Yesterday morning at Apple’s September music event, the company announced iOS 4.1 for iPhone and iPod touch and also previewed iOS 4.2 for iPad.

iOS 4.1

The first thing that was announced is that all of the bugs have been fixed!

That includes the proximity sensor on the iPhone 4, Bluetooth bugs across the iPod touch and iPhone, and lastly the much talked about iPhone 3G performance issues have been fixed.

HDR

iOS 4.1 is also delivering a new feature called High Dynamic Range Photos (HDR).

HDR is a new camera-based feature where the device camera takes three photos at the same time when taking a photo of something. The three photos taken are a under-exposure, normal, and over-exposure photo.

When these three photos are taken, the three are then combined to make the best quality photo. What this does for photos is increase/reduce shadow or brightness and reveals much more detail in the photos.

HD Video & Game Center

iOS 4.1 is also delivering HD video uploading over WiFi to YouTube for example and also the new Game Center.

Game Center is Apple’s version of Microsoft’s Xbox Live where users can play multiplayer games, challenge friends, compare scores, and be matched against anyone of similar skill in a game.

Availability

iOS 4.1 is available for iPhone and iPod touch as a free download next week.

iOS 4.2

During this morning’s event Apple also provided a sneak peek of iOS 4.2!

iOS 4.2 is available for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad but the real focus is for iPad. Essentially, iOS 4.2 is bringing every single feature of iOS 4.1, such as folders and multitasking, to the iPad that the iPad can support.

Printing

iOS 4.2 is also bringing wireless printing to the iPad in the form of “Print Center”. Just like on a Mac/PC, users can view their print jobs, cancel them, and manage them right from the iPad.

AirPlay

For all three iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, iOS 4.2 is bringing a feature called “AirPlay” which is a renamed AirTunes but can stream photos and videos along with audio to your AppleTV from an iDevice over WiFi.

Availability

iOS 4.2 is available for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad as a free download in November 2010.

I feel this!! Daniel and my phone has been acting up since upgrading! No worries, iPhone 4 tomorrow!!

Back when we outlined the iOS 4 features missing from iPhone 3G, we forgot one key bullet point: performance. As more and more two-year veterans of Apple’s phones have taken the plunge and upgraded to the latest firmware, slowdown and battery drain issues have become a common complaint, which is even more irksome when you think of just how little the update really adds to the UI. The Wall Street Journal reports speaking to anApple spokesperson who said the company is looking into the matter. That doesn’t necessarily mean a fix is coming anytime soon, but hey, at least you can hold the darn thing however you want

Wal Mart has already received their shipment!!!

As if your iPhone wasn’t useful enough, add one more thing it can do to streamline your life: control your TV. Debuting at this week’s CES convention in Las Vegas, L5 Technology is unveiling its app and attachment that turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a universal remote that controls your TV, DVD player, stereo system, and cable box, among others. Just download the free app, drag and drop your preferred features into the remote, attach the $50 adapter to your iPhone or iPod Touch, and you’re on your way. The good news is that the adapter doesn’t require a WiFi connection and can work at up to 30 feet away from your home theater components. The L5 Remote attachment and app will be available for purchase in February.

ugh, gross!

Digitimes’ patchy sources are claiming that OmniVision Technologies—the current manufacturers of the iPhone 3GS’ 3.2-megapixel CMOS image sensor—has won a new contract with Apple to provide the Cupertino company with new sensors for the next-generation 2010 iPhone.

They claim that the new CMOS image sensors are 5 megapixels. OmniVision Technologies say the orders will increase too, from 20-21 million estimated this year, to 40 to 45 million CMOS for the 2010. [Digitimes]

Here is something for the authentic millionaire’s out there. With most of these rich individuals presumably the owner of an iPhone, iVIP Black allows the rich guys and gals to gain access to an exclusive network of privileges and benefits to a range of luxuries in various establishments. This includes the likes of cars, cinemas, restaurants and bars. And to make sure that people who use this app will actually put it to good use, people who who download the app are required to complete a High Net Worth Individual certification, restricting use of the app to ‘Millionaires’. The iVIP app can be downloaded at the iTunes store for $999.99.

