iPhone UK

Since it came out, the Apple iPhone has held nearly immovable sway over the smart phone industry by offering all of the features that users want in a robust package that is both easy to use and popularly agreed upon as a must have hi tech product. That reputation alone will be incredibly difficult for any challenger to compete with, but with the arrival of the Nokia n97, many experts believe that things might just be about to change. This new smart phone may not have the name brand popularity of the iPhone but what it does have is a wide range of impressive features that can definitely go head to head with the kind of mobile devices. With 32 gigs of storage space, it is able to hold a great deal of video and audio files that users will be able to watch at their leisure, a major lift to the expected amount of space that consumers currently expect from their phone. A range of popular applications is expected to be especially strong and this will be a big threat to the iPhone since it has traditionally been able to hold its market share firmly due to the number of apps it can offer.

Nokia nearly always puts out a product that makes reviewers rave, but the n97 has gone a notch up by building in a big selection of goodies not seen in other similar phones. The fact that it is incredibly sensitive to use means it will know to dim itself if the lighting brightens and it knows to make the texting sound lower in volume when a user is utilizing the phone. Only time will tell if Nokia can make Apple sweat.

Users of Apple’s iPhone now have access to all the features they have come to expect from NASA’s own website on a daily basis. The American space institution is now offering a free iPhone app that will allow users to stay up to date on space news and the latest reports from interstellar exploration efforts from anywhere they can use their mobile devices. NASA’s aim is to engage both American citizens and those abroad with fascinating and visually intriguing imagery to get more people behind the agency’s efforts to explore and understand outer space. Using both iPhone and iPod Touch, users can now explore the offerings of one of the world’s foremost space research institutions.

With the app, users will be granted access to NASA’s Image of the Day and Astronomy Picture of the Day, as well as being given easy connection with NASA TV videos, and various other agency feeds including Twitter. In addition, users will be allowed to filter the information they receive so as to be informed only about the missions they are most concerned with such as Solar System events or NASA launches. Saving pictures directly to the mobile devices is promised to be a breeze and the space agency believes the app will raise interest worldwide, bringing more people behind its missions.

The world is watching and all eyes are right now on Apple, the reigning king of the smart phone industry for quite some time now. The fact is, consumers have been waiting by the millions to be able to leap on the bandwagon, but not everyone was convinced that the iPhone was the device for them despite its huge range of both features and applications available. Apple now must prove itself against an onslaught of competition that have had years to engineer their devices in such a way as to be worthy of taking a share of this market. When it comes to consumer friendly features, the HTC HD2 is certainly expected to be a serious rival to the iPhone with its large screen, self dimming capabilities and ability to adjust its ringer to fit the demands of the situation. That means that consumers will have much more control over the details that really can make a difference in their lives on a daily basis. Given the huge demographic sweep of smart phone users, HTC is sure to find plenty of homes for their new product.

However, Nokia is also raring for the fight and odds are high that the company can actually make a very good impression with their new n900. Experts have proven that the Nokia n900 is a serious competitor based not only on its impressive processing power and robust design, but the fact that it can browse the web over a broadband connection using a modem instead of forcing users to find a local WiFi connection. No matter which way the tide turns, if it turns, the consumers will be the winners since they will have wider selection, better technology and lower prices this go around. That is certainly the type of innovation most people prefer say experts in the smart phone industry.

Working with Star Wars has proven to be huge money for nearly all of the companies who have done business with entertainment mogul George Lucas over the years and THQ Wireless expects the same results for its upcoming title Star Wars: Trench Run. The game will offer users of the iPhone the chance to relive major scenes from the early movies and have an experience in one of the world’s biggest science fiction fantasy epics ever to grace not only the silver screen, but television and gaming platforms. The focus of the title will be around the destruction of Darth Vader’s Death Star, the giant planet killing machine featured in the original Star Wars movie.

Players will take command of an X-wing space craft of the same variety that Luke Skywalker flew in the films. They will go up against the Imperial Tie Fighters in order to get close enough to the Death Star to begin descending into the trenches, fielding off an attack from Darth Vader himself and eventually shooting a proton torpedo in to the Imperial fortress in order to destroy it. The game will offer both Mission and Arcade modes so that players will be able to choose the style of play they prefer.

