iLounge

Swimman waterproofs Earphones with Remote and Mic

• November 23, 2009
• iPod Accessories
• digg this

Swimman is now offering waterproofed sets of Apple’s Earphones with Remote and Mic. According to the company’s website, Swimman developed the waterproofed controls as an option for owners of compatible iPod and iPhone models—such as the remote-dependent third-generation iPod shuffle—who have grown tired of their in-line control boxes shorting out when exposed to moisture or sweat. Apart from the waterproofed control box, all specifications are identical to Apple’s standard offerings. Swimman’s Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic with Waterproofed In-Line Controls are available now and sell for $40.

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KT to launch iPhone in South Korea on Nov. 28

• November 23, 2009
• iPhone
• digg this

KT has announced (Translated Link) that it will officially begin sales of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in South Korea on November 28. “We are thrilled to bring iPhone to South Korea,” said Kim Woo-sik, CEO of KT’s personal customer group. “Our customers will enjoy the power and benefits of using the revolutionary iPhone on KT’s 3G network.” All three iPhone models will be available with three different “i-” plans, with the 16GB iPhone 3GS and 8GB iPhone 3G available for free with the W 95,000/month—roughly $82—“i-Premium” plan; pricing rises through the three tiers to a maximum of W 396,000 (~$343) for the 32GB iPhone 3GS on the W 45,000/month (~$39) “i-Light” plan. Despite the official announcement and a confirmation from Apple, South Korea remains missing from Apple’s list of countries where the iPhone is available.

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New iPhone jailbreak worm seeks banking info

• November 23, 2009
• iPhone
• digg this

A new iPhone worm affecting jailbroken units is targeting owners who use their device to access Internet banking services from Dutch online bank ING. BBC News reports that the worm was discovered by security company F-Secure, and uses the same SSH vulnerability—specifically, jailbroken iPhones that have had SSH activated without having the default password changed—to redirect the bank’s customers to an unauthorized look-a-like site with a login screen. According to F-Secure, this new worm is more dangerous than prior threats because it can behave like a botnet, enabling the phone to be accessed or controlled remotely. “It’s the second iPhone worm ever and the first that’s clearly malicious - there’s a clear financial motive behind it,” F-Secure research director Mikko Hypponen told the BBC. “It’s fairly isolated and specific to Netherlands but it is capable of spreading.” Hypponen added that while the number of infected phones is thought to still be in the hundreds, the worm could potentially jump from phone to phone when multiple vulnerable devices are running on the network, such as at Wi-Fi hotspots. A spokesperson for ING Bank said the company was going to post a warning about the worm on its official website. “We are also briefing call centre personnel,” she added. “It’s important to remember that the worm only affects jail-broken phones and it is only aimed at customers in the Netherlands.”

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Apple exec Schiller discusses App Store

• November 23, 2009
• iPhone
• digg this

In an interview with BusinessWeek, Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller made several interesting comments about the continuing growth of the App Store and the company’s app approval process. “We’ve built a store for the most part that people can trust,” Schiller said of the App Store. “You and your family and friends can download applications from the store, and for the most part they do what you’d expect, and they get onto your phone, and you get billed appropriately, and it all just works.” Comparing Apple to a brick-and-mortar retailer that must determine what products to put on store shelves, Schiller continued, Whatever your favorite retailer is, of course they care about the quality of products they offer. We review the applications to make sure they work as the customers expect them to work when they download them.”

Schiller reiterated the company’s count of more than 100,000 apps available in the App Store, and said that roughly 10,000 are submitted each week; Schiller claimed that most are approved, while about 90% of rejections are sent back to the developer due to a technical issue, such as a bug or unexpected operation. The other 10% are mostly inappropriate. “There have been applications submitted for approval that will steal personal data, or which are intended to help the user break the law, or which contain inappropriate content,” Schiller said. However, about 1% or fewer of returned apps fall into a gray area that Apple hadn’t previously anticipated; Schiller used apps written to help users cheat at casino games as an example. “We had to go study state and international laws about what’s legal and what isn’t, and what legal exposure that creates for Apple or the customer,” he said.

Schiller said the company is also taking a hard line on potentially illegal use of trademarks—particularly those owned by Apple. “If you don’t defend your trademarks, in the end you end up not owning them,” Schiller says. “And sometimes other companies come to us saying they’ve seen their trademarks used in apps without permission. We see that a lot.” The executive did say that the company is working to make its trademark guidelines more sophisticated and transparent. “We need to delineate something that might confuse the customer and be an inappropriate use of a trademark from something that’s just referring to a product for the sake of compatibility,” he said. “We’re trying to learn and expand the rules to make it fair for everyone.”

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Enter the CES Exhibits Plus Pass Giveaway today

• November 20, 2009
• Site News
• digg this

If you haven’t yet entered our CES Exhibits Plus Pass Giveaway, there’s still time to do so. In our Giveaway of the Month for November, iLounge and CEA are giving away CES Exhibits Plus passes to 100 lucky readers. The pass will allow access to all exhibits, TechZones, SuperSessions, and keynote addresses at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, including the all new iLounge Pavilion. To enter, simply fill out and submit the form on the giveaway page—the giveaway will end on November 30, 2009 at 11:59PM Pacific Time. Good luck!

