"A great proportion of current smartphone shoppers have already set their minds on the iPhone 3G, says RBC Capital Markets. The investment bank says it ran a survey of some 3,600 members of its Technology Adoption Panel in the aftermath of June 9th's 3G announcement, and found that of those planning to get a smartphone in the next 90 says, 56 percent wanted the new iPhone. RBC notes that this contrasts with a study conducted in March, in which only 35 percent were expecting to buy a new iPhone. In the June results, another 25 percent said they expected to buy a 3G "sometime in the future," more than twice the amount of a similar figure from March. Interest in Apple smartphones is also said to be at least twice that for any other company, including rival Research in Motion, whose BlackBerries attracted only 23 percent of the TAP group. The lower shop price of the iPhone was cited as the main reason for interest, favored by 67 percent of the potential buyers. 3G broadband came in second at 63 percent, while 47 percent chose GPS, 35 percent picked enterprise e-mail, and 20 percent wanted third-party software.More broadly significant may be that the number of people wanting to buy any smartphone has jumped by 10.5 percent, a figure which may reflect a larger potential market. The iPhone's TAM (Total Addressable Market) share is expected to shoot from its 2007 amount of 0.3 percent to 1.7 percent in 2009." via electronista.com

"Open operating systems, for most folks, means that the operating system is essentially free. The average computer user knows that Linux is free, as in beer, while Windows costs money. The case is the same for mobile OSes although, until very recently, the idea of purposely using an open OS has been a fairly nebulous concept.
To be clear open mobile OSes have been around for years, starting most prominently with the QTopia project that ran on ARM hardware found in many PDAs and phones. The Linux kernel plays well with almost any platform, making it ideal for small installations." Read more here:

"The original N95/iPhone battle may have moved onto new stomping grounds, but it's still a battle royal. Between strength and subtlety, between functions and form, between features and ease of use. Both devices are either aimed at totally different markets or aimed at the same market, depending on who you talk to. But the fact remains that the Nokia N95 8GB (now six months old) and the Apple iPhone 3G (available on July 11th) are still two of the most desirable smart devices anyone can own." Read more here:

"Apple(R) today introduced the new iPhone(TM) 3G, combining all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G networking that is twice as fast* as the first generation iPhone, built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs the hundreds of third party applications already built with the recently released iPhone SDK. In the US the new iPhone 3G is priced at a stunning $199 for the 8GB model, and just $299 for the 16GB model.** iPhone 3G will be available in more than 70 countries later this year, beginning with customer availability in 22 countries — Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US — on July 11.“Just one year after launching the iPhone, we’re launching the new iPhone 3G that is twice as fast at half the price,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPhone 3G supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync right out of the box, runs the incredible third party apps created with the iPhone SDK, and will be available in more than 70 countries around the world this year.”iPhone 3G gives users ever faster access to the Internet and email over their cellular network with quad-band GSM and tri-band HSDPA for voice and data connectivity around the world. iPhone 3G supports Wi-Fi, 3G and EDGE networks and automatically switches between them to ensure the fastest possible download speeds. The new iPhone 3G also makes it easier to multi-task with simultaneous voice and data communications, so with iPhone 3G you can browse the web, get map directions, or check your email while you are on a call." Read more inside..

"Apple carries just 19.2% of first-quarter U.S. smartphone sales, as BlackBerry and Palm Centro encroach on the 'prosumer' market.Apple Inc.'s iPhone, a new model of which is widely expected this summer, took 19.2% of the U.S. market for smartphones in the first quarter of 2008, according to research firm IDC's vendor survey.That was down from 26.7% of smartphones sold in the fourth quarter of 2007, which included the holiday shopping season, IDC reported.Much of the slack was picked up by Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry, which took 35.1% of the market in the fourth quarter and 44.5% in the first.IDC analyst Ramon Llamas said the BlackBerry is now strong in the "prosumer" segment, as Research in Motion (RIM) has successfully widened the appeal of the device beyond the professionals who have been its core customer group.Smartphones are designed to be used for Web surfing and e-mail, in addition to voice calls, and usually have alphabetic keyboards or touch screens. They account for a growing share of cell phones sold, as prices descend and carriers complete their fast data networks.IDC did not reveal the total number of smartphones sold in the quarter. Apple said it sold 1.7 million iPhones in the first quarter, including overseas sales.Palm Inc., a pioneer in the category along with RIM, also picked up market share in the first quarter, when it grabbed 13.4% of smartphone sales, up from 7.9% in the fourth quarter, IDC said."Palm also did really well. It posted a sequential gain mainly on the strength of the Centro phone," Llamas said. The Centro, a smaller phone than Palm's Treo models, came out last fall for the Sprint Nextel Corp. network and was launched by AT&T Inc. in February.But Palm's market share is down from 23% in the first quarter a year ago, apparently falling victim to the iPhone, which went on sale late last June. RIM's market share is also down from last year, when it sold 48.7% of U.S. smartphones in the first quarter.No. 4 in market share in the most recent quarter was Samsung Electronics, with 8.6%, up from 5.1% in the fourth quarter, a rise Llamas credited to the availability of the BlackJack on Verizon Wireless.Motorola Corp, which is struggling in the overall cell phone market, performed poorly in smartphones as well, dropping from a 7.5% share in the fourth quarter to 2.6% in the first" via money.cnn.com

