First look: Madden NFL 10 for the iPhone

Electornic Arts' flagship sports franchise has landed on the iPhone and iPod touch

by Chris Holt, Macworld.com

Madden NFL 10 iPhone features real teams, real players, and every NFL stadium. If you want to see Drew Brees battle the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park, this is your game. If you want to draw your own plays, master the nickel defense, and make a strategic quarterback change, you only need to make a few taps and you’re ready to go.

After a year of development, Madden NFL 10 looks to be one of the best sports games to the come to the iPhone. Electronic Arts has clearly put in time with this product to not only give players a fun and intuitive sports simulator, but also ensured the game stayed true to the Madden franchise’s lofty standards.

I sat down with Jeremy Gross, producer of Madden NFL 10, and Chris Dreyer, the product manager for the title and they walked me through the game.

Seasoned veterans of the series will appreciate that Madden NFL 10 features commentary from John Madden himself, deep rosters of every team, and over 200 plays on offense and over a 100 on defense. Dedicated players can enjoy the season feature and play an entire season as their favorite team. There’s also a multiplayer feature in development and a soundtrack that features five songs from the console version of the game. You can also load songs from your iPhone to create your own soundtrack. So if you want to listen to Kiss’s “Detroit Rock City” while you play as the Lions, you can.

Casual players will be drawn to the game because of its intuitive interface and controls. iPhone games are ideally suited for short play sessions, and EA astutely determined that the game should save after every play. So if you ever have to stop and exit the game for whatever reason-receiving a phone call, for example-you can resume your game where you left off. You also won’t be penalized for delay of game if you have to leave the game for a while or take longer to decide what play to call, explains Gross.

Controlling your team is surprisingly easy. The Madden franchise has become such a deep, rich, and complex sports simulation series that it can often be unapproachable to new players. But EA has done a masterful job of translating the various nuances to the iPhone’s unique control scheme.

With just a flick of the finger, you can sort through what teams you’d like to play and what plays you’d like to call. I selected my hometown San Francisco 49ers to play against the Oakland Raiders in a little Bay Area exhibition. After I received the ball and was quickly tackled, I started on offense. I quickly selected a play with a flick and a tap and then I decided to reverse it and create my own “hot route.” Dreyer and Gross are particularly proud of the “hot route” feature that allows the player to draw a new route for the players by dragging their finger across the touch screen.

I ordered my wide receiver into a deep route and then hiked the ball. A color-coded reticule indicates which receivers are open, and I quickly tapped on my wide receiver who I had previously sent deep. He caught the ball for a thirty-yard gain and a nice first down. I would have felt a greater sense of accomplishment, but a 3rd grader in a cast could beat the Raiders secondary.

Utilizing running plays is just as easy. You can tap a button in the corner of the screen to slow down time for your ball carrier. You can then decide if you want to juke, spin, turn, etc. It’s a nifty feature to break tackles and really puts you in the shoes of the player.

Despite my potent passing abilities, my quarterback held the ball too long on a third and short and I was forced to settle for a field goal. The kicking system should be easily recognizable to fans of EA’s sports games. According to Jeremy Gross, it’s the same finesse power system used by the Tiger Woods series of golf games. Now instead of swinging the club, you can time the most powerful and accurate kick. On my first try I kicked it through the uprights and nabbed three points. For such a small part of the overall game, I walked away impressed with the level of detail EA had put into the kicking feature.

Madden NFL 10 has all the makings of a great iPhone game and an application that is true to the source material. The game is available today for $8 in the iTunes Store, but will revert to its standard price of $10 at 8:30 pm EST on September 10.

In addition to multiplayer on the horizon, EA is working to bring roster updates and “authentic jerseys” to the game via in-app purchasing in a later update.

[Chris Holt is a Macworld assistant editor.]

TomTom navigation for iPhone 3G and 3GS arrives

by Thomas Ricker

True, it's not the first app offering turn-by-turn driving instructions for the iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS -- but it is from TomTom, an industry heavy-weight that is finally delivering on years of rumor and speculation. After starting with New Zealand a few hours ago, the iTunes App Store is now populated with region specific TomTom apps for NZ ($95), Australia ($80), US and Canada ($100), and Western Europe ($140). If that sounds expensive... it is; dedicated TomTom navigators start at $120. In other words, this isn't one of those knee-jerk 99 cent App Store purchases. Naturally, that price does not include the announced TomTom iPhone car kit (rumored to cost £113.85 (about $194) with bundled mapping software) that mounts and charges your iPhone 3G or 3GS while enhancing its GPS performance, speaker, and microphone. Our advice: wait for the reviews before dedicating your non multi-tasking iPhone to the dashboard for navigation duties.