On the heels of its new software for the S60 platform, today fring announced that the newest version of its software for the iPhone will support phone-to-phone video calling. fring video calls are possible with other fring and Skype users via Wi-Fi networks only (not via 3G). The video feature is embedded in the fring application, which already offers free voice calls from the iPhone. Since the iPhone’s camera is located on the back of the device and there is no user-facing camera, fring for iPhone offers only one-way video calls (the S60 version offers two-way). fring’s video calling feature will work on iPhones running system software 3.0 and up.

more info at fring »

As the iPhone has proven itself to be a formidable competitor in the handheld gaming business, the president of Nintendo has said his company must differentiate itself to survive.As Apple portrays the iPod touch and iPhone as the ultimate portable gaming machine, Nintendo, maker of the Nintendo DS, has seen its profits freefall last quarter, from 133 billion yen a year prior to 64 billion yen. Highlighting the newfound competition between Apple and Nintendo, The Wall Street Journal noted that Nintendo has fended off several potential portable challengers, but it hasn’t quite faced a competitor like the iPhone.

Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo, is reportedly an Apple fan who uses an iPhone and Mac laptop. He also denied that there is a rivalry between his company and Apple, noting that attempts to create one makes him “uncomfortable.” But Iwata also allegedly sees the iPhone as enough of a threat that Nintendo must work to stand out from it and devices like it.

“If we can’t make clear why customers pay a lot of money to play games on Nintendo hardware and Nintendo software and differentiate ourselves from games on the mobile phone or iPhone, then our future is dark,” he said.

The Journal cited research firm DFC Intelligence as stating that growth for dedicated portable gaming machines like the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP has reached an apex. That firm believes that Apple products will be the driver of portable game sales in the next five years, rising from $46 million in 2008 to more than $2.8 billion in 2014.

To combat declining interest in its Nintendo DS platform, the company will launch a new form factor for the hardware in Japan in this month, and next year in the U.S. The Nintendo DSi LL will feature 93 percent larger 4.2-inch dual screens and will carry a $222 price tag in Japan.

For two years now, Apple has pitched its iPod touch as a portable gaming machine, dubbing it “The funnest iPod ever” at its September events. The latest upgrade to the hardware includes the ability to run Open GL ES 2.0, with up to 50 percent faster performance.

Iwata and Nintendo said they believe the iPhone attracts a different kind of game playing market, as dedicated hardware like the DS offers unique titles unavailable anywhere else. Among those are Nintendo-exclusive franchises like Mario and Zelda.

But one advantage Apple does have over Nintendo and Sony is the price and availability of software. The company boasted at its media event in September that, at that moment, the iPhone OS had 21,179 game and entertainment titles available via its App Store, compared to 3,680 for the Nintendo DS and 607 for the Sony PSP. Many of those are budget-priced, with major franchises like Madden football selling for under $10. Comparatively, most games for the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP cost between $25 and $40.

This year, large publishers with key properties have brought titles like Tetris, The Sims 3 and Metal Gear Solid Touch to the iPhone and iPod touch. They have helped to bring the total number of applications on Apple’s App Store to over 100,000.

If you’re typing a URL into Safari on your phone, there’s a convenient “.com” button on the keyboard — great when the suffix to the site you’re trying to visit is .com. Not so great when it’s a .net or .org site and you have to type it out. Turns out, you just have to touch and hold the “.com” button for a few seconds and a pop-up window appears, displaying .edu, .net, and .org suffix options. Brilliant!

Confirming a report from Monday, both Bell Canada and Telus Corp. announced Tuesday that they will begin selling Apple’s iPhone for their networks in November. The news officially brings to an end the exclusivity Rogers Communications has had on the handset for over a year.

Telus and Bell both released brief statements, confirming that they have reached an agreement with Apple to bring both the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS to Canada. Pricing and availability were not immediately available, but are said to be forthcoming in a matter of weeks. For more information, visit telusmobility.com/iphone, bell.ca/network or bell.ca/reseau.

The two carriers have partnered on upgrading its network to iPhone-compatible HSPA standard. Both providers previously operated on a CDMA cell network that is incompatible with the GSM-based iPhone. The debut of Apple’s smartphone is said to coincide with the launch of the HSPA network.

* Plug it in. Turn it on. Type!