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Wider distribution boosting iPhone sales in France

• November 20, 2009
• iPhone
• digg this

Apple’s increased number of iPhone carriers in France is leading to a boost in sales, which bodes well for a similar result in the U.K. Marketwatch reports that the latest data from Bernstein shows Apple’s value market share in France jumped from 21% in the second quarter to 32% in the third quarter, thanks to the phone’s availability on Bouygues Telecom and SFR. “The expansion of iPhone distribution has clearly benefited Apple, helping it to more than double sales in three months,” said Pierre Ferragu, an analyst with Bernstein. Morgan Stanley had similar estimates, the report states, which showed iPhone market share in France increasing by 17% sequentially in the third quarter. Carolina Milanesi, research director in Gartner’s mobile device department, said France is now the biggest market for the iPhone in Europe with more than 600,000 units sold in the third quarter.

A similar boost is hoped for in the U.K. “Exclusivity in France ended in April. Our numbers show that shelf share tripled and market share doubled quarter on quarter,” said Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston. “Given that the U.K. market is pretty similar and the brand strong there, yes, you can extrapolate that.” O2 was the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the country until earlier this month when Orange launched the device; Orange said it saw first-day sales of 30,000 units, while competing carrier Vodafone will launch the handset early next year. [via MDN]

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Chinon rolls out AVi portable iPod speaker

• November 20, 2009
• iPod Accessories
• digg this

Chinon has introduced its new AVi portable iPod speaker system with integrated digital TV. Featuring a boombox-style design, the AVi offers a Universal iPod Dock on the top of the system, a 7-inch, front-mounted LCD monitor, dual, 2.5W speakers, an integrated ATSC digital TV tuner with AV output, an auxiliary input for connecting the iPod shuffle or other audio sources, a digital FM tuner with 20 presets, an alarm clock, the ability to run for three hours off eight “C” batteries, and an included remote control. Chinon’s Avi portable speaker system for iPod is available now and sells for $200.

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TomTom intros separate Car Kit for iPod touch

• November 20, 2009
• iPod Accessories
• digg this

Following the release of its updated turn-by-turn navigation app that added support for the original iPhone and iPod touch, TomTom has revealed that first-, second-, and third-generation iPod touch users wanting to purchase a TomTom-branded GPS solution will need to buy a separate car kit than the one offered to iPhone users. In a Twitter update, TomTom representatives wrote, “The existing TomTom car kit is designed for the iPhone. A new car kit for iPod touch will be available shortly in the United States.” The iPod touch version of the Car Kit looks physically similar to its iPhone cousin, and will offer a majority of the same features—charging, enhanced GPS performance, an enhanced speaker, audio line out, and a rotating mount—but will lack the microphone of the iPhone unit. The company has put up a product page for the iPod touch Car Kit, which is listed at $100, but has yet to announce a firm release date. [via iFun.de]

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iLounge and MusicSkins announce the Ultimate Design Contest

• November 20, 2009
• Site News
• digg this

iLounge and MusicSkins are pleased to announce the new Ultimate Design Contest. Entrants can upload their own design/imagery for the chance to be featured and distributed via MusicSkins iPod, iPhone and Macbook skins at the iLounge Pavilion within the International CES, held January 7th – 10th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Other prizes include a Macbook computer, a third-generation iPod touch, and a MusicSkins licensing deal. The winner and 2 runners up will be chosen by the iLounge and MusicSkins staff. The contest begins now and will run until December 15th; interested readers can visit the Ultimate Design Contest homepage at www.MusicSkins.com/iloungecontest for more information and to upload their design. Good luck!

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Latest edition of iPodweek coming shortly

• November 20, 2009
• Site News
• digg this

iPodweek, iLounge’s weekly newsletter recapping the last seven days in news, articles, reviews, and more, will be sent out to our email subscribers later today. In addition to rounding up the week’s top stories, iPodweek also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies. If you haven’t yet signed up to receive iPodweek, there’s still time to register and receive this week’s edition — just use the simple form below to submit your email address.

IMPORTANT: Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Earthlink and others, make sure we don’t end up in your spam box. Please accept emails from iLounge.com. Thank you.

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Apple planning more iPod touch apps for retail?

• November 20, 2009
• iPhone Applications
• digg this

Apple is planning to roll out at least two more iPod touch applications to be used in its company-owned retail stores, according to an AppleInsider report. In addition to the previously revealed point-of sale application, Apple will reportedly be providing an application that allows employees to replace iPhones and iPods directly on the store floor, removing the need for a Genius Bar visit. A separate application is said to be designed for the stores’ stock rooms, where it will help facilitate necessary tasks performed in all of Apple’s retail stores. According to the report, the new apps will arrive simultaneously, alongside the new iPod touch-based POS system.

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Gameloft, others cutting back on Android development

• November 20, 2009
• Digital Media
• digg this

Gameloft has said that it, along with other developers, is cutting back on Android development due to the low financial returns seen on the platform. Reuters reports that Gameloft finance director Alexandre de Rochefort, speaking at an investor conference, said, “We have significantly cut our investment in Android platform, just like ... many others.” “It is not as neatly done as on the iPhone. Google has not been very good to entice customers to actually buy products. On Android nobody is making significant revenue,” he added. Gameloft’s App Store offerings generated 13 percent of the company’s revenue last quarter. “We are selling 400 times more games on iPhone than on Android,” Rochefort said. Google’s Android platform has seen increased press coverage lately in part due to the release of several high-profile devices, including the Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris on Verizon Wireless.

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