Update: Recombu took the software for a spin and seem duly impressed by their ability to navigate streets with an iPhone taped to the dash (not a joke). They say that when a call comes in, the TomTom app "turns off but restarts as soon as you finish the call." Lame. See the video overview after the break.

Update 2: TomTom says the upcoming car kit dock / windshield mount will also work with the iPod touch and third-party apps -- it contains a faster, more accurate GPS chip than the one in the iPhone. Check a video of it after the break.

Gallery: TomTom for iPhone 3G and 3GS hits the App Store

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read [Warning: iTunes link]

See more video at our hub!

iPhone 3G running OS 3.0 unlocked, ultrasn0w release coming Friday

by Ross Miller

The iPhone Dev-Team (no relation) have been teasing us for a little bit now with what they've been saying is an iPhone OS 3.0-compatible version of yellowsn0w, and tonight in a video presentation they unveiled ultrasn0w, which should let you unlock any iPhone on the market, running any version of the firmware from 3.0 on down. The trick to how they're getting the jailbreak hasn't been revealed yet for fear of Apple making a fix at the eleventh hour, but if everything goes according to plan, the new hacking software should be out Friday in time for the iPhone 3G S (no guarantee it'll work on the new device). Hit up the read link to watch the magic happen right before your very own eyes.

What it's like to use the iPhone 3G on Verizon's network

Last week, when Apple introduced its new iPhone 3GS smartphone, it highlighted by omission what many feel is the product's weakest link - that, in the U.S., it's only available on the AT&T network.

When Apple listed the providers who'd be offering tethering and multimedia messaging when the phone is available on Friday, AT&T was noticeably absent. In fact, when the wireless provider was mentioned during the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference keynote, the audience reaction ranged from snickering to outright boos.

Indeed, AT&T is the ubiquitous wireless provider you love to hate. iPhone users complain its data network is slow and congested, that its voice service drops calls frequently, and that its 3G coverage is too limited. As I've written before, I hear all the time from people who wish they could use the iPhone on Verizon, which has a reputation for a speedy, reliable and extensive data network.

Tales of an iPhone on Verizon's network have been around even before the phone was released. Tech legend has it that Apple initially approached Verizon to be the iPhone's exclusive provider, but the carrier turned its nose up at the new device.

So what would an iPhone on Verizon's network be like? Would it be as zippy and reliable at transferring data as iPhone fans hope?

I had a chance last week to find out. Verizon sent me a MiFi 2200, a device made by Novatel that combines a cellular modem with a Wi-Fi router. It connects to Verizon's 3G EVDO network in the same way as the air cards used with personal computers. It then allows up to 5 devices to connect to its 802.11g router. It's tiny - about 2.3-by-3.5 inches and less than half an inch thick - and easily fits in your pocket.

It's a nifty product, particularly for traveling. You can use it to provide everyone in a car with a Wi-Fi connection, turning your vehicle into a 70-mph hotspot.

And that's exactly what I did late last week. We drove to Missouri for my daughter's college orientation, and brought the MiFi along. I used it with my iPhone, and the results were very interesting.

In a major city such as Houston, I found the two networks performed about the same much of the time. AT&T's network could be noticeably slower at peak times, such as during rush hours. But on a Sunday night, when network traffic was light, the two networks performed similarly.

Here's a screen grab from the Speedtest iPhone app from Xtreme Labs. The results on the left are from AT&T; on the right, Verizon. This was typical of what I saw during off hours.

I didn't take screenshots during peak hours, but performance was often - but not always - noticeably slower on AT&T's network. Verizon's network was predictably fast almost all the time.

The major exception to that was in rural areas. On the way to Missouri, we passed through north Texas and eastern Oklahoma, where AT&T has no 3G, and sometimes even the older EDGE network was nowhere to be found. In some of these areas, Verizon's data network was MIA as well. The MiFi often connected to roaming networks (its power button turns blue to signal this) and data transfers then were as slow as on AT&T's EDGE network.