* Provides the feel & tactile feedback of a “real” keyboard

* Results in faster typing

* Imagine an email or SMS with no typos
iPhone Physical Keyboard

Sony plans to lure iPhone developers to the PSPgo, a revised version of its PlayStation Portable handheld gaming platform, and copy Apple’s low App Store prices to create demand for the relatively expensive new hardware, according to a gaming industry report.

The article, published by PocketGamer, indicates that Sony plans to deliver a library of online PSPgo games for download through its PlayStation Network at prices of 1, 2 and 5 Euros, similar to Apple’s iPhone apps, as a way to create interest in the new PSPgo hardware, which is expected to cost $250 or £230 (UK prices are not currency equivalent).

The original PSP, unveiled in 2004, was similarly priced at $250 in the US and attempted to sell both games and movies on Sony’s proprietary UMD optical media for around $25-$40. Sony later enabled the purchase of online games for around $20 each.

The UMD format never really took off for movies, and sales of the PSP have languished behind the more popular Nintendo DS. Since 2004, Sony has sold around 50 million PSPs while Nintendo has created a DS installed base of over 107 million over a similar period.

Attack of the iPhones

More recently, the PSP has seen new competition from the iPhone and iPod touch, which offer gaming as a secondary feature to web browsing, email, media playback features, and on the iPhone, serving as a mobile phone. In just over two years, Apple has developed an installed base of 45 million devices, 100,000 registered developers, and 65,000 apps according to COO Tim Cook in the company’s Q3 2009 conference call.

By matching the price of iPhone apps, Sony hopes to stay in the game. The company faces some real challenges in making that happen, including enticing developers away from the already proven iPhone market to sell to a new installed base of PSPgo users. 

At the same time, Sony already faces resistance from its existing developers, with Activision CEO Bobby Kotick threatening to drop support for the PS3 and PSP if Sony didn’t lower its hardware prices. Sony insists that it can’t lower its prices and still remain profitable. 

Developers, Developers, Developers

Sony must also convince its developers to target projects that can be profitable at such a low price. That will also require a smaller cut of software sales for Sony, which has historically levied a much higher cut from its game developers than the 30% share Apple charges in the App Store. 

All of the game console makers expect to earn significant cut of software revenues, and Sony and Microsoft have historically relied on this income to cover losses when selling their hardware. Only Nintendo has consistently sold its hardware at a profit. 

In contrast, Apple makes almost all of its revenues from hardware sales, enabling it to levy a smaller cut of software sales to support iTunes operations. The company has repeatedly stated that it aims to operate iTunes at a break-even point, investing its profits into expanding the store’s features. 

App Store Approval

“Sony isn’t taking a leaf out of Apple’s book when it comes to easing the process of publishing, however,” the article noted. “[PSPgo] Games will continue to go through formal console-centric Technical Requirement Check (TRC) requirements, as well as a two week quality assurance testing period. Sony will also actively control the release schedule for games, although considering the current disquiet over Apple’s laissez faire attitude to app approval and release, this might not be a bad thing.”

The gaming industry’s general perspective that Apple’s App Store approval process is cheaper, simpler, and easier for developers in comparison to the status quo in console gaming might come as a shock to iPhone users, who are regularly bathed in reports of complaints from iPhone developers ranging from the length of app approval to the $99 cost of signing up in Apple’s iPhone development program. 

Sony currently requires developers to pay for a very expensive set of tools and hardware to create PSP games. Despite an 80% drop in the cost of its development tools made this summer, Sony’s PSP software development kits still start out at $1000 to $1500.

After witnessing the success of the iPhone App Store and particularly its appeal to independent small developers, Sony hopes to woo iPhone indie developers into porting their apps to the PSPgo rather than focusing on a few large developers to create gaming titles. 

However, Sony will also face competition for attention from Google’s Android, Nokia’s Symbian, Palm WebOS, and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and Zune platforms, all of which are actively courting iPhone developers’ attention in similar hopes of replicating Apple’s success in selling mobile apps online.

Just recently considered the king of handheld gaming, Nintendo is now sending an alert that it could be trouble over its next fiscal year as Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch might cut into its sales.Known equally for its DS handheld and its Wii console, the company said on Thursday that it anticipates its first profit decline in four years not only because of a rough economy playing havoc with game sales but also due to harsher competition in the portable arena stemming directly from Apple devices.

