Android-based phones outsold the iPhone in the U.S. for the first time last quarter.
Google’s Android-based smartphones accounted for 28% of smartphone sales, while the iPhone accounted for 21%, according to market research firm NPD.
Research In Motion outsold both of them, and had 36% of the sales.
In a press release, NPD analyst Ross Rubin attributed the strong sales of RIM and Android phones to Verizon’s buy-one-get-one deals.
Read more at: Yahoo Finance
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{Photography © 2010 by Toscana Enterprises Corporation, all rights reserved}

Having your own iPhone app for your website or blog is becoming an increasingly common way to promote and extend your brand.

However, actually creating that application and getting it into the App Store can be a lengthy and expensive process, especially if you have little development experience. Today PointAbout is launching a new product called AppMakr, which is designed to make creating your own iPhone app simple and inexpensive.
AppMakr is a streamlined system that creates a native iPhone application out of your existing RSS feeds. You can customize elements …

Yesterday the USPTO published a unique granted patent, filed on behalf of Apple, that gives some insight into the company’s potential plans. The patent is titled “Remote control of electronic devices” and the basic gist is that a device is in the works that would let you use your mobile device to remotely control your home computer.
But wait, I hear you say — there are already a ton of apps that do just that for the iPhone. Yes, there absolutely are (my favorite is Jaadu VNC). It looks like …

The dating arena can be a dangerous place. It’s a battleground out there, and you need every tool at your disposal. It’s not cheating — it’s just using the resources available to you.
Here we’ve hand-picked 10 iPhone apps that will help you navigate the dating minefield and avoid potential disasters. From asking that special someone out, to knowing what fork to use, to how to make a hasty escape if things don’t quite go according to plan, these apps should be part of every dater’s arsenal.
Read more at: Mashable
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{Photography …

A buzz technology right now, augmented reality apps are quickly gaining momentum on the iPhone. So to add to the quick overview of six AR apps we brought you earlier, we sort the digital wheat from the pixellated chaff to bring you ten AR apps for the iPhone that vary from functional, to educational, to just plain fun.
Read more (including the list and links) at: Mashable
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{Photography by Brett L.}

Just about every big brand seemingly has a Twitter presence at this point, but which are generating the most buzz? TweetedBrands provides a simple answer to the question, by looking at the brands receiving the most mentions over the past 24 hours.
Not surprisingly, Twitter tops the list, and in fact, the first 9 brands listed are all Internet or tech related products. This makes sense – you’re a lot more likely to tweet about the various devices and services you’re using throughout the day than the brand of shoes …

At the end of July I declared my intention to quit the iPhone and AT&T, port my mobile phone number to Google Voice and use any mobile device that I pleased (or lots of them at once) in the future. Like others, I will no longer blindly follow all things Apple. Today I’m pleased to report a status update on those efforts: complete. I am no longer a member of the Cult of iPhone.
Porting my phone number to Google Voice was a three day process, which I was pre-warned …

It’s been a nasty week for iPhone users. Apple has buckled to pressure from AT&T and denied Google’s Voice application from the App Store: a nifty service that helps you consolidate phones and manage your voicemail online. The app lives on at the BlackBerry App World and Android Market, making some of the technorati so angry they’ve vowed to ditch AT&T in protest–and their beloved iPhone with it. Here are seven reasons why you should make AT&T and Apple suffer for their sins.
Read more at: Fast Company
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Is the iPhone so cool that give Apple and AT&T the right to reject Google Voice’s application while letting similar apps like Skype’s stay?
Disappointing? Yes, especially if you are a Google Voice fan.
Anti-competitive? Could be. The Federal Communication Commission is looking into the matter and asking uncomfortable questions.
The saga has just started, stay tuned (for free) for interesting developments to come.
Related Articles:

AT&T and Apple Ban Google Voice App: Is It Illegal? (Mashable)
FCC Looking Into AT&T Rejection Of Google Voice App (CNN Money)
Google Voice Thoroughly Banned From the iPhone; So …

Apple just rejected the Google Voice iPhone application from App Store distribution, the most recent in a long line of questionable moves, and the message is clear: If you want a device that won’t lock you out of innovation, skip the iPhone.
There’s no question that this brilliant little piece of hardware has sparked a revolution in the world of mobile computing and cellphones, and, likewise, there’s no question that consumers have benefited from that. I’ve been a believer in the iPhone from the start (hell, I even co-wrote a …

We’ve seen Apple ban applications from the App Store for all sorts of ridiculous reasons. This time, it’s different; all Google Voice related apps were banned from the app store, and this time Apple – or, more likely, AT&T – has a very good reason to ban them: it’s scared of them.
Google Voice lets you do a lot of stuff for free that the AT&T charges for; you can place free calls in the US, you can send and receive free SMS messages. The application is still in beta, …

In the movie Braveheart, there’s a pivotal scene involving Mel Gibson and a Scottish battalion where, as William Wallace, he tries to muster some courage from his ragtag company. Face painted blue and half-hysterical, he rallies them with a memorable speech about freedom and love of country. Then, the army proceeds to completely destroy the foreign oppressor in a fight to the bitter end.
In some ways, the current war on smartphone devices could be just as pivotal…and bloody. Companies such as Palm and Nokia have everything to lose if …

In what appears to be a last-minute effort to play catch-up, Microsoft and Verizon have put out a call for developers to code for their mobile platforms.
Verizon is planning a July 28 conference in San Jose, California, to attract software developers to its mobile platform. And Microsoft announced that on July 27, the company will start accepting mobile application submissions in advance of its launch of Windows Mobile 6.5 in the fall.
The companies appear to be responding to Apple, which announced this morning that its iPhone App Store, now …

The cost to make an iPod, Xbox, and other electronics has big bottom-line implications at Apple, Microsoft, and their peers. Some companies are willing to swallow losses on some gadgets—for instance, gaming consoles—in hopes that they’ll make up the difference, and then some, on sales of related gear, such as video game software. Other companies, including Apple, are able to sell many products for a healthy profit from the get-go.

Market research company iSuppli takes it upon itself to tear down popular gadgets to find out the price of the …

An internal AT&T memo that was leaked today is full of very impressive number regarding the iPhone 3GS — numbers that once again show why AT&T’s exclusive contract with Apple to sell the iPhone in the U.S. is so important.
The iPhone 3GS’s launch gave AT&T its best sales day at its retail stores — ever, its second largest traffic day at retails stores, the most transactions it has ever processed in a day, the most orders through att.com in a single day ever and the biggest features sales day …

As endlessly predicted, Apple’s unveiled a new iPhone today at WWDC, the iPhone 3G S — the “s” stands for speed. Although it looks almost exactly like the 3G, it’s much, much faster — some tasks are almost four times faster. Data speeds are upped to 7.2Mbps HSDPA, and the camera is now a 3 megapixel unit with tap-to-autofocus and auto white balance — and just as expected, it now supports 30fps VGA video recording with editing features. (Read more at: Engadget.com)
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{Photography by Yutaka Tsutano}