In other words, forget about smoking marijuana or taking trips on LSD. We don't do wireless broadband outside Muskogee, Okla., USA, either.

Of course, there are many variables here. Using the MiFi, I was going through a Wi-Fi connection to get to Verizon's network, but theoretically the 802.11g protocol has plenty of throughput to handle what's coming from the 3G modem. There could be interference for both Wi-Fi and 3G signals. The number of other users on either 3G network is also a variable.

But overall, performance was more reliable on Verizon's network with the iPhone going through Wi-Fi, than on AT&T's network talking directly to 3G.

Still, I don't think frustrated iPhone users can see a version of their phone on Verizon's network as a panacea. However, the coming of next-generation data networks -- and AT&T's plans to increase the speeds of its current 3G network -- hold out some hope for the future. In the meantime, iPhone users will just have to grit their teeth and bear it.

The MiFi, by the way, sells for $99 online, but requires a two-year service contract for a broadband connection that costs $60 a month with a 5-GB cap. If that's too rich for your blood, there's a $40 a month plan with a measly 250-MB cap. You can also buy it with no contract for $270 and pay $15 for individual day usage. None of those plans, frankly, are a good deal.

iPhone 3GS vs iPhone 3G Feature Chart Comparison

By Jesus Diaz

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Deciding between the cheap $99 and so last year iPhone 3G and the latest $199 or $299 iPhone 3GS. Thankfully, you can decide with this iPhone 3G vs iPhone 3GS feature chart:

I don't know about you, but I would rather pay more to get that camera and the extra battery life, no question about it. [Apple]

AT&T stores now offering early upgrade pricing on iPhone 3G

By Kasper Jade

Published: 11:00 AM EST

In the latest move aimed at helping Apple clear inventory of iPhone 3Gs ahead of new models anticipated this spring, AT&T retail stores are now offering some customers early upgrades to the Apple handset at subsidized pricing.

The silent offer, which began this week, is being extended to customers on a case-by-case basis. Typically, the carrier would only offer non-iPhone customers the option to upgrade from their non-Apple phone to an iPhone 3G at the $199 (8GB) and $299 (16GB) subsidized price points after their 24-month contract had run its course.

However, AT&T representatives have confirmed to AppleInsider that as of this week the company is waiving the upgrade clause for customers who are approximately 14 months into their two-year contract.

The waiver isn't bound to strict terms, however, meaning that retail employees are free to grant upgrade pricing for customers who may not be quite as far into their 2-year contract, but that determination is to be made by the employee after accessing and reviewing the customer's account history. Other factors like long-term loyalty to AT&T may play into the decisions.

The move follows similar initiatives by both Apple and AT&T to rid their stores of lingering iPhone 3G inventory. Both companies on Thursday began offering the handset at a "no commit" price of $599 for the 8GB version or $699 for the 16GB model.

AT&T is extending the offer only to existing subscribers and is limiting sales to just one iPhone. Apple, however, is willing to sell the phones to anyone who walks into its stores and isn't limiting the number they can purchase.

Apple is widely expected to unveil new iPhone models at its June Worldwide Developers Conference.

O2 offers iPhone free on £35, new Apple phone imminent?

Is O2 is clearing stock ahead of a new model of the iPhone?

Nick Spence

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O2, Apple's mobile phone partner in the UK, is to offer the iPhone 3G for free as part of a new contract deal available from next month.

The move is thought to help encourage new users to sign up and shift stock of 3G phones in preparation for a new iPhone rumoured to be available in the next few months including speculation on a new mid-range ‘nano-style’ device.

Earlier this week Apple introduced iPhone 3.0– the next generation operating system for the iPhone – promising over 100 new features.

From 3 April, customers who sign up to the 24 month tariff can get the 8GB iPhone 3G for free at £34.26 per month and the 16GB iPhone 3G for free at £44.05 per month.

On the 18 month contract the 8GB iPhone 3G costs £96.89 for the £34.26 per month, 16GB iPhone 3G costs £155.61 for the £34.26 per month, or £57.74 for the £44.05 per month.

A break down of price plans is available on the O2 Digital News Centre blog.

"The iPhone has been hugely popular with over one million units sold in the UK," said Peter Rampling, Marketing Director at Telefónica O2 UK.

"This new 24 month tariff option will meet the demand of customers who are looking for added value in exchange for committing to a longer contract."

