Apple

The ways people use their iPhones are almost as diverse as the number of people using the device. Soon, you'll be able to add live TV to that list.

(Credit: Flo TV)

FLO TV and Mophie on Wednesday said at CES that they are partnering to develop a series of products that will bring live TV to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The products are expected to ship in the first half of 2010.

The FLO TV service allows users to tune into mobile broadcasts while on the go. The service boasts many of the largest networks including ABC, Fox, MTV, ESPN, NBC, TLC, CBS, CNBC, CNN, and many others.

The partnership with Mophie puts a FLO TV receiver into the company's iPhone and iPod Touch case products. That gives users protection for the device and built-in access to TV programs.

As mobile users know, video tends to drain the battery of devices much quicker than other uses like browsing the Web or checking e-mail. This is another advantage of the Mophie partnership. ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog

People need many things right now, but surely nothing more than the ability to spontaneously see through the clothing of another.

You know this is true. So do the other-oriented folks at Presselite. For they want you to share their pride in an application creation called Nude It, which was approved by the Apple store Komsomol Tuesday.

Antoine Morcos, co-founder of Presselite, admitted in a press release that the creators' inspiration in the development of this astounding technology came from the WhoIsTheBaldGuyBlog. I have embedded a YouTube video in order to give you some relief from feeling that you inhabit a strange planet called Nexus One.

In essence, the pleasure you will get from Nude It may well rival what you felt when you were 7 and took a gullible elementary school pupil into the restroom, placed their head in the toilet bowl, and asked them if they've ever seen the blue goldfish.

I can sense your cheeks twitching with anticipation as to how one might use the Nude It app. Well, the instructions tell me that you point your iPhone at a friend, or someone who is about to be a former friend, from a distance of less than 6.5 feet.

The scanning technology will then reveal to you every last mole on your victim's ribcage, as well as every last goose bump of their excitement.

This is what they call nude? Sigh.

(Credit: Presselite)

The makers do warn that you should clearly see your subject's face on the screen before you activate their embarrassment.

I am concerned, though, by the images that Presselite has included as an example. You see, they show that Nude It merely reveals people in their underpants. The general method males use for this purpose is to find a lady friend with whom they can wander into any of the increasingly liberal changing rooms of our major retail stores.

Still, I know many of you will be rushing to experience this new tool and that several of you will soon have pressing appointments with your Human Resources department.

Mobile advertising company Quattro Wireless confirmed Tuesday that it's been acquired by Apple, in a blog post by Quattro CEO Andy Miller, who's identifying himself now as Apple vice president of mobile advertising.

A price wasn't named, but AllThingsD reported that it's $275 million when it broke the news on Monday.

The announcement comes as Apple increasingly finds itself going head-to-head with Google in new developments in the mobile market. In November, Google announced its $750 million acquisition of AdMob, a Quattro competitor. Government regulatory bodies, however, may slow down that purchase.

Google also just unveiled the Nexus One, the Google-branded "superphone" running its Android operating system. Available for sale without a carrier contract, it's widely considered to be the most viable competitor to Apple's iPhone yet.

Google put out a response (defensiveness thinly veiled) on Tuesday afternoon on its Public Policy Blog. "Today's news that Apple is acquiring one of AdMob's competitors, Quattro Wireless, is further proof that the mobile advertising space continues to be competitive," the post read. "And with more investments and acquisitions in the space, including from established players like Apple and Google, that's a sign that vigorous growth and competition will continue. That's ultimately great for users, advertisers and publishers alike."

Meanwhile, Apple also recently acquired streaming music service Lala, with rumors suggesting that its technology will be used to upgrade the iTunes service.

This post was updated at 12:54 p.m. PT with Google's response.

Disney is going theme park with its new Times Square retail store.

Perhaps trying to emulate the retail magic of Apple stores, Mickey Mouse & Co. will be transforming an old retail space in New York's Times Square into an interactive store with theme park attractions and children's exhibits.

Disney's new Times Square store, set to open in the fall.

