Apple recently decided not to approve Google’s Voice application, citing the application altered the main functions of the iPhone.
Today, Google has released an enhanced mobile version of Voice at http://m.google.com/voice, which is powered by HTML5 that now brings new premium features to the iPhone.
Most people who use Google Voice want to use it to consolidate all their telephone numbers into one primary one. One of the best features is now the ability to set your outgoing calling number to your Google Voice number on your iPhone. It will now be easier for your friends to adopt your Google Voice number, as they’ll always see your Google Voice number. You can also send and receive free text messages from Google Voice.
We’ve seen a lot of things happen in 2009, some things were expected, some were not, some were shocking, and some were simply never seen or heard of before.
From the biggest Ponzi scheme ever seen in U.S. history, to the global financial credit crisis, to historic health care reform championed by the first black President of the United States.
A lot has happened in 2009, and we’ve compiled it all up for you with the top 8 topics of the entire year.
1. The Global Financial Crisis
With the near collapse of the global credit market, and unprecedented actions being taken by global leaders to stave off a global economic meltdown, the financial crisis was plastered in the media almost every day and even became a primary presidential voting issue, thereby making it the story of 2009. With billions provided in emergency bailout loans to financial intermediaries, Wall Street was still paying millions in bonuses with outstanding government loans, while millions of Americans faced forclosurer and high unemployment rates. The Obama administration later moved to block $165-million in AIG bonuses alone and later blocked bonuses from being paid while the financial intermediaries had outstanding government debt. Warren Buffet’s company Berkshire Hathaway even reported its biggest loss ever (only its second loss in its history). There were also opportunities for firms to act on, such as Disney who acquired Marvel Entertainment for $4B. Despite households losing significant amounts of money primairly from their positions in risky equity positions, some did profit (though not for too long)…Bearnie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison following a conviction for operating the biggest Ponzi scheme ever seen in U.S. history that saw $50 billion defrauded from investors.
The update brings in many enhancements to existing features, along with new features to the device.
New features include the ability to backup your browser bookmarks, enhanced email search, JPG, PNG, BMP image format support, the ability to purchase MP3s from Amazon, browser file downloading, enhanced calendar with tighter map integration, send contact option among many other enhancements.
The wait is almost over for Canadians looking at picking up Palm’s much-anticipated Palm Pre smartphone.
The phone will launch on Thursday, August 27, 2009 and will cost $199.95 with a 3-year contract, or $599.95 without a term. A 500MB minimum monthly data plan will be required with your purchase.
Palm has just posted a massive $95 million net loss for Q3FY09. Sales are down significantly to 482,000 units shipped in Q3 compared to 833,000 shipments in the same period last year. Q3 total earnings were down 71% to $90.6 million compared to $312 million last year in the same period. Palm CEO Ed Colligan said the new and highly anticipated Palm Pre handset powered by the new Palm webOS is going to launch as planned sometime in Q2.
Engadget’s Joshua Topolsky showed off the Palm Pre on the Jimmy Fallon show. The phone seems to offer some very kool features, including the ability to sit the phone on a small magnetic mount that charges the phone without even plugging in a single wire! Check out the video!
Net Applications has released figures relating to mobile browser market share for February 2009. Apple’s iPhone, which accounts for about 0.5% of all cell phones, holds 66.61% mobile browser market share according to the findings, with its closest competitor Java ME (such as Blackberry handsets) at only 9.06% The actual results will likely begin to change as Microsoft rolls out its highly upgraded Internet Explorer browser and as Palm rolls out its Palm Pre with a revamped browser. Mozilla is also preparing to launch its own mobile internet browser dubbed Fennec. Interestingly, the Mac OS in February 2009 held 9.71% of the total computer operating system market share, down from 9.93% a month earlier in January 2009. The iPhone also generates 51% of all current U.S. mobile internet browsing traffic.
BGR is reporting it has an internal document from Palm that outlines the release date and price of the much anticipated Palm Pre. Apparently, the device will be available in store March 15, 2009 from Sprint and could sell for $150 with a two-year term, or about $550 without contract.
In September 2007, Apple applied for a multi-touch patent for its iPhone. The US Patent Office just awarded the multi-touch patent (7,479,949) that includes all the iPhone gestures (pinch, rotation, etc.). The inventors most notably included in the filing include Steve Jobs, Wayne Westerman (FingerWorks co-founder), among others. “A computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a computing device with a touch screen display comprises: detecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display, applying one or more heuristics to the one or more finger contacts to determine a command for the device, and processing the command.” Apple has recently threatened to sue Palm for using similar touch gestures on its new Palm Pre device; Palm said it would vigorously defend any lawsuit.
With the near collapse of the global credit market, and unprecedented actions being taken by global leaders to stave off a global economic meltdown, the financial crisis was plastered in the media almost every day and even became a primary presidential voting issue, thereby making it the story of 2009. With billions provided in emergency bailout loans to financial intermediaries, Wall Street was still paying millions in bonuses with outstanding government loans, while millions of Americans faced forclosurer and high unemployment rates. The Obama administration later moved to 
In September 2007, Apple applied for a multi-touch patent for its iPhone. The US Patent Office just awarded the 