Meanwhile AT&T will begin selling iPhones without requiring a two-year contract also from next week, although at a price point – the 8GB iPhone for $599 and the 16GB iPhone for $699 - that makes a contract appear more attractive.

iPhone 3.0 OS Guide: Everything You Need to Know

By Jesus Diaz

iPhone 3.0 OS, the next generation operating system for the iPhone, iPod touch, and whatever Apple device comes next. New features, new apps, here you will find all the information you need.

NEW IPHONE OS 3.0 FEATURES

The new iPhone OS 3.0 adds over 100 new features including—at friggin' last—cut and paste.

• Copy & Paste text. When you double-tap over text, you will get a "cut, copy, and paste" bubble dialog. Double-tap again and a "paste" bubble will appear if there's anything stored in your clipboard.

This works across applications. You can expand your selection points using your thumbs and, if you accidentally paste something you didn't want to paste, just shake your iPhone to undo it.

• Copy & Paste photos. You can also copy and paste photos. Now you will be able to select multiple photos by tapping the action button, copy some of them, and paste them in an email, ready to send.

• New Spotlight. iPhone OS 3.0 will allow you to search across the entire information contained in your device, no matter where, as soon as the information is supported it. If an application is written to support the new Spotlight, its data will also be available in the search.

In this screenshot you can see Spotlight bringing results from your address book, maps, your iPod, and apps in your springboard.

• Search in Mail, Calendar, and iPod. These Apple applications have specific search interfaces. The search in Mail doesn't support the message content yet, but it supports searching in IMAP servers—that will save a lot of time logging into Gmail.

• 3G Tethering. This feature will allow you to connect your iPhone 3G to a laptop, to use it as a modem to access the internet. Carriers still have to sign-off on it, and probably charge more for it. None have announced it yet.

• Landscape keyboard. Apple has added the landscape keyboard mode to other applications, like Mail, SMS, and Notes.

• Multimedia messaging. A big one to send rich content to people without mail-enabled telephones: The new MMS function will allow you to include everything, from images to sound to vcards (no word on video, however.) Personally, I find these usesless having email, but some people seem to want it.

• Support for new calendar types. In iPhone OS 3.0 you will be able to subscribe to calendars on the web using two protocols: CalDAV—supported by Google and Yahoo—and subscriptions via the .ics format—which is what Apple uses in iCal.

• Improved stocks application. The stocks application now allows you to read related news, so you can enjoy yourself learning about the latest market scandals, stock crashes, and executives getting bonus packages from government aid while their companies sink into hell. Thank you, Apple.

• Stereo Bluetooth A2DP audio. You will be able to pair your iPhone 3.0 with a stereo Bluetooth A2DP device, like headphones or speakers.

• Note synching with iTunes.

• Automatic login in Safari. The new version of Safari will remember login credentials, so you won't need to introduce your username and password again while accessing Scoreland your work intranet.

• Shake to shuffle music. If you are in your iPod application, you just need to shake it to start the shuffling mode. Hopefully this will be optional for sports people out there.

• Wi-Fi auto-login. In case you have a subscription to a paid hotspot, your iPhone or iPod touch will autolog into it.

• Anti-phising. Mobile Safari now can warn you against malicious sites trying to scam you.

• Extended parental controls. Adult content filters can now be applied to movies, TV shows, and applications, in addition to web sites and music (porn apps, here we come).




NEW APPLE APPLICATIONS

Apple will include new widgets in the new version of the iPhone operating system:

• Voice memo application. Obviously, allows you to record voice or any other sound, so you don't forget any idea or want to play FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper.

• Send and receive files. A dedicated application to exchange files between iPhones or iPods touch.




NEW THIRD PARTY APPLICATIONS FEATURES IN IPHONE OS 3.0

The new iPhone OS 3.0 adds 1,000 new APIs to extend the capabilities of new applications.

• Peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connectivity. A new API will allow for two iPhones to connect directly—peer-to-peer—via Wi-Fi, without needing any Wi-Fi network.

They will be able to discover each other using Bluetooth, and then start a Wi-Fi connection transparently (we saw this technology at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, so you can check the video about how it works here.)

This opens a lot of possibilities. I doubt they will allow you to pass music, but you would probably be able to pass any other information, as well as directly communicating between applications in the two devices. One example: A pets game that allows two dogs to play with each other.