In a conference call discussing the results, Nintendo didn’t outline just how much it saw coming from the iPhone and iPod but tellingly didn’t mention the Sony PSP, its veteran rival since 2004, as a threat. The pocket PlayStation posed little danger as its own sales were cut in half from levels that were already significantly lower than those of the DS.

Nintendo’s comments are the first on-the-record statements from the Japanese company that treat Apple as a genuine competitor. The iPhone maker itself has been quick to challenge Nintendo, calling the iPod touch a “console experience,” but until now hasn’t been acknowledged in return.

It echoes a mounting preference for Apple’s business model and for the hardware itself. With the exception of its fledgling DSiWare store, Nintendo has depended almost exclusively on physical copies to sell games and, as a consequence, has always had to charge a much higher price to ship and stock games at retail stores — something Apple has never had to do for its touchscreen devices, either of which relies solely on downloads. A cursory check many retailers prices most Nintendo DS games between $30 and $35 while an iPhone game is regularly below $10, sometimes below $5, and other times free. The wide gap has made it easier for gamers to fill their iPhones and iPods with games and lured developers with the promise of much wider exposure. Even with less than a week of the App Store being open, about a quarter of all apps for the iPhone and iPod touch were games.

Moreover, as the iPhone technology itself is at least three years more recent than the 2004-era components in Nintendo’s product even when discounting the multi-touch controls, the possibilities for games have been particularly tempting for developers. Famed id Software co-founder John Carmack once described even the original iPhone processing power as superior to the DS and PSP put together and has chosen it as the sole modern handheld platform to receive ports and other games based on Doom, Quake and other properties well known by gamers but usually impractical on other consoles and phones, including the Nintendo DS line.

But while the iPhone might already be casting a shadow over sales Nintendo once thought very secure, new signs are emerging that the company may want to be fearful for sales of consoles for the living room as well. Despite the Wii being much faster than the DS, a developer from Telltale Games just this week said the iPhone was more powerful than the much larger and more expensive game system both because of genuinely speedier components but also because of arbitrary limits imposed by Nintendo on downloadable Wii games. He speculated that the company’s latest adventure game series, Tales of Monkey Island, might actually look better and run faster on Apple’s cellphone, which itself got a direct port of the earlier Secret of Monkey Island in recent days.

“The voices and textures [in Tales] are the way they are because we’re limited to 40 megs for WiiWare titles,” he said. “Frame rate issues will probably get sorted out eventually, but keep in mind that the Wii is just not a powerful console. An iPhone is much more powerful than a Wii, even.”

With just hours to go before the iPhone 3G S reaches its stores, Canadian provider Rogers and its sister brand Fido have promised heavy discounts for existing iPhone 3G customers trading up to the faster model. Also, Apple stores in the country will finally let customers buy the devices there instead of carrier stores.Rogers’ and Fido’s price reductions depend heavily on when customers bought their phones and how much they spend per month on service. The most privileged are those who bought an iPhone 3G before September 30th and who spend at least $100 CAD a month on their total service plan; these get a full subsidy and pay the same $199 CAD for a 16GB iPhone 3G S, or $299 CAD for a 32GB version, as customers new to the service or who qualify for a full upgrade.

Those who spend less than $100 per month but who still bought their iPhones before the end of 2008 get a partial discount. Here, the 16GB iPhone 3G S costs $449 CAD while the 32GB version costs $549.

Additionally, those specifically on Fido can use their FidoDollars to help cover the cost of the iPhone 3G S at any price and get $100 in FidoDollars without having to extend or renew their contracts.

Rogers paints the gesture as its way of rewarding early adopters and says it’s offering existing customers a dramatic discount even though they would normally have to wait up to two years to qualify for the full price. It says those who don’t qualify for any upgrades or as new customers will pay exactly what the carrier does: $680 CAD for a 16GB model and $780 CAD for the larger capacity. If true, this sets the at-cost US prices of the 2009 phones at about $600 and $700 respectively. The holdover 8GB iPhone 3G will cost $580 CAD (about $514 US) but won’t have an early upgrade option.

