they will be selling a 4GB version rather than 8 or 16GB versions for only $99. There will be no difference with this model other than the obvious storage space. Now the iPhone picks up even the low-end price range. There is now an upgraded version of Tap Tap revolution called Tap Tap Dance that uses the new OpenGL-based platform, switching up the layout of the tracks themselves. The ability to embed video into the background adds a whole new level of craziness to the game play.

Flickr has added the ability to view videos on their m.flickr.com website with the iPhone. They eventually plan to expand this service to many more phones as time goes on. Flickr is currently the only company to currently provide a service such as this. Apple has instated a promo code application distribution program for various reasons such as getting apps to reviewers.

A PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida has created a very interesting way of delivering treats to his dog without even getting up. This contraption took only 90 minutes to make. All the materials are commonly found around the house, including a CD spindle case, scraps of cardboard, a servomotor and some random junk. It appears that jus about anyone who would like to can create a similar machine.

Telia is the latest to report that they will bring MMS to iPhone users.  Many other countries are getting MMS on the iPhone which begs the question, when is the US going to get a piece of the action? Scandinavian iPhone owners will be able to download the homegrown iPhone application in just a few months.

Google’s voice search feature was added the Google mobile app this week allowing anyone to search even without his or her full attention. Contrary to initial thoughts, the voice search works very well. The application surprisingly can tell the difference between words such as “bear” and “bare” depending on the context used. In other applications you can now purchase the Lie Detector application if you need to tell if someone is lying on the fly. We have found this application to be noting more than a novelty. There is no rhyme or reason to the results; the application was unable to figure out the truth most of the time.

As the days go by it seems that more and more carriers are getting their hands on the iPhone. The latest to get the coveted handsets is Mobiles.co.uk.  They will now be selling the iPhone 3G in the UK. Google has admitted to using API files that are undocumented. This opens up the ability to use built-in proximity sensors in the iPhone for verbal searches. This goes against the iPhone SDK, Apple only allows APIs that are published within the SDK.

The new iPhone firmware 2.2 is reported to have several bugs that affect the overall performance of the iPhone. One problem that we have been experiencing a lot lately is the substantial drop in both Edge and 3G-network service reception. Another devastating bug is the disappearance of applications from the iPhone, both native and third party. Applications such as Safari and the Camera app have suddenly disappeared on users.

It appears that the new iPhone SDK 2.2 has a few built-in surprises that we are still stumbling upon. MPTVOutWindow class has the ability of sending live video to your TV. Apparently the acidometer controls this, as the touchscreen does not register anything while video is being sent out.  While this is not much without further development, it certainly shows a lot of potential.

Yet another Apple commercial has been pulled in the UK because it exaggerated performance speed of the iPhone 3G. In the commercial you see the iPhone browsing web pages with great speed. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) then received complaints by 17 people that the ad was misleading. People just seem to take the commercials a bit too literally; there is a lot of information to be displayed and only 30 seconds in which to do so.

The iPhone Dev Team advised not to blindly upgrade to the iPhone firmware 2.2 without first knowing all the hidden changes that it will have on your iPhone. Recently Apple has taken more steps to prevent the jailbreaking and more importantly unlocking of iPhones. There is another application out there that helps users get an edge on the law by showing locations of red light cameras and speed traps NMobile is almost always up to date through users input an moderators confirmation. While there are free versions of such an application out there, this one seems to be much more reliable.

Rovio owners will be happy to know that there is a new way to control your new Rovio. Take the controls from your computer to your iPhone with the Rovio Driver application from the App Store you can even see the onboard camera in real time. Apple is the victim of yet another lawsuit, big surprise there. This time it also includes the cracking of iPhone 3G units that were reported shortly after the launch. Apple reportedly has continued to ignore the odd issue and customers would like to be over compensated by Apple’s wealth.

Attention all Wal-Mart customers, the iPhone 3G is soon to hit store shelves. That’s right, looks like they will be getting the unit shortly after Christmas (December 28th), more than likely because there will be a price difference. Now iPhone users can make the most out of their iPhone by turning it into a wireless add-on 10-key pad for their MacBook. Users can choose from 4 different skins to best suit their needs.

More iPhone backup batteries are coming to market, trying to cash in on the untapped extra battery market that Apple has decided not to get involved with. The Incase Power Slider battery not only gives you a boost of power when you need it most, but also acts as a protective case as well.  Remind us now, how large do you really need to make your iPhone? Mobispine has set out to deliver MMS to iPhone users around the world. It’s not going to be easy however; they need to brand each application to fit the specified carrier. We still don’t know how they plan to get it by Apple and their application approval process. This may just slip by like so many other banned applications.

Apple’s new iPhone firmware 2.2 came out this week and is certainly pleasing the masses.  Those who do not know what is included in the update are having somewhat of a problem finding what the features are. It turns out just about every feature that was previously leaked has made its way to the iPhone this time. The day after the new firmware released, the iPhone Dev Team pushed out there various jailbreaking tools, but this time with a very specific warning. Apparently this update can render the baseband permanently locked preventing a later iPhone 3G unlock. It appears that when the iPhone Dev Team speaks, they mean business.

AT&T has decided to expand their range of Wi-Fi hotspots by purchasing Wayport for $275 million dollars. Wayport has many Wi-Fi hotspots in locations such as, Starbucks, Barnes  and Noble bookstores and many major airports. Oakly and Surfline have teamed up to create an all-in-one surfing application for the iPhone. Surf Report gives you real time information on surf conditions, weather, safety notices and reports. You may view weather conditions up to three days in advance.