This feature could be combined with push notification, so your iPhone may receive a note from another iPhone, inviting you to play a game one-on-one.

• Browse remote content. While the built-in iPod application doesn't allow you to browse songs in other people's iPhones or iPod touch, third-party applications will allow you to do that, according to Apple's Forstall.

• Use your iPhone/touch to control peripherals. A new API will let you use your iPhone or iPod touch as a control to your accessories. In this example, the iPhone is being used to equalize the sound in a loudspeaker.

However, the applications are endless. Johnson and Johnson is releasing LifeScan, an app that connects to a glucose monitoring device. The application can even alert other people automatically, in case something is wrong.

• Maps inside other applications. New applications will be able to use Maps directly, which is now an API.

• Turn-by-turn directions. Developers will also be able to create turn-by-turn applications using the GPS information from the iPhone and combining it with their own maps, without depending on 3G connectivity or Google.

• Push notification finally coming. Hopefully this time it will be true. Push notification means that your iPhone OS 3.0 applications will finally be able to receive messages from the intarwebs automagically, so you can have an Instant Message application and have your iPhone vibrate or make a sound when a new message comes in, even if the application is not running.

• Voice communication in applications. iPhone 3.0 applications will also be able to access a Voice over IP service. This means that you will be able to chat with other users while playing against them in a game, for example. This won't use the telephone, but the internet over a Wi-Fi connection.

• Rumbling. Games—or any other application—will also be able to rumble, like your console joystick.

• Audio recording. Audio recording will also be possible from third-party applications using a standardized API, instead of custom workarounds.

• Access your music from applications. Future applications will also be able to access the iPhone/iPod music library. This means that applications will be able to play your own music while they run.




NEW FEATURES IN THE APP STORE

The new OS will also offer an enhanced App Store, opening new possibilities for developers and consumers.

• Subcriptions to apps.
• Purchase additional content for apps, like new cities for a city guide application.
• Purchase additional levels for games.

Basically, this will allow developers to sell more things on top of their apps, and to consumers to expand their experience with those apps.

• This will work straight from the applications, so you can purchase new things through the software itself, even while it still goes through the App Store internally.




PRICE

iPhone OS 3.0 will be a free upgrade to all iPhone users, including the first generation (not all features will be supported in the first generation, like Stereo Bluetooth support). iPod touch users will be able to but it for $9.95.

If you dare, you can sign up for the beta here.

New iPhone 4G Concept Is Son of MacBook Air and iPod Touch

By Jesus Diaz,

This beautiful concept, inspired by the curves and tapering of the Macbook Air coupled with the touch's back, is even better than the cool Macbook-inspired iPhone 4G we featured at the beginning of the month.

The thing that excites me most about these concepts, however, is not the aesthetic aspect of it. It's the the front camera and the fact that people seem to be excited about getting videoconferencing on the iPhone. Specially about the idea of interacting with desktop videoconferencing software on both the PC and the Mac. This is a must for the videochat feature to be really useful, and personally I think it's one of the reasons it hasn't been done by Apple before.

My hope is that they are working to make it crossplatform, either with Apple releasing iChat for the PC at one point or, ideally, working on the connection with existing PC videoconferencing software like MSN and Skype.

For sure, Jason and I can't wait to have cellphone videosex. With other people, I mean. [Thanks Rodolphe Desmare for the art]

iPhone Bluetooth File Transfer Coming Soon (YES!)

By Jesus Diaz,

Trust the rogue programmers and Cydia—the independent equivalent to the iTunes App Store—to bring you one of the most awaited features ever for the iPhone: Bluetooth file transfer.

As you can see in the video, iBluetooth will bring you just that, allowing the iPhone to transfer files to any other device using Bluetooth. In this case, the application developed by MeDevil is working with an iMac and a Sony Ericsson handset but, once it is finished and available through Cydia, it will work with any device supporting the Bluetooth file transfer protocol. [Spazio Cellulare]

Apple releases iPhone Software 2.2.1

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld.com

Apple on Tuesday released a software update for its iPhone and iPhone 3G devices.

According to notes provided with the update, the new version addresses two issues. First, Apple says the update provides improved stability for the Safari Web browser and secondly, an issue was fixed where some images saved from Mail do not display correctly in the Camera Roll.

