Here’s the situation. Despite only effectively offering one model of iPhone Apple’s already made it into the top three handset makers on a global basis, despite competition from multiple products from other manufacturers (there’s more than one BlackBerry, after all). So, what’s a company going to do to maximise its reach? Diversify its product line, that’s what - just as with the slow extension of its iPod family.

Here’s the news: Overnight reports are claiming the company is developing a smaller, CDMA-compatible device for Verizon (and other CDMA networks), a device it intends releasing in Q3, 2010.

This rumoured device would host a Qualcomm hybrid CDMA/WCDMA chip and have a smaller 2.8-inch screen.

It’s by no means the first time Apple’s been rumoured to hold plans for a smaller device. The Dally Mail made such claims last year, speculating (incorrectly) that this would ship then.

We ourselves saw signs of this way back in April 2008, when we reported claims Apple has a smaller device in development.

Despite wide resistance to these notions in 2008, 2010 will see Apple’s competitors intensify in their attempts to take on the iPhone, and diversification of the product line is just one potential response available to company management.

NB: Image used here is of an old edition iPod nano, and purely for illustrative purposes, it is not purported to be an image of this rumoured iPhone nano device.

Amazon's deal of the day is a Sony Bravia 32" 720P Monitor for $399+Free shipping.   That's 20% off.   Specs below, Saturday only.

• Enjoy a 32-inch flatscreen with vibrant 720p resolution from any HD source, including movies, sports, and HD television programming
• Advanced Contrast Enhancer with Dynamic Backlight Control Dynamic Backlight Control creates a dynamic contrast ratio of 13,000:1
• Three HDMI inputs (up to 1080/60p input capable) , two Component YPbPr (1080/60i capable), and one PC input (HD-15 pin)
• Expand your HDTV's capabilities with BRAVIA Link modules, such as BRAVIA DVD Link, BRAVIA Wireless Link, and BRAVIA Input Link (sold separately)
• BRAVIA Sync gives you one-touch access and control of all your compatible home theatre devices, as well as select Sony Handycam camcorders

• Brand Name: Sony
• Model: KDL-32L5000
• Display Technology: TFT active matrix
• Display Size: 32 inches
• Image Aspect Ratio: 16:9
• HDTV Compatible: Y
• Speakers Included: 2 speakers
• Height: 22.0 inches
• Width: 31.8 inches
• Depth: 3.7 inches
• Weight: 28.0 pounds

We won’t labour this point, but we think Apple’s latest App Store approval blunder calls some of its core philosophies into question.

We know the App Store won’t sell overt erotica - even eBooks carrying the ancient love manual, the Kama Sutra, have been banned from the store - so we’re really, really keen to know how come the company approved a Spanish App containing Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, complete with a swastika logo.

We can agree that Mein Kampf is a book that’s actually sold in the shops, but then again, so’s the Kama Sutra, and the latter title has seen eBook readers banned for including it.

You can take a look at nine more banned apps here. However, that the Mein Kampf app complete with Nazi swastika has been included on the Spanish version of the App Store while Kama Sutra hasn’t says that just being a book isn’t enough. Do take a look at TechCrunch’s angry opinion on this here.

Adding a little more grist to this mill, a wander through iTunes is all it takes for a savvy user to find all manner of white supremacist music offered for sale. We’re not going to name any of the bands here - we don’t want to encourage them - but we know it’s there, and also know this music isn’t stocked at high street music retailers, so why is it at Apple?

Now, you could argue that this is “just music”, but Apple will ban homophobic songs by reggae artists, but is prepared to accept racist titles by white supremacists.

We feel that in both these cases, Apple needs to get its philosophical approach sorted out.

(Image also courtesy TechCrunch)

The great thing about offering a hugely-popular development environment for a successful mobile device is just how quickly 1000,000 apps can reach your App Store, but Apple’s developers complain app discovery is flawed, leaving many earning less for their work than they think they should. However, the other great thing about a popular developer environment is that problems are solutions waiting to happen, and socially-connected app discovery is the iPhone developer response.

One of the first of what we predict will be a wave of these solutions is Chorus for the iPhone and iPod touch. Developed by envIO, the app helps us find whuch applications our friends are using.

You can connect with your friends to see the apps they're using, which apps they rate highly, and to stay up-to-date on new apps as they come through.

Chorus features real-time feeds from your designated friends, displaying the apps they are downloading, and what they are saying about them.

"Chorus makes the whole process of app discovery much more fun and engaging. Chorus helps users connect with trusted friends from social networks like Facebook and Twitter," said Manish Jha, President and CEO of envIO networks, the company behind Chorus.

"iPhone users already ask friends and colleagues about cool, new apps. Chorus makes it simple," said Linda Barrabee, advisor to envIO networks.