"StyleTap Inc. today announced plans to bring to market a version of StyleTap CrossPlatform for the iPhone and the iPod touch, which will instantly allow over 20,000 mobile applications to run on these popular devices. Further information about the product, including how it will be marketed and sold, will be made available in early July 2008.In addition, the company announced that StyleTap personnel will be at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, CA from June 9-13, 2008, and will be available to meet with mobile application developers interested in learning more about StyleTap CrossPlatform for the Apple devices. Interested parties should contact StyleTap via email at sales at styletap.com, or through the contact form on the StyleTap website." Read more inside..

"A senior executive for Australia's Telstra wireless carrier has allegedly told the region's ChannelNews that Apple's upcoming iPhone revision will be capable of supporting an advanced 3G connection at speeds of 42 megabits per second."We know what is coming, we have seen the new device and it will be available on our network as soon as it is launched in the USA," the unidentified executive is reported to have said. "By Xmas this phone will be capable of 42mbs which will make it faster than a lot of broadband offerings and the fastest iPhone on any network in the world."The report goes on to say that Telstra already has 3G iPhones on hand for testing and that the device will be made available to the carrier's customers "very soon after its June 9 unveiling" by Apple chief executive Steve Jobs at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. If true, the claim by the unnamed Telstra exec would suggest that Apple is building a wireless broadband chip into its next-gen iPhone that supports an advanced High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) protocol known as Evolved HSPA. In addition to downloads of up to 42 Mbps, Evolved HSPA networks also supports uploads at up to 22 Mbps. Stateside, AT&T is putting the finishing touches on its own standard HSPA network that currently offers download speeds of 1.4 Mbps and upload rates around 800 Kbps. However, the US carrier promises to follow through on a plan that will bo" via appleinsider.com

'Dieter Bohn from their sister site, The iPhone Blog, got a chance to play with the Bold as well, and he used the opportunity to compare it with his phone of choice — you guessed correctly, it's the iPhone. The end result is reflected in tons of images, comparing size, UI, web browser, and of course media capabilities. I'm sure you can tell in which areas iPhone excelled and where BlackBerry won the title." Read more here:

"Looks like every major player out there is taking a shot at the Apple’s pride and joy, the iPhone. First, we saw the Nokia Tube emerge. Then there was the Thunder from Blackberry. And let’s not ignore the HTC Touch Diamond, which, according to me, sits on a throne higher than these other wannabes. Now, it’s Sony Ericsson’s turn with a video clip showing a yet unnamed touchscreen phone, which truly resembles the iPhone, but wouldn’t it be unfair to call every touchscreen device similar as a copy?The video implies this unknown device will be a powerhouse of media, web, and communication technologies. It is tipped to be the next product in the Xperia line after the X1 with icons that look similar to the ones on a PSP.If Sony Ericsson is trying to stir up some viral advertising with this new device, it’s definitely got our attention! Head over to YouTube to take a look at the video." via mobilewhack.com

"Write on iPhone in your handwriting. Now thanks to the Chinese developer who recently released unique handwriting recognition software now you can. Known as HWPen, the software application can be downloaded from Installer.app. Thinking How to install? Okay! Click on Source, then Edit and Add new source http://iphonecake.com/src/new. Refresh the sources to locate HWPen in the iPhoneCake packages. Install the software and restart your iPhone. After you install you will see a writing area making the standard keyboard vanish. Although it is in Beta 1.0 version and has some errors but you can still use it. I hope all the bugs are fixed soon and we get a solid version." via mobilewhack.com

"It's been on the market for just six months, and already the iPhone (plus its Wi-Fi-only variant, the iPod Touch) is the most used mobile browser for Internet access in the U.S., according to Irish researcher StatCounter. At No. 2 is the Symbian OS used in Nokia's devices. Globally, the two positions are reversed. In either case, Windows Mobile -- in all its versions -- is just a blip.As of March, the iPhone and iPod Touch account for 0.23 percent of U.S. Web traffic, while the business-friendly Symbian-based Nokia devices come in second place, though StatCounter did not provide their traffic percentage. Globally, Nokia comes in tops at 0.25 percent and the iPhone and iPod Touch second at 0.08 percent, despite its availability in just a few countries." Read more here:

"My favorite first-person-shooter game can now be played on the iPhone. You move your character around using the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer. You shoot by tapping on the screen. It actually looks like a fun way to play Quake 3, but I doubt if you’re going to be beat anyone on a keyboard and mouse. Apparently, there’s no skipping in this version of Quake but still…" via pmptoday.com