The update is available to all iPhone and iPhone 3G users by plugging the iPhone into your computer and clicking on the Check for Update button in iTunes.

Refurbished iPhones Land at Best Buy

Scott Nichols, PC World

Best Buy seems to have a good deal going with Apple, as it was the first retailer outside of Apple's own stores to carry iPhones, and now will be the first again, by selling "refreshed" or, more accurately, refurbished 3G iPhones.

The refurbished iPhones will be devices that were returned within 30 days by the original owner and are priced $50 less than a shiny new model. So an 8GB model would sell for $149 while the 16GB model sells for $249. The refurbished iPhones are now available at 350 Best Buy locations that have a Best Buy Mobile store.

This will also make the iPhone the only refurbished item Best Buy currently carries. Of course the retail giant tries to get around that fact by calling the iPhones "refreshed" instead, but a marketing ploy through semantics doesn't change the fact that these are refurbished iPhones.

So what does this mean for you? Well, if you are in the market for a 3G iPhone, then Best Buy is a great place to get one for $50 less than full price. Best Buy stores are far more plentiful than Apple stores, so it's now more convenient than ever to get a 3G iPhone that someone else didn't want.

Group Unlocks Apple's New iPhone

By YUKARI IWATANI KANE

A band of independent programmers says it has "unlocked" the latest generation of Apple Inc.'s iPhones so the devices can be used on unauthorized wireless networks, in a move that could threaten Apple's carrier partners.

Since the original iPhone was launched in June 2007, Apple has struck partnerships with wireless carriers world-wide, such as AT&T Inc. in the U.S. and France Telecom SA's Orange unit. Under the agreements, the iPhone can generally be used only by subscribers to those carriers.

But on Wednesday, a group called the iPhone Dev Team released a free piece of software called "yellowsn0w" that unlocks the iPhone 3G. The software lets users reprogram the phones so they can work on any wireless network based on the same technical standard.

Several users said they successfully installed the software on their iPhone 3Gs and were able to make calls on non-authorized networks.

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the iPhone Dev Team's work, only saying that Apple doesn't support unlocked iPhones in the U.S. Apple offers such phones in Germany and Hong Kong "where government regulation requires it" but they usually come at a steep price.

Software programmers have been trying to unlock the iPhone 3G since it came out last July.

The development could lead to a loss in revenue for Apple's wireless partners. International travelers would be able to buy airtime for their iPhones on local wireless networks when they travel abroad, so they don't have to incur steep roaming charges.

Consumers in markets where Apple hasn't yet launched the iPhone could also buy the device elsewhere and use it in their home countries. In China, for example, consumers can already buy previous generation iPhones that have been smuggled in and come unlocked.

In the U.S., "the iPhone is meant to be used exclusively on the AT&T network. Any other use of the device is inappropriate and would void the warranty," said an AT&T spokesman.

The iPhone Dev Team is the same group that unlocked the original iPhone model more than a year earlier. The team didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Write to Yukari Iwatani Kane at yukari.iwatani@wsj.com

iPhone 3G overtakes the RAZR as best-selling domestic handset

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Nov 10th 2008 at 10:15AM

According to a report from NPD, sales of cellphones have shifted in a manner which should shock and stun even a casual observer. Apparently for the first time in years, Motorola's ubiquitous RAZR has been overtaken in consumer sales... by the iPhone 3G. This is a watershed moment for handset sales in the US, marking not only a shift away from the dominant market leader, but a turn towards more complex, full-featured devices. The news comes hot on the heels of NPD's previous findings, which still placed the RAZR in the top spot -- though with ever-decreasing numbers. In that same report, the iPhone found itself in second place, but it appears that flagging interest in the inescapable dumbphone coupled with the recent iPhone PR blitz have put Apple's moneymaker into the top position. The news is also buoyed by recent reports that Apple has overtaken RIM as the number two smartphone vendor, and a J.D. Power study which found affection for the device waxing in the extreme. Overall, however, handset sales fell 15 percent year-over-year, and LG managed to snag the top brand position, with two models in the top five. Still, if there already wasn't a clear indication of the market moving towards both smartphones and touchscreen devices, this should give everyone a clearer picture of both the public's wants, and the power of Cupertino's ad-men.

click here for the entire Press Release......http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/10/iphone-3g-overtakes-the-razr-as-best-selling-domestic-handset/