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Apple holds on to U.S. retail music lead

Apple is still the No. 1 music retailer in the United States, but Amazon.com's online store is coming on strong.

More U.S. music buyers are getting their music fix through iTunes than from any other source, according to data released on Tuesday by NPD Group. Earlier this year, Apple took over the top spot from Wal-Mart Stores, and it maintained that lead during the six months from January to June, NPD said.

Wal-Mart is still in second place, followed by Best Buy. Taking fourth place from Target was Amazon, whose own music store has been growing in … Read more

First Look video: YouNote for iPhone, iPod Touch

Earlier this week I compared Evernote and YouNote, two solid note-taking applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. With the thousands of Apple-approved iPhone apps springing up in the iTunes AppStore, finding the right program is becoming a test of patience.

In an effort to help slash your guesswork a bit, we took a closer look at one of those note-takers, YouNote. In this First Look video, we demonstrate the features that caught our eye and discuss what we'd like to see in YouNote's future versions.

Also check out other First Look videos on popular and must-have apps … Read more

An iPhone 3G - better late than never

It's been 19 days since I tried and failed to get a new iPhone 3G, but today I became eligible for the discounted price, and at 7:50am I was in line at the Apple Store at the Westfield Valley Fair mall in San Jose.

As you can read in my previous post, I couldn't get the usual low price for my new iPhone because I had 19 days left on my current 2-year AT&T service contract. Apple was willing to sell me the phone for an extra $200, but I decided I'd rather wait until today.

I was the sixth person in line, and by 8:00am when the store opened, there were five more iPhone buyers in line behind me.

As we lined up, we received cards from an Apple employee reserving the particular model we wanted. I'd estimate the fellow had about 40 cards. I asked if the number of cards corresponded with the number of iPhones in stock, but he wouldn't say. Another Apple guy followed behind, checking our AT&T upgrade eligibility. I did this myself last night, so I was sure it would be okay this time, and indeed it was.

The doors opened right at 8:00am and… Read more

Ain't nothin' but a headphone thing

When Dr. Dre rapped that he would "keep those heads ringin," the Grammy-winning artist perhaps only meant to foreshadow the Friday release of his new headphones, "Beats by Dr. Dre."

While they are marketed with the name of the rapper-turned-producer, the headphones are actually made by Monster Cable, which specializes in audio and video accessories. Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, also was on the development team.

Monster claims that the Beats headphones are "the most advanced headphone ever built." According to the product Web site, they were designed so … Read more

Five more must-have freebies for the iPhone and iPod touch

Let's hear it for software developers who don't charge for their work. Witness these five excellent apps for the iPhone 3G and updated iPod touch, then check out five more freebies you'll definitely want to install. (As before, all links will take you directly to the iTunes Store.)

Aurora Feint Bejeweled meets Bard's Tale in this amazingly polished puzzle/RPG game. Last.fm and Pandora Tired of your own music library? Name a favorite artist and these two apps will build you a custom radio station, then stream tunes over 3G or Wi-Fi. I can't … Read more

5 reasons to take the iPhone on vacation

Updated on 7/23/08 at 12:00pm PST.

Even if you won't get reception where you're headed, think twice about leaving your iPhone behind. The iPhone's all-new iTunes App Store makes it an even indispensable travel tool for international excursions, even if it's rendered essentially useless as a phone (unless you're not adverse to being charged oodles in roaming fees.)

Media console As romantic as travel sounds, a large hunk of it is wasted on waiting. There's airport check-in, long train and bus rides, and time to kill while a fastidious companion prepares … Read more

Lonely Planet Audio Phrasebooks for iPhone

Teaching yourself a few niceties in a foreign language requires more than an hour in front of a phrasebook. Piecing together sentences out of unfamiliar accents and sounds is neither easy nor accurate, and could earn you looks of bemusement or horror if your neophyte's pronunciation produces a garbled or unintended communication.

That's what makes Lonely Planet's collection of audio phrasebooks for English-speakers (about $10) so eminently usable. With phrases organized into categories for transportation, money, dining, and so on, travelers can easily browse for pertinent communications. Like print phrasebooks, the foreign spelling and transliteration are present. … Read more

First Look video: Yelp and Where for iPhone

Yelp and Where are two free location-finding iPhone applications that take vastly different approaches to direct you to what you're looking for.

While my personal preferences anoint Yelp for iPhone (review) the better service for its broader and more objective listings, Where for iPhone's (coverage) plotting of only partnered services will also have its cluster of followers. The bottom line is this: though serviceable, they both need work. Yelp's developers should hone the accuracy and breadth of this application's listings and stabilize performance against crashes. Where would benefit from letting users customize their choices by selecting … Read more

First Look video: SplashID for iPhone, iPod Touch

Life is so much easier when you have your most pertinent personal information on hand. SplashID for iPhone and iPod Touch is a premium application ($9.99) that encrypts and password-protects the credit card, frequent flyer, and bank account numbers you've entered into the neatly arranged application. See how it works in this First Look video.

>>Discover other iPhone apps