Apple

Donald and Jasmine talk about the top free music apps and best guitar tools for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Also, Donald rants about the transition from portable media players to Netbooks, and Jasmine concedes that her cat wears the pants in the family. Finally, reader e-mails!

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On Tuesday, Apple announced that more than 1.5 billion applications have been downloaded from its app store. We also get CNET's security expert, Elinor Mills, in the studio to talk about a new phishing scam that's tricking people into giving up their bank account information via SMS text message.

Also discussed: Blockbuster OnDemand is coming to a Samsung TV near you; Microsoft announces Azure pricing; and attacks on U.S., Korea sites pegged to U.K. server.

Today's stories:

More than 1.5 billion apps have been downloaded from Apple's store… Read more

Apple's popular App Store has proven that selling mobile applications for smartphones is a hot business, but can all these copycat application stores expect to find the same success as the App Store?

Companies, such as Nokia, Google, LG Electronics, Research In Motion and Microsoft are hoping they can. Since the Apple App Store came on the scene a year ago, these companies have each announced plans for their own application stores.

LG Electronics, the third largest mobile handset maker in the world, is the latest to announce its store. On Tuesday, the South Korean device maker announced it … Read more

While Apple still has a ways to go to be the dominant cell phone provider in the world, CEO Steve Jobs is comfortable with his lead in selling mobile applications.

Apple announced Tuesday that after a year in existence, its App Store has counted 1.5 billion downloaded applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. In a press release, Jobs said, "The App Store is like nothing the industry has ever seen before in both scale and quality. With 1.5 billion apps downloaded, it is going to be very hard for others to catch up."

Indeed, the … Read more

Recent data from Chubby Brain identifies $102.49 million in total VC/angel investment divided among 17 iPhone application start-ups.

The iPhone is a great mini-computer and may be the next big gaming platform, but I'm still struggling to get the math to work in terms of what a typical VC expects as their return on investment.

Macworld's App Guide lists more than 58,000 apps available for download with more coming online every day, though it's not clear that downloads are equating to sustained revenue for developers.

But, developing an iPhone application still seems like a good business move, provided you can market effectively and not fall into the boom and bust cycle that many applications find themselves in. … Read more

It appears Steve Jobs is poised to get his way over the house he has been trying to tear down.

The 1925 mansion located in Woodside, Calif., has sat in disrepair for years, and the Apple CEO has tried to get permission to knock down the structure and build a new home. Though historic preservationists have been outspoken about the plan to destroy the 14-bedroom home, the Woodside Town Council voted last month to allow Jobs to apply for a demolition permit.

The latest reports reveal that a compromise has been struck. An investor from Palo Alto, Calif., Gordon Smythe, … Read more

The Apple rumor mill kicked into high gear again Monday regarding the much discussed, yet still mythical Apple tablet. But a significant new piece of information emerged.

Tech blog Venture Beat is reporting that PA Semi, the chip company Apple bought last year whose specific function within Apple has thus far been unclear, will be designing the chips for an Apple tablet in house. Dean Takahashi wrote Monday, "PA Semi's team was split into two parts, one designing portable ARM-based processors for iPhones and iPods, and another designing a processor for the tablet device."

The PA Semi … Read more

Natali has some tips for secure password hints that involve her armpits. You'll just have to listen. We also give our thoughts on Office 2010 and what kids these days are doing on the Internet. That includes Brian Tong.

First Take: Microsoft Office 2010 technical preview http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10284013-12.html

Monday's Office 2010 preview leaks to BitTorrent http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135454/Monday_s_Office_2010_preview_leaks_to_BitTorrent?taxonomyId=1

Ericsson to run Sprint's wireless network, but how? http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/07/ericssons-rx-for-us-broadband.ars… Read more

MISSOULA, Mont.--There were two points Sunday when I had absolutely no idea what time it was. It wasn't that I didn't have any timepieces. Rather, I had several, and they were all telling me different things.

The first time it happened, I was on my way up to the top of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area in western Idaho at 7,400 feet above sea level, as part of Road Trip 2009. From high up there, it is possible to see four states: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Down below, in Riggins, Idaho, where I'd … Read more