The move comes after an unusual amount of silence from Rogers. It was quick to provide its new subscriber pricing shortly after Apple unveiled the handset last week but, even as late as Thursday afternoon, didn’t have any more to share.

Apple for its part is also tending an olive branch to Canadians. Starting Friday, all the company’s retail outlets in the country will also sell iPhones to Rogers and Fido customers much as American and UK stores do now. Details of which plans will be offered and how many discounts will apply are unknown, but shoppers will have at least the choice of signing up as new subscribers or else buying a given phone outright without extending a contract. Rumors have circulated that the absence of Apple store purchasing was part of retaliation against Rogers for poor data service, though little has been said since to corroborate the claims made nearly a year ago.

Canada’s nine current Apple stores will also be the first to sell the iPhone 3G S and will open their doors at 8 a.m. — an hour later than the 7 a.m. US opening, but two hours sooner than most Rogers and Fido locations. Fido’s flagship Montreal store, just blocks away from Apple’s downtown Montreal store, is said to be opening at 8 a.m. as well.

MacRumors forum user bndoarn has organized a massive list of hidden 3.0 features. The list is over 96 individual features so far. Some are more significant than others, of course. Here are a few interesting highlights:

- There is no limit to the number of apps that can be installed (beside storage space). Once you reach the home screen limit, Apps installed after that are installed without an icon but can be accessed in Spotlight. You can also use this to hide any apple application (i.e. weather and stocks), if you get to 11 pages.
- In the Settings -> General -> Home Button you can now set the double click to the new search feature or the camera
- Notes now has data detectors. Links are clickable, phone numbers are callable, email address are emailable, and address are locatable (using Maps)
- When a phone call interrupts you, after the phone call you are taken back to the app you were in before you were interrupted
- You can now have 11 home screen pages instead of nine
- Now there is a different way to force quit apps. now you have to hold the sleep/wake button until the red slider appears, then you press and hold down the home button to quit the app

The first on the list is perhaps most notable, allowing you to use Spotlight as an application launcher to avoid swiping through pages and pages of apps and also installing more than the allotted number.

Apple this afternoon lifted its embargo on the new iPhone 3G S and several reviews from well-respected journalists are now online critiquing the highly-anticipated iPhone 3G successor, which goes on sale this Friday, June 19 at Apple, AT&T, Best Buy and Walmart retail stores.Generally speaking, each of the reviewers concluded that Apple has taken one of the most revolutionary products of modern times and made it even better. Some, however, offer different assessments of the handset’s new camera functions, though all agree that new Voice Control features leave much to be desired.

The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg

• Speed is the most important feature. Apps launch quicker, webpages load faster, and so does the camera.
• Cellular-data speeds were about the same but WiFi speeds improved 30-50%.
• The iPhone 3G S’s battery never showed signs of running dry before the end of Walt’s day, even though he was using it excessively for testing purposes, unlike the iPhone 3G’s which would often fall into the red zone.
• The new 3-megapixel camera worked well, but Walt doesn’t think the pictures it took were dramatically better than those on the iPhone 3G, “and it can’t compete with phones like Nokia’s new $700 N97, which has a 5-megapixel camera with zoom.”
• Video recording works well, but the iPhone doesn’t take HD movies and its quality pales in comparison to the popular $229 Flip pocket camcorder.
• Voice control isn’t perfect but works most of the time.
• Compass isn’t that important but works well and can orient maps in the direction you’re heading.
• The iPhone 3G crashed twice during Walt’s tests: once when using voice control and a second time when downloading a TV show from iTunes mobile.
• Find My iPhone, Voice Memos, and Push Notification each worked well, but Wi-Fi Auto-Authentication failed repeatedly.
• “Bottom Line: Both the new iPhone and iPhone OS are packed with features that make a great product even better. But, for many users, the software may be enough of a boost to keep them from buying the new model.”

USA Today’s Edward Baig

• “The changes make an already marvelous device that much better.”
• Voice Control is less than perfect, especially in noisy environments.
• The iPhone still doesn’t multi-task as well as Palm’s new Pre.
• Shooting video is “dirt simple,” and while it’s not HD, the VGA quality of the videos is “quite decent.”
• However, Ed accidently tapped the Trim button in the on-screen video editor and lost scenes he wanted to keep.
• The camera performs well for close-ups in still shots, but there’s still no solution for low-light situations.
• Spotlight search was cited by Ed as his favorite new feature.
• “The 3.0 software and 3G S phone may not check off everything on your iPhone wish list. But they give iPhone loyalists plenty of new reasons to celebrate.”