Chorus uses envIO's proprietary Social Genome technology to match favorite apps against those your friends use, building a personalized and relevant list of recommended apps.

Here’s some of its features:

Check out what your friends are downloading, find out what they think before you buy or download.
Share opinions with your friends, rate apps and post your own reviews.
Get customized recommendations based on what your friends are doing.
Learn about the hottest new apps.

It’s a free App and you can go grab it right here.

NB: We've written to the developers requesting info on the international launch of this App, no response received as yet.

The Wall St. Journal is reporting that Radio Shack will begin selling the iPhone for the holidays in New York City and Dallas-Ft. Worth and will roll it out to all of its stores in 2010.  Seperately, Radio Shack will be operating Target's wireless phone business or "store-within a store" so it is conceivable that they'll sell the iPhones at Target as well

"The Shack" has been rumored to carry the iPhone for over a year.

Apple Stores get a little nuts during the holidays.  Apple is helping those who want to get in and out with "Reserve and Pick Up".  It is what you'd think: You buy something online and pick it up at the nearest store.  Also a good way to make sure they have the product you are looking for in stock (and no aiting for adding memory or upgrading hard drives). They'll even wrap it for you, you lazy bastard. 

Not a bad kit for $12 - hurry 1 hour left!

If you have any of the iPhone games above, iPhone developer Storm 8 might have collected your iPhone number according to a lawsuit investigated by Boing Boing. 

...the suit claims that the practice is not authorized by Apple and involves the execution of "malicious software code".  Storm8 has written the software for all its games in such a way that it automatically accesses, collects, and transmits the wireless telephone number of each iPhone user who downloads any Storm8 game," the suit alleges. " ... Storm8, though, has no reason whatsoever to access the wireless phone numbers of the iPhones on which its games are installed."...The number farming was not disclosed to players until an acknowledgement in August that described it as a "bug." The lawsuit claims that only "very specific and specialized software code" could do so, however, and seeks injunctive relief and damages.

This follows news earlier this year that Mogo, a Swiss developer was stealing numbers, and calling their free customers to update to their paid app.

Who remembers the days of summer when we spent quality time speculating that iTunes LP content would fit snugly onto Apple TVs for playback on your big TV sets?

Well, as we know this exact feature took its place inside Apple TV 3.0, but owners of iTunes LP content were advised they’d have to redownload the material - and today the great rush to Apple TV begins, with Apple notifying purchasers of its iTunes LP content that updated versions of these which are compatible with Apple TV 3.0 are available now. (Thanks to MacRumors).

Apple introduced Apple TV 3.0 last week, featuring a redesigned main menu that makes navigating your favorite content simpler and faster - and no longer makes you navigate to the bottom of a list to find the content you already own.

The software also lets you “enjoy iTunes Extras and iTunes LP in stunning fullscreen with your Apple TV, as well as listen to Genius Mixes and Internet radio through your home theater system,” the company said.

Apple TV users can listen to Genius Mixes through their system and listen to up to 12 endless mixes of songs that go great together, automatically generated from their iTunes library.

Anyway, in case you have any iTunes Extra/LP content, now’s the time to redownload it and watch/listen to it over the weekend.

Media invitations went out today for the grand opening of Apple's 4th Manhattan Store, on 67th and Broadway.  The date is set from a week from tomorrow on Saturday the 14th of November.  By many accounts, this store is thought to be even more spectacular than the other Manhattan Apple Stores, including the iconic square cube venue on 5th Avenue.

While the store will miss today's Yankees ticker tape parade, it will be along the route of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade which heralds in the Holiday Shopping Season.  It might make sense for Apple to use its location during the parade for publicity.  Maybe we'll see a giant iPod floating down Broadway?

A couple of points to note:

• AT&T's poor network is really killing the iPhone's popularity and Pogue points this out.  As someone frequently in NYC, the iPhone is useless as a phone here.   I know many people who have an iPhone and still need to use a Verizon phone for phone calls.  The Droid will be tempting to them.  I've had similar experiences in SF.
• The Droid OS/apps are way less polished than the iPhone's.  While it isn't getting a lot of airtime, I think this is akin to Windows vs. Mac.  To many people, this won't matter. The Droid is definitely a techie phone.  Everything from the name to the feature-set is for techies.  Most people who've played with it so far are techie/journalists (like Pogue).  It will be interesting to see what everyday smartphone users think.
• Those docks are pretty cool but not a technology breakthrough.  Apple should allow docks to communicate with the OS so that Belkin can create a $20 car dock and nightstand dock.  OS 3.2?
• Not a fan of "App Phone"

Jim Goldman, below, is much more in favor of the iPhone.

Want to hitch a ride on another person’s inadequately secured internet connection - well, guess what, there’s an App for that...