(Credit: Walt Disney)

Hoping to attract young consumers and their parents, the store will conjure up an interactive princess castle and a kids' theater offering animation and storytelling for the younger crowd. Also on display will be specific activities for kids, special events, and even celebrity guest appearances timed with major Disney film releases.

Much of the credit for the new store design, according to an October New York Times article, can actually be given to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who joined Disney's board in 2006, after the company bought Pixar Animation Studios. Just as he pushed for a certain design for the Apple stores, Jobs reportedly convinced Disney to fashion its own stores on a grand scale.

Jobs shared with Disney executives detailed information about the setup of the Apple stores and took them on a tour of Apple's research operations, the Times reported. Jobs also urged the company to first create a prototype store to work out any bugs, an effort that paid off by helping Disney build the right atmosphere and philosophy for the stores.

"Bringing Disney store to the center of Times Square is a monumental achievement, and we have created a retail experience that complements the energy and innovation that Times Square inspires," Jim Fielding, president of Disney Stores Worldwide, said in a statement.

The new store, located at 1540 Broadway, the former home of a large Virgin Records store, will be Disney's second major New York venture. In the 1990s, the company helped change the look and feel of New York's well-known and once-run-down 42nd Street district by renovating the New Amsterdam Theatre into a new Disney theater with live productions.

With the store scheduled to open in the fall of this year, renovations should begin soon. Disney is already planning to apply this magic touch to more than 300 other outlets around the United States and Europe over the next five years.

(Credit: Apple)

Apple's App Store hit another milestone Tuesday, topping 3 billion downloads.

The store, which launched in July 2008 with just 500 applications, now offers more than 100,000 free and paid apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Apple didn't break down how many of the downloaded apps were paid and how many were free, but the App Store does provide lists of its most popular apps in those categories.

The App Store reached the 1 billion download mark in April and the 2 billion mark in November.

The success of the App Store has forced other mobile companies to try to mimic its success. LG, Research In Motion, Nokia, Google, Palm and Microsoft all have their own stores or plan to open one.

So far, no one has been able to match the number of applications or downloads from Apple's store.

Was 2009 the year of the smartphone? Or will it be 2010? Either way, a new Forrester report confirmed a surge in smartphone ownership last year and expects more growth and more competition this year.

Around 17 percent of mobile phone subscribers now own smartphones, up from 11 percent at the end of 2008 and 7 percent at the end of 2007. Those numbers are even more impressive than they sound, Forrester said Monday, because new technologies typically enjoy a growth spurt in their first year and then trail off in subsequent years. Smartphones are doing the reverse.

In 2009, Research In Motion's BlackBerry was still king of the smartphone castle, at least in terms of market share. Though the iPhone may get all the buzz, Forrester points out that RIM kept up its two-to-one advantage over Apple throughout the year. The sustained popularity of the BlackBerry may stem from its price, availability from a range of carriers, and its full QWERTY keyboard, Forrester said.

To clarify which devices Forrester is discussing here, the market researcher pegs a smartphone as a mobile phone or connected handheld device running a high-level operating system, such as iPhone OS, BlackBerry OS, Windows Mobile, PalmOS, WebOS, Symbian, or any Linux variant, including Android.

Forrester also looked at quick messaging devices such as the LG Xenon and Samsung Magnet. Sometimes lumped in with smartphones, quick messaging devices typically sport a keyboard, a touchscreen, or both, but they run proprietary software instead of a standard smartphone OS. Fifteen percent of adult subscribers owned one at the end of 2009, versus 9 percent in 2008.

Though acknowledging that 2009 was a banner year for smartphones--an opinion shared by CNET--Forrester believes 2010 will truly be the year for this device.

As more carriers hit the market with Google Android devices, both handset maker Nokia and mobile OS maker Microsoft will need to beef up their products to keep their customers happy. Of course, rumors also abound about the Apple iPhone jumping ship from AT&T to another provider, such as Verizon Wireless. Google is also set to unveil its own smartphone on Tuesday.

Apple is set to announce that it has acquired Quattro Wireless for $275 million, several sources confirmed.

