iPhone, iPod to overthrow Nintendo by 2014?

Analyst sees Apple winning mobile gaming

The iPhone platform could overtake rivals Nintendo and Sony for the lead in growing handheld gaming in as little as five years, a DFC Intelligence report says. The analyst group believes portable hardware from the Japanese companies is likely to still lead in terms of sheer units in the future but believes growth has "peaked" for devices like the DSi or PSP Go where Apple's platform is still climbing quickly. By 2014, the iPhone and iPod touch are expected to be the only major devices still seeing significant growth.

Researchers explain the anticipated swap in positions as a function of the iPhone platform's wider role compared to the Nintendo and Sony devices. The two consoles are bought primarily only for gaming, with media or Internet use at best a secondary feature. Even for the iPod touch, most who buy Apple's devices are buying them seldom do so with gaming as the primary goal. Internet access and media playback are stronger on iPhone OS devices and give them more flexibility.

Long-term, DFC sees games making up 23 percent of all iPhone app downloads and thus that they will have a secondary but important role.



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Print iPhone, iPod Touch Photos on Canon PIXMA Printers Over Wi-Fi

I don’t print a lot of photos but I know a lot of people who like to do so. Maybe it’s the feeling of holding the photo in the hand that lends a sense of reality to these newfangled digital photos. Those who have a Canon PIXMA MP990, MP640 or MP560 printer can now print directly from the iPhone or iPod touch. This is similar to the HP printing solution for the iPhone, Windows Mobile and Symbian platforms.

The new app from Canon prints over Wi-Fi, in a variety of sizes. You can select multiple photos on the phone and print up to 20 copies for Grandma and the rest of the family. The app is free, so get printing.


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Use Your iPhone To Start Your Car

By Chris Scott Barr

Keys are one of those objects that seems almost archaic when you think about them. We have so many technologies at our disposal, you have to wonder why we rely on these so heavily. If you don’t have a car with a fancy keyless setup, you can now add a Viper StartSmart system that will let you controlyour car from your iPhone.

The new StartSmart System won’t have you driving your car from an iPhone, but you can do a host of other functions:

• Lock/arm
• Unlock/disarm
• Remote car starter
• Trunk release
• Panic or car finder

You can do all of the above functions anywhere using your iPhone or iPod Touch, so long as you have either a data connection or WiFi available. The App is free, but you’ll need the Viper StartSmart hardware inyour car. The StartSmart kit will set you back $499, and you’ll need to pony up $29.99 a year for service ( the first year is free).

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Apple acknowledges iPod nano overheating in support doc

Update: Apparently, this support document is not new today, but rather an update of a document issued in August 2008 (Google cache), at which point Apple released the same information in a statement. Somehow, that slipped through my net. Apologies.

Stories of iPod batteries catching on fire are sadly nothing new—we’ve been hearing about them for over a year. But on Friday, Apple published a knowledge base document publicly acknowledging the problem—and that may be a first.

The article, Rare cases of battery overheating, specifically references first-generation iPod nanos that were sold between September 2005 and December 2006, which appears to be in line with the models investigated by the Japanese government in 2008. Apple says the problem is very rare and attributes it to batteries provided by a single supplier.

In these rare cases, the battery may overheat, causing the iPod's case to become distorted and the iPod to stop functioning. If you notice those symptoms or other signs of the battery overheating, such as discoloration, Apple suggests you stop using the iPod immediately and contact AppleCare. In addition, if you are concerned about the battery in your iPod nano, you can also contact AppleCare for a battery replacement.

The iPod nano isn’t the only Apple product that’s been dogged by reports of battery problems, however. Earlier this year, a U.K. man said his daughter’s iPod touch overheated and exploded and an Ohio woman filed suit against Apple, claiming her son’s iPod touch exploded in his pants and caught on fire. Apple has not to date issued any specific warning about iPod touch models.


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