Chicago Sun-Times’ Andy Ihnatko

• “The ‘S’ in 3G S does indeed stand for Speed, which is something that this model communicated pretty damned effectively during my first few hours with the machine.”
• In San Francisco, web page downloads “flowed in so quickly” on the iPhone 3G S that Andy had no need to “find something to do” while pages finished rendering, like is often the case on his iPhone 3G and other smartphones.
• “Safari on the iPhone 3G S seems as interactive as a desktop browser.”
• “Gaming has been kicked up a notch; intensive 3D games are elevated from ‘Wow, that’s a great frame rate for a phone!’ to simply ‘Wow.’”
  Battery life shows noticeable improvements over the iPhone 3G, though Andy still recommends that power users cary an extra battery pack.
• The close-focusing feature of the iPhone 3G S’ new 3-megapixel camera is good enough to open the door to “porting some of the coolest Google Android Phone software, such as apps that can image the barcode off of a store item and instantly tell you where you can buy it online for cheaper.”
• The Camera app’s new “tap to focus” feature stands out amongst all other smartphone camera apps.
• The file size of each individual video recording is capped at 2 gigabytes, which translates to about an hour’s worth of video per clip.
• Even though it’s “still just a phone camera” the video quality is “impressively smooth and natural” and the sound quality “is practically astonishing when you consider that this microphone was designed to pick up sounds spoken directly into it from three inches away.”
• Using the new Voice Control app, “nearly every command that involved the name of an artist or song was misinterpreted.”
  Existing car integration kits also don’t work well with Voice Control.
• The compass, though currently limited in its use, will inspire many new apps but has already “boosted Google Maps into the Giga-awesome range.”
• “The new iPhone is more than its individual features. It’s a convincing vote of faith. Even if a current 3G owner decides to wait until his or her contract expires so they can buy the next-generation at a good incentive price, there’s little chance that they’ll switch to anything else in the interim.”

The New York Time’s David Pogue

• “It looks identical to last year’s iPhone, but its faster circuitry makes a huge difference.”
• The color and clarity of photos taken by the new 3MP camera “are definitely improved, especially in low light.”
• Although the video function of the new camera tends to “blow out” the bright areas, the end result is “darned close” to what you’d get from a proper digital camera or a Flip camcorder.
• However, the ability to trim photos via the iPhone’s touch screen is much better than what you’d find on a digital camera.
• In Google Maps, the new compass function delivers an indicator beam, showing which way you’re facing on the map. “No longer must you walk in a circle, staring at the iPhone map like an idiot, just to figure out which way is up.”
• The screens new oleophobic coating “lets you wipe away fingerprints with a single rub on your clothes” and “really works to keep the iPhone looking new longer.”
• Battery life is about 25% longer than the iPhone 3G.
• “All of these changes make it much harder to resist the iPhone on intellectual, feature-counting grounds. The new iPhone doesn’t just catch up to its rivals — it vaults a year ahead of them.”

Wired’s Steven Levy

• “You don’t need a stopwatch to notice the new phone is zippier than its predecessor.”
• Voice Control did better at figuring out the people Steve want to call rather than the music he wanted to play.
• Still, “Voice Control is easier than fumbling through the iPod menus, a difficult task while walking and a dangerous one while driving.”
• Landscape keyboard mode is available in more apps and “makes Apple’s ‘soft’ keyboard much less prone to constant mistypings.”
• Voice memos, parental controls, and Safari auto-fill work nicely.
• “In short, the 3GS offers a boatload of improvements on the iPhone 3G with no real downside and the same price. Brand-new iPhone customers should have no hesitation bef
  ore buying: Considering the huge variety of apps, there’s no better smartphone to buy today.”
• For existing iPhone customers, however, Voice Control, the new camera, and the speed boost may not be a huge sacrifice to go without.

iPhone users are richer, younger, and perhaps even more productive at work than those who use competing smartphones, according to a new study released Friday.The study from independent market analysis company Forrester Research suggests iPhone users comprise the elite upper class of smartphone customers. The data was compiled from 32,228 working U.S. adults in 2008. It found that those who own an iPhone are typically more active on their phones and more connected to the internet than those who fell into generic “smartphone” or “mobile phone” categories.”