The announcement might come as soon as Tuesday, upping the ante in the mobile advertising business significantly.

Google recently forked over an astonishing $750 million for AdMob, a Quattro competitor, which Apple had also made a bid to acquire.

Both start-ups are aimed squarely at the fast-growing market to advertise on smartphones, such as Apple's iPhone and Google's Android devices. In fact, Google will unveil the Nexus One tomorrow, a Android-powered mobile phone it designed and will sell on a Web site instead of via telecom companies.

Waltham, Mass.-based Quattro has raised close to $30 million from two main venture investors-Highland Capital Partners and Globespan Capital Partners. Founded several years ago, its clients include Ford, Disney, and the National Football League.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment to BoomTown and e-mails to Quattro have not yet been returned.

Story Copyright (c) 2010 AllThingsD. All rights reserved.

(Credit: All Things Digital)

So, that rumored Apple event everyone has been jawing about these past few weeks? It's on and it's going to be a big deal.

Sources in a position to know tell me Apple is indeed planning a media event later this month at which the company will announce a major new product. The gathering is to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, a space Apple often uses for media events like this. According to other sources, it will occur on Wednesday, January 27, not Tuesday, January 26, as had been rumored.

No definitive word on what that product is, but I think we all have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Incidentally, this won't be the first time Apple has scheduled a special event on a Wednesday as opposed to Tuesday, which it has historically preferred for such things. The "It's Only Rock and Roll" iPod event held last September, which was also rumored to be scheduled on a Tuesday, was ultimately held on Wednesday, September 9. Evidently, Wednesday is the new Tuesday.

Story Copyright (c) 2010 AllThingsD. All rights reserved.

I am sure honest Hollywood agents do exist. It's just that they don't seem to employ the finest PR firms to proselytize their honesty.

This might explain why Oisin Hanrahan, the Irish creator of an iPhone app called SuperAgent, decided that the main character in his game might be a few scruples short of Mother Teresa.

SuperAgent seems to have been well received, a reception that might have led to its being noticed by, well, Hollywood super agents.

According to the Independent, one super agent may have enjoyed a particular interest in this app. His name is Ari Emanuel. He is the agent for so many important acting citizens such as Robert De Niro and Sacha Baron Cohen as well as directors such as Spike Lee. He is even thought to be the person upon whom the character of Ari Gold is based in the delightfully fluffy "Entourage" on HBO.

What is important for today's story, however, is that he has reportedly set his more toothsome legal dogs upon Oisin Hanrahan and his company, Factory Six. You see, the slightly less than honest agent in the SuperAgent game is called Ari.

(Credit: CC JorgeMir/Flickr)

While I leave you to gather your breath for a moment, let me just whisper that it is not the mere mention of Emanuel's first name that appears to have ruffled his hairline.

The Independent kindly offers details of the cease-and-desist letter that has caused Apple to remove SuperAgent from the App Store.

"The game uses the name 'Ari' for the main character, which clearly is a reference to Mr Emanuel, the co-chief executive officer of WME, one of the world's premier talent agencies," begins the forceful cease-and-desist letter.

It continues as forcefully it began: "[It] clearly intends to capitalize on using Mr Emanuel's and WME's names for the game and possibly mislead the public into thinking that Mr Emanuel and/or WME endorse the game - effectively trading off the goodwill, reputation and fame established by our clients."

Hanrahan deftly told the Independent that because of the "Entourage" series, "Ari" is a name that symbolizes Hollywood in general, not one person in particular. He added: "We're a very small firm, of just three people, and since Apple pulled it we have had no income."

I feel sure that many of you will sympathize with Hanrahan's plight. His arguments appear plausible. His game, just as the "Entourage" show, seems but an amusing diversion from the pains of everyday existence.

But perhaps others might consider that while saying truth to power is an often alluring concept, one should always think carefully before saying jokes to power. Power is a sensitive soul, one that isn't always comfortable with japes. Somehow, for some powerful souls, taking a joke is like Samson admitting he'd always wondered what it would like to be bald.