Seems that iPhone App “Dessid” (€1.59, local prices vary) exploits a flaw that’s seemingly specific to Irish broadband users on the Eircom network.

Now, that flaw’s been repaired, but still 50 per cent of Eircom customers are using equipment that possess the problem. The problem occurs because each wireless network broadcasts a unique eight-digit code as its network name. That’s reasonable - what isn’t so reasonable is that the default password to the network is also derived from these eight digits. And, let’s face it, many users just don’t understand how to make their network more secure.

Step in Dessid, which scans for available wireless networks. When a user chooses an Eircom network that’s using the default settings, the password is displayed almost instantly. And the developer of the app sells it as a way for users to recover their password in the event of loss. He says it’s “obvious” the software could also be used to access another’s connection. Which is fine - up to a point...

Look, you know the score: The secretly discussed internatinal copyright agreement that’s currently being thrashed out at high levels of international governments seems to be dominated by the music copyright lobby. All the talk of three strikes rules in which file-sharers (even accused file-sharers - the right to protest at such accusations has still not been agreed) are knocked off the internet is going to cause problems.

It means that at some time in the future when the retarded music industry and its bevy of overpaid government lobbyists get their way and people accused of file-sharing one too many times get “kicked off of the internetz” you’ll see a tidal wave of users parking up outside your Mum’s house to use her inadequately secured WiFi connection to go get their music....

(Hint to the lawmen - this measure is punitive, ineffective, and will cause innocent people to be punished for other people’s ‘crimes’).

Zip back to Ireland, and a survey from consultants Deloitte found that 63 per cent of Eircom networks that broadcast the eight-digit network name have not upgraded their security. This means up to 250,000 home networks could be accessed using the app.

While this seems a particularly Irish problem, we’re pretty certain blinkered copyright protection laws will make problems like this commonplace, as backward-thinking luddites dominate the legislative maze.

Well, with the latest Pew Internet and American Life Project finds (gasp) that people’s use of cellphones and the internet, particularly social networks such as Facebook are actually good for helping them build wider social networks, it’s clear that walled garden approaches to services have no long term future. It’s all about the network.

This is probably why Facebook is preparing a standards-based interface for its Facebook chat system which will potentially make it accessible via GTalk, iChat and other Jabber-based chat services.Facebook is moving to Jabber’s XMPP (extensible messaging and presence protocol ), building a connection interface which should make it possible for users to speak with others currently inside the world’s fastest-growing social networking service without necessarily having to log into their own account (and instantly see time eroded by endless games of Farmville, Mafia Wars and browsing of their mate’s photo galleries).

It doesn’t stop there - moving to XMPP will also let iChat users see when their friends are online on the service, you’ll be able to set your status messages, and maybe take a gander at you’re friend’s profile pics.

Process One reports, “It now seems the launch is close as the XMPP software stack has been deployed on chat.facebook.com, as our bot at IMtrends have found out: chat.facebook.com on IMtrends.”

All told, there’s some proof in this of the Pew Survey findings that, "Our survey results suggest that people's lives are likely to be enhanced by participation with new communication technologies, rather than by fearing that their use of new technology will send them into a spiral of isolation.”

Via Mashable/Next Web

The acclaimed Musée du Louvre has introduced its own App through the App Store as Apple moves to open its first retail store to the French public in Paris at the Louvre Carrousel tomorrow morning.

The Louvre App lets iPhone and iPod touch users wander the magnificent Louvre museum where they can explore the galleries of the ancient palace, cross medieval ditches and browse a selection of the finest works of the museum accompanied by comments, details and video. The Louvre App also provides access to practical information about the museum such as opening hours, maps and services.

The app is easy to navigate and is split into five sections:

Artworks - where users can discover fifty major works from the museum with narrative, detailed views and a description of the art and its location within the museum.

The Palace - which offers ten views from outside and inside the museum. Each image offers detailed information on the corresponding hall as well as explanatory content (text, images, location, video).

Tour - which allows users to browse through the museum via seven videos in full screen.

Bookmarks - where users can bookmark their favourite selection of works and halls.

Visitor information - offers information on everything visitors to the museum will need: access, timetables, tariffs, services, map and contacts.

The Louvre App is available for free

Looking at Apple’s most recent financial report and this latest Digitimes explanation of growing shipments for notebook makers, it’s interesting to reflect that the 2,226,000 notebooks Apple shifted in its last quarter equates to approximately 20 per cent of Quanta’s c.3.5 milion units per month of notebook production.

Quanta's shipments in October are estimated to have grown about 10% on month from 3.6 million units in September. The company also makes computers for HP, Apple, Acer and Sony. We wonder what impact the new MacBook models had on output, as we’ve heard (non-evidentially) these to be selling pretty well.