The study, compiled by Ted Schadler, found that iPhone users are “more than twice as likely to access the Internet from their phone as working BlackBerry, Palm, or Windows Mobile device owners.” The research was inspired by anecdotal comments from companies such as Kraft Foods and Oracle that implied employees have a personal drive to use an iPhone at work, even when one is not provided by the employer.

The research suggests that an employee with an iPhone could be more productive: Those who carry Apple’s handheld device are more likely to stay connected to their employer’s network. Workers with an iPhone also usually leave their laptop at work, suggesting the phone essentially replaces the need for a traditional full-form mobile computer.

When comparing customer Internet usage, the study shows that the iPhone blows away its competitors. 78 percent of iPhone users reported they access the Internet at least weekly on their phone, while only 38 percent of the rest of the smartphone market were on the mobile Web that often.

Among the study’s other findings:

• iPhone users are younger. 30 percent of iPhone users in 2008 were of Generation Y, a larger portion than the rest of the smartphone market.
• iPhone users are more educated and affluent. 49 percent of iPhone users have a college education, and 67 percent earn more than $70,000 a year.
• iPhone customers spend more on their service. The average monthly phone bill for an iPhone user was $87, compared to $76 for the smartphone market, and $66 for traditional mobile phone users.
• Employers are slightly less likely to subsidize an iPhone. 24 percent of respondents with an iPhone said they are compensated by their employer for their phone bill, while 28 percent of smartphone users have their employee pay all or part of it.

Who doesn’t love a new iPhone?! Although the iPhone 3G S is nearly identical to the iPhone 3G on the outside, it certainly has a few more (desperately needed) bells and whistles on the inside.

More Carrier Options: I think if Apple allowed more carriers to offer the iPhone, it would totally take over the market. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked to that want the iPhone, but won’t take the plunge because they either dislike AT&T, or just don’t want to change providers

1. Lower Upgrade Prices: And I quote directly from Apple’s product page: “For non-qualified customers, including existing AT&T customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone 3G, the price with a new two-year agreement is $499 (8GB), $599 (16GB), or $699 (32GB).” Now that’s highway robbery.
2. Camera Flash: It’s great that Apple is giving us a great new 3 megapixel camera with auto focus, auto macro, and auto white balance, but what about a flash for those super low light situations? I was hoping . . .
3. Push Email: The iPhone would be my all-in-one business and pleasure phone if I didn’t have to obsessively have to check my inbox. Nuff said.
4. Ability to Run More Than One App at Once: It’s a pain in my rear when I am knee deep in a sweet Tetris game and receive a text message. I then have to exit Tetris, and enter the messaging app. Is there a way to pause one app while you open another? Well, is there!?
5. Colors: Remember when the first iPod was just plain white, and then all of the sudden a rainbow of iPod Mini’s, iPod Nano’s and iPod Shuffles washed over us? Yeah, that would be awesome now too.
6. Flash support: With the majority of websites using flash embedded videos, and some of the funnest games out there being flash, it would make sense to have this added feature. I mean, if you want us to surf the web on this little gadget, not to mention that some websites are all Flash, let us do what you made this phone to do – play games, surf the web, and you know, make some calls here or there.

True to rumors, Apple today announced that the new iPhone 3G S will launch on June 19th in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK. Launches will occur one week later in an additional six countries, with many more launches around the world coming over the next few months.

Appearing almost identical to the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3G S will be available in both black and white and be priced at $199 for 16 GB models and $299 for 32 GB models for new and qualifying AT&T customers in the United States. Apple will also continue to offer the 8 GB iPhone 3G, priced at $99 for qualified AT&T customers.

Apple today introduced the new iPhone 3G S, the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including improved speed and performance — up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G — with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control. iPhone 3G S includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS, Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard and more.

The iPhone 3G S contains many of the features that had been rumored including Digital Compass, Video Recording, Voice Control, 3 megapixel camera with autofocus and faster internet speeds.

Apple has also posted a guided tour of the new iPhone 3G S.