Apple plans to introduce services that would let customers use its iPhone and iPad computer to make purchases, said Richard Doherty, director of consulting firm Envisioneering Group.

The services are based on “Near-Field Communication”, a technology that can beam and receive information at a distance of up to four inches, due to be embedded in the next iteration of the iPhone and the iPad 2, Doherty said. Both products are likely to be introduced this year, he said, citing engineers who are working on hardware for the Apple project. Read more »

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For the first time ever, smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone are outselling personal computers, according to a report by research group IDC that was released this week.

Worldwide, consumer electronics makers shipped 100.9 million smart phones in the last three months of 2010, an 87 per cent jump from a year earlier. PC shipments were weaker than expected, edging up just 3 per cent to 92.1 million. Read more »

We knew it was coming, but until now we didn’t know when. Over the Christmas break, Channel Ten finally released their iPhone app to the general public.

The app, which went live on January 3 but was promised late last year, boasts features including an in-app television guide and the ability to receive push notifications for upcoming programs.

From the iTunes app description:

The new TEN iPhone app offers you a full free-to-air and subscription TV Guide where you can set reminders for your favourite TV shows. The app features Twitter and Facebook integration and you can also watch full episodes of TEN TV shows!

View pics, download wallpapers and find out all about your favourite cast members as well as watching exclusive behind the scenes video.

The application currently has a five star rating by users who’ve downloaded the app. Of note is the ability to watch “full episodes” feature of the app – we could only get 5 to play, and they’re specially edited for the iPhone.

If you’re keen to get your hands on the Channel Ten iPhone app, it’s free in the App Store right now.

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South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook — the director of 2003?s critically acclaimed Oldboy — says his new film was shot entirely on the iPhone. Read more »

The AFR required the management of its implementation of a digital pay-wall enabling it to manage subscriptions and enable broader access to its content by users of mobile devices.

We provided the Program Management expertise to implement Methode and integrate it with Think Subscriptions.

The result has been a 53% increase in the number of subscribers over the past twelve months. Source

iMMedian’s Instant Voice Mail System is a simple and attractive way to deliver voice messages directly to the handset via MMS.  For Mobile Operators who are looking to increase revenue from existing customers, it is an innovative value added service to include in their product offering.

Simple to Use

iVMS is simply a better implementation of voicemail using MMS.  Voice messages arrive directly at the handset within seconds an can be accessed with a single click.  This prompts higher call back rates.  Users can listen to messages with just a single click without the need to dial-back to an IVR and listen to the various prompts and commands just to pick up their messages.

No Risk and Rapid Deployment

iVMS is a compelling product that has the potential to make a significant contribution to an operator’s revenue.  It uses existing mobile data communications capabilities of GPRS and 3G networks for transmission to offer a new and innovative value added service that can be implemented in weeks.

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Apple says it is “aware” of a security weakness that allows anyone to bypass iPhone 3G and iPhone 4 PIN codes with a few button presses and will fix it in a software update next month.

“We’re aware of this issue and we will deliver a fix to customers as part of the iOS 4.2 software update in November,” Apple Australia said in a statement provided early this morning. Read more »

Android has just rocketed past a major milestone: 100,000 applications available in the Android Marketplace.

The announcement was made with just a tweet from the Android Dev Twitter account. “One hundred thousand apps in Android Market,” was all the tweet needed to say to spread the news. The search giant recently expanded the Android Marketplace to 20+ countries in an effort to kick its developer ecosystem in high gear.

Google’s open-source mobile OS has been on a tear, but its rapid growth has come at the cost of OS fragmentation across hundreds of devices. And while Android may be flooding the market at breakneck speed, Apple’s iOS App Store is the dominant mobile store by leaps and bounds. There are more than 280,000 iOS apps available, nearly triple the offerings on Android.

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