We're not sure why you'd want to hold one key down and type with the other finger...but you can't do it on Droid.

Munir Kotadia is a journalist who specialises in internet security - and he’s had enough of security experts continued refusal to simply admit Macs are more secure.

“Have you noticed the most popular laptop brand on display at any security conference?,” he writes, “In my experience Apple Macs seem to make up significantly more than the five percent usually attributed to them.”

It goes on from there, with his chat with Dmitri Alperovitch, McAfee's vice president of threat research, posted below. Read his report where he writes, “For years now I have heard security companies and analysts claim that Apple Macs are just as vulnerable as Windows and the only reason there is virtually no malware for the Mac is because it has such a tiny market share.”

He’s not buying it anymore....

Read it here.

From the Toys section:

Macheist is having another bundle sale but this time all of the six apps below are FREE.  Note that 500,000 downloads have to take place before Mariner Write is opened.   Head there now.

• Wonder Warp Software's Shovebox: Temporary information storage
• Hog Bay Software's WriteRoom: "Distraction-free" word processor
• Iconfactory's Twitterrific: Twitter client
• TinyGrab's TinyGrab: Screenshot sharing
• Freeverse's Hordes of Orcs: Tower defense game

So what would you do with an RFID-equipped iPhone? Use it as a credit card, perhaps? As a driving license? A passport? As a way to find your iPhone, in conjunction with GPS? Well, if a report crossing our desk this afternoon has substance, Apple’s already exploring just what such a device could do, and has built prototype iPhones equipped with RFID chips.

We’re not saying we’re 100 percent on the source - Near Field Communications - but we’ll relate what we’ve learned. Einar Rosenberg, who runs the Near Field Communications Group on Linkedin.com, claims as follows:

“A highly reliable source has informed me that Apple has built some prototypes of the next gen iPhone with an RFID reader built in and they have seen it in action. So its not full NFC but its a start for real service discovery and I'm told that the reaction was very positive that we can expect this in the next gen iPhone.”

Speculating that introduction of the technology in a future Apple mobile would cause every other phone maker to emulate the move, he suggests various uses relating to “service discovery and sync”.

Apple has previously submitted a pair of patents describing implementations in which the iPhone is enabled to read RFID tags. “I'm told that the touch project video and the BT SIG's specs were all driving forces to push this forward as well as other factors,” Rosenberg informs, adding, “Guess I'll be touching my iPhone to my Mac to link them together to sync iTunes by next year.”

A December 2007 Apple patent described a 'Touch Screen RFID Tag Reader', which desribes a way in which RFID circuits can be built into a touch sensor.

“The RFID antenna can be placed in the touch sensor panel, such that the touch sensor panel can now additionally function as an RFID transponder. No separate space-consuming RFID antenna is necessary. Loops (single or multiple) forming the loop antenna of the RFID circuit (for either reader or tag applications) can be formed from metal on the same layer as metal traces formed in the borders of a substrate. Forming loops from metal on the same layer as the metal traces are advantageous in that the loops can be formed during the same processing step as the metal traces, without requiring a separate metal layer,” the patent explains.

Rosenberg’s enthusiasm is easily explained. He’s CTO at Narian Technologies, a company focused on mobile payments, marketing, advertising, and more - just about any aspect of mobile service delivery is in this company’s remit.

The Narian Technologies website notes that major credit card companies are introducing RFID-based card readers across the US, and that cellphone makers representing over 60% of the world’s cellular manufacturing market are fully committed to Nearfield Communications.

Chatter of RFID in iPhones isn’t new, of course as this April-published video from the Touch Project proves. This is a video prototype of an iPhone media player that uses RFID embedded in physical objects to control media playback. The way this implementation works is that you can set trigger events up to run when certain objects are approached (mobile advertisers will love this).

Away from actual usage, these technologies - particularly in combination with WiFi Direct ad-hoc wireless networking - point to a vision of a perfectly connected forest of digital home devices.

As Watching Apple opined in 2007: “For Apple to create a true digital home, devices like your computer and Apple TV need to communicate with each other. To communicate, they must first be able to discover each other. And before even that, they must be able to sense each other.”

A 2006 Apple patent furnished a small glimpse of how devices might use RFID tags to connect with your wireless home network without configuration. Check this report for some idea of how this would work (and bear in mind it was written in 2007).

We've heard the reports that Canada's Rogers was going to introduce an 8GB iPhone 3GS a few months ago, but now BGR is hearing that AT&T has similar plans to replace the low end $99 iPhone 3G with a faster iPhone 3GS.  Faster processor, more RAM faster network speeds at same price just in time for Christmas shoppers according to their source.  They also added:

One source said this was AT&T’s way of combating the DROID madness

We'll see soon if that's the case.