iPhone update 3.1.3 follows short after iTunes 9.0.3, bug fixes is all

Apple released an update via iTunes today, the update includes a fix to the battery meter on the iPhone 3GS, resolves and issue where third-party apps would not launch, and fixes a bug that causes app crashes when using the Japanese Kana keyboard. The update is small but for some necessary. Its not iPhone OS 4.0 or the new 3.2 seen on the iPad so don’t get too excited. Engadget also reports that it does kill Blackra1n and possibly redsnow. If you are a Jailbreaker and you have not had any issues with your iPhone OS, do not jump to get this update just yet. For everyone else, proceed as necessary.

Nexus One OTA out now, improved 3G, maps, and MULTITOUCH!

So Google has opened their ears and heard what the people in the forums had to say. After Joshua Topolsky of Engadget consistently grilled Google’s Android team about not implementing multitouch, it seems they finally caved. Today Google has posted on their Nexus One blog that an OTA update has begun to be pushed out starting now. The update includes Google’s new Google Goggles application pre-installed by default, updates to their maps application, 3G issues we have heard about consistently (and I have been suffering myself), and they are adding multitouch pinch to zoom functionality to the Browser, Maps, and Gallery applications. Welcome news indeed. I believe a thanks goes out to Joshua Topolsky. We did also hear recently that Steve Jobs said Google is trying to kill the iPhone and that the whole Google is not evil slogan is “bull shit”. Maybe this is Google’s way of saying, ‘we hear you Steve’.  We can speculate while constantly checking for updates on our Nexus One’s. The update may not hit your phone today but Google expects everyone to have it by the end of the week.

Google’s blog post here

iPhone market share takes its first plunge since debut

Since the iPhones debut, we have seen growth quarter after quarter. The last time the iPhone lost market share was in the 4th quarter of 2008 which according to API research, was not a significant drop. Fast forward to the 4th quarter of 2009 when Apple has a record qaurter for iPhone sales growing 18% year of year. The growth however big, was not enough to increase or maintain market share. The iPhone’s growth of 18% was trumped by the smart phone over all market growth of 26%. So what does this mean? It means Jon Rubinstein’s theory that there can be about 5 big players in the smart phone market could be true. Let’s take a quick look at Apple’s competition today when compared to the 4th quarter of 2008.

In 2008 Apple’s biggest competitors were RIM with its Blackberry lineup, Nokia and its s60 devices, Android with the G1, Samsung’s big player was the Instinct, Palm with the Centro and Treo Pro, and Microsoft with Windows Mobile 6.1 devices. Let’s be honest here, Apple didn’t have much competition. Apple’s market share was growing while almost everyone else was having one of their worst quarters ever. Fast forward to the 4th quarter of 2009. Now you have the iPhone 3GS which is basically the same as the 3G in the general consumers mind, however the competition has dramatically changed. What were the iPhones competitors in quarter 4 of 2009? Blackberry with the Bold, Bold 2, Storm 2, Tour, Pearl, Pearl Flip, and Curve, Palm with the Pre, Pixi, and Treo Pro, Android with the Moment, Hero, Eris, Droid, G1, MyTouch, Behold 2, Cliq, and of course all the variations of those same phones outside the U.S., Nokia now with the N97 Mini, N97, N900, E72, and the still famous E71, Microsoft now with Windows Mobile 6.5 and the HD2, TouchPro 2, Snap, Imagio, and Omnia 2. Obviously the competition has changed, companies like Motorola, Palm, and RIM are now growing once again. Apple did not do poorly, make no mistake, in fact they had a record quarter when it comes to iPhone sales. The market is shifting over from feature phones and messaging phones to smart phones. As people begin to use more powerful phones, the players in the smart phone arena will continue to see growth. Once the market is saturated, we will begin to see competition working to take customers from one another. Everyone now has the chance to stake their claim, so we will get to sit back and watch the innovation take place.

[Via Wall Street Journal]