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has given the global pizza restaurant chain Pizza Hut two awards for its Pizza Hut app, a true first for the iPhone app industry. The app offers users the ability to order pizza directly from their iPhone and is the first of its kind from a national pizza delivery chain. Beyond its award, the app is also a leader in the iTunes Lifestyle category, being widely embraced by consumers who are hungry for greater utility from their mobile devices. The categories that the Pizza Hut app won are Mobile Display Campaign in North America and Emerging Technology Campaign in North America, both categories with heavy competition.

Even before the MMA awards were given, the app had already pulled in an OMMA award and was a finalist for a MOBI award this year. Since its release in July, the app has brought in more than one million dollars in sales for the pizza industry leader, proving that consumers are more than willing to use their mobile devices for food related purchases. Not only does the app allow consumers to place orders, it also allows them to use the touch screens on their iPhone or iPod Touch to drag and drop the toppings they would like on their pizza, creating an interactive experience akin to gaming.

With more than 1.4 million downloads of its highly popular gaming app Shift, successful developer Fishing Cactus has designed and released a brand new app for the iPhone called Minim. By working in tandem with another developer, Atomic Ciccada, the developers have built a flash based puzzle game that they believe will be hot property in the mobile gaming market. Using a science oriented approach, the companies hope to draw in a more hard science crowd that makes up a major segment of users for the popular Apple device.

Players will work their way through 50 unique levels in the full version of the game, which retails for $1.99 in the Apple App Store. Game play involves the opposite of most games where the goal is to increase the score or gather loot and powers. In Minim, players start with a chemistry set which they will use to combine various substances in such a way that they gradually reduce the elements in play. By combining connected atoms, players work to eradicate molecules and minimize down to subatomic particles until there is only a single particle left in play. This unique twist is expected to grab the attention of gamers looking for a different experience than they are used to.

With travelers increasingly focusing on meal time as a primary component of travel oriented vacation experiences, Disney Resorts is rising to the occasion by offering their own app which allows guests to select their menus long before they travel to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. The growing popularity of Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch has convinced the entertainment giant to develop this app so that foodies and travel enthusiasts can get a taste of what their resort offers in advance, as well as save time by knowing what they will be dining on before they arrive at the resort, freeing them up for other activities.

Having more than 17 lounges and restaurants to choose from, users will be able to scan through the offerings of eateries like Todd English’s bluezoo and former NFL player Don Shula’s restaurant, Shula’s Steak House. Since the resort has more than 2,200 rooms available, it’s large capacity serves as a focal point for tourists in the South Florida area, both children and adults. Users will be able to browse categories and select restaurants by type, get further information on dishes served, read descriptions, browse photos and even make a direct connection with the reservation hotline.

Mobile ad company AdMob has announced that it intends to deliver video ads that users can interact with via their iPhone and iPod Touch mobile devices. The ads are intended to run as users surf the web or check out other videos. This innovation is expected to be met with great enthusiasm by advertisers and developers who are looking for a way to pull in new customers as the traditional pay per click ad strategies sink in effectiveness due to the ever changing nature of the web, particularly with the addition of widespread mobile device use.

The theory is simple, consumers have proven time and again that they are more willing to watch videos than they are to read text. YouTube’s rapid and tremendous impact on the web is cited as proof of this trend, so advertisers are looking to videos as the next generation of commercials formerly used on TV. The addition of the ads being interactive is expected to raise conversion rates much higher than traditional video ad units alone which usually perform quite well.

The ads will be served over a highly regimented network that will choose the file size that best suits a user’s technology and bandwidth in order to offer the smoothest viewing experience and users will be able to control the pop up ads by using an interactive player to pause, rewind or play the ads.

Zen studios, creators of the popular iPhone game ZEN pinball: Rollercoaster have released their new pinball game for the iPhone, Pinball: Inferno that features a 3D environment and physics as well as five modes of gameplay. It also features multiball stages where more than one ball can be in play at a time. One of the features in pinball: Inferno is that you can obtain a new extra ball for every 100 bumper hits. The game also features a hot seat multiplayer mode. ZEN Pinball: Inferno is currently available at the app store and costs $4.99.

Target has recently released a gift recommendation app for the iPhone called gift globe. To get a gift idea from gift globe, you have to input some information such as the gender and age of the intended recipient of the gift, and then shake the iPhone. Gift globe will then recommend a suitable gift for that person. You may then tap the recommended item onscreen to purchase it online or add it to a favourites list. You can also get a different gift recommendation by shaking the iPhone again. The app also helps you locate the nearest store with the chosen gift in stock. Gift globe is a free app and is currently available at the app store.