Good news is being reported, rumors state that the new iPhone firmware 2.2 is going to be released on November 21st. We have all been backing up our iPhones as we eagerly await this update. Business iPhone users who use Calliflower for PC  will find the Calliflower interactive conference calling very useful. Now you can use the same services on your iPhone without the need to download a client to your PC. This application will be available for free on January 1st, after which you will be able to purchase it for $9.99.

HangTimer by DropZone is a great application for skiers of all kinds. HangTimer utilizes both the built in accelerometer and technology used by NASA to provide you with run statistics. This application will also give you snow conditions and directions to your local resort. More details have surfaced in regards to the new iPhone tethering plans by AT&T. These plans will cost $30 a month with a 5GB data cap.

iSoft has finally created a landscape virtual keyboard for SMS on the iPhone. The big drawback is that you have to use it as an application, there is no integration in the SMS application at all. Another drawback is that you must have a jailbroken iPhone in order to buy this application. Overall this application shows that it can kind of be done. But who in their right mind would give into the circumstances for such a bad feature.

We found out this week that Microsoft’s web-based Office Suite will work with the iPhone’s mobile Safari web browser. This web-based version will include full versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. There may be a sneak peak by the end of 2008 but we wouldn’t count on it. Google has set out to deliver the first voice search feature to the iPhone. This application will be free (no surprises there). With this application users will virtually be able to ask their iPhone any question like, “Where is the nearest Starbucks?” or “How old is the oldest man in the world?” Google will not comment on just how often this application works correctly, but they do say that they believe users will be able to get a lot of use out of it.

The iPhone Dev Team is now much closer to unlocking the iPhone 3G. The Dev Team is now able to modify the baseban but are still not sure how close they are to an actual unlock. iPhone and iPod integration is now supported in the majority of US cars. Apples music devices have become so common that now 58% of US cars support them. Even though our economy is down for the moment, Apple has managed to sell 6.9 million handsets in Q4. In other numbers, Apple’s App Store reached the 200 million downloads mark, which is a big landmark for Apple.

Reports came in that iPhone firmware 2.2 has even more goodies for us. One thing that is very impressive is Google Street View. Speaking of Google, the App Store has just recently received another gem, Google Earth. The iPhone may finally be getting a documents application capable of allowing users to edit Excel, Word and PowerPoint documents. Among all of the other features that have been added to the new firmware version 2.2 is a new ratings system. Now when you delete an application you get the option to rate it before it is deleted. This appears to be another attempt by Apple to fix a broken rating system. Apple also managed to squeeze in over-the-air podcast downloads in the new firmware version, this decision has made a lot of people happy. This may explain why Apple denied the podcast application a while back.

OrangeGadgets have brought GPS functionality to iPhone 2G and original iPod Touch owners. With all of these techniques there is some sort of catch, in order to use this device you must be jailbroken. AT&T has finally decided to give iPhone owners free Wi-Fi at participating locations. They have made it really easy to get started. Lower income customers are turning the iPhone 3G to consolidate entertainment costs with all that the iPhone has to offer.

It appears that iPhone owners will never get to partake in the Opera’s forbidden fruit. The browser has been denied from the App Store, more than likely for duplication a primary function that Apple already offers. A very interesting hockey game will soon hit the App Store, Archade Hockey is a very useful game that is worth the time to look into. EA Mobile has finally decided to give iPhone owners a taste of their very popular game Spore Origins. They have released a lite edition of the game because Apple still has not put a demo option in the App Store. We had a chance to try out the iPWR backup battery by Eznex. This device is a perfect solution to the short battery life of the iPhone. This battery pack is also compatible with any iPod that Apple has released.

At the beginning of the week, we found out that the home activation available for the first-generation iPhone would be reinstated, at least in part, for iPhone 3G purchases. And then, we got the details of the new purchasing system Apple has put in place so you can buy the iPhone 3G from your home, input all of your information and simply go to your local Apple retail store to pick it up and have it activated.

We also learned that the iPhone 3G could reach sales of 5 million in Q4, which is exciting news. And an unlocked version of the phone is now available in Hong Kong, though at a significantly higher price than if purchased through a carrier. To continue Apple’s plan for rolling out the iPhone 3G across the world, Russia will be getting the device on October 3rd.

iPhone Firmware version 2.2 entered Beta 1 for developers only this week and while details were a bit sketchy at first, we eventually learned that MobileSafari would be getting a bit of a facelift. App Store rejections letters are also apparently under the NDA developers sign to upload their apps to the store. Whether this was also a stipulation or a recent addendum in response to the frequent posting of these letters on online forums is unknown.

And last but not least we had a comparison of the iPhone 3G and the recently announced T-Mobile G1. Even though I would have loved to pick a clear cut winner, I found the playing field uneven, especially when you consider that Apple is bringing their own hardware and software to the table and the T-Mobile G1 features hardware and software from different makers.

First, we found out that AT&T is planning an iPhone U-verse IPTC interface, which would combine the carrier’s Internet and video service with mobile-controlled PVRs. An Apple patent application was also uncovered this week that shows a new “At a Glance” screen for the iPhone.

The iPhone 3G was discovered to have a hidden data matrix code printed on its side and the Genius playlist-making ability was added to the Remote app. The iPhone 3G adapter was recalled this week in fear of electrocution risks as well.

QuickPwn 2.1 for Windows was released by the Dev Team, which makes jailbreaking iPhone 3G’s latest update a snap.

In application-related news, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the iPhone was released to the App Store this week as a companion to the also just-released console game by the same name. We also learned that Trism has made over $250,000 so far in sales.

Fonolo was demoed this week and we got video footage of the “deep dialing” system in action. Finally, the Griffin AirCurve acoustic amplifier was introduced, which boosts the audio output of your iPhone which docking it.