(08-11) 07:24 PDT – According to UBS Investment Research analyst Maynard Um, Apple might be close to announcing a partnership with Verizon Wireless. He suggests people could see a data-centric Apple device being offered through the wireless provider. While this reeks of the fabled Mac tablet, I’m hoping that the iPhone will come along for the ride. Here are five reasons why Apple should offer the iPhone through Verizon.

1. It would provide a major boost to iPhone sales: For a good number of people (whom I used to be one of), the iPhone is appealing, but AT&T is a deal breaker. Providing a second provider would capture these customers. Additionally, existing iPhone customers wanting to upgrade to the 3GS might find that jumping from AT&T to Verizon provides the perfect excuse to get a new phone with a new contract.

2. MMS: With the newest iPhone software, AT&T is now the weak link when it comes to the lack MMS on the iPhone. Surely Verizon, needing to provide features to entice customers, would offer Multimedia Messaging Services.

3. Tethering: As with MMS, we don’t know for sure that Verizon would offer tethering. However, for the sake of competition, I’m betting they would. To remain competitive, AT&T would have to follow suit.

4. Dropped Calls: When a guy like wine guru Gary Vaynerchuck takes the time to complain about AT&T in a video blog, you know there’s an issue. Verizon customers don’t seem to suffer nearly as badly from dropped calls.

5. Voice Mail Delays: I know I’m not alone in this. On a good number of occasions, someone will call and leave me a message. Hours later, the message will finally show up in visual voicemail. Sometimes the messages are important and time sensitive. This feature is far too critical to have this kind of delay. We don’t know that Verizon wouldn’t screw this up too, but I’d be willing to give them a shot.

I know Apple has a sweetheart deal with AT&T, and that the notorious wireless provider pays handsomely for the privilege. However, it’s been over two years, and I think it’s time for Apple to give the public the option of a choice of wireless providers.

Michael Scalisi is an IT manager based in Alameda, California.

Original story – www.pcworld.com/article/169976

Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone App Store is most popular for its free and cheap apps. As a result, most apps and casual games are available for 99 cents or less. But there are plenty of expensive apps in the App Store, too, and people do buy them.

Click here to see the 10 most expensive iPhone apps →

The most expensive app in the U.S. App Store today is called iRa Pro: It’s a dashboard to access and control live feeds of video surveillance cameras, and it costs $900.

The company that makes it — Lextech Labs, outside of Chicago — won’t say how many copies it has sold. But Lextech president and CEO Alex Bratton says it’s more than the five people who have reviewed the latest edition on iTunes. He’s “pretty happy with the number

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Since its inception July 4, approximately 2,000 Northland Church worshippers have accessed their church service live via their iPhone or iTouch. No more excuses for skipping church.

“Our goal with this is to provide people the opportunity for a connection in worship, rather than giving people an isolating tool,” said Nathan Clark, Northland’s director of digital innovation.

Northland has provided access to its services on the Web since 2006. Two years later, you can do more than just watch the service on your computer screen.

“While you’re watching the service, you’re also able to engage with other people with direct one-on-one conversation,” Clark said. “There’s an online minister who’s there who can pray with you, or give you counseling, or can help you understand what the sermon’s about.”

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Techcrunch got a hold of a letter sent by the FCC to Apple seeking more information on the rejection of Google’s Google Voice app, and removal of third party Google Voice apps already in the iTunes App Store.

Specifically, the Federal Communications Commission wants to know why Apple rejected the apps, and which apps exactly were rejected, whether Apple alone made the decision or whether AT&T played any part, what role — if any — AT&T plays in the App Store approval process, what makes Google Voice any different than VoIP apps Apple has already approved, what other apps have been rejected and why, whether or not there’s a list of verboten apps and how that list is made available to developers and consumers, and other timing and statistical information concerning the approval process and rejections.

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As you’ll quickly see from the trailer above and gallery below, this shooter is Space Invaders in spirit and design, but in execution it’s a full-fledged arcade onslaught of power-ups, boss battles, and a thumping techno soundtrack that pulses along perfectly. This isn’t Taito’s first reinvention of Space Invaders: its Space Invaders Extreme was received with warm reviews and a cult following, and currently lives on the Nintendo DS, PSP, and Xbox Live Arcade.

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Sprint CEO Dan Hesse told Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference-goers that Sprint would offer a mobile phone running the Google Android operating system in 2009, sources say. Hesse, who called the Palm Pre launch a coming-out party for Sprint, said it was still too early to call the Pre smartphone a hit, according to Reuters.

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, speaking at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference on July 24, said the nation’s third-largest carrier would offer a mobile device running the Google Android operating system later in 2009, according to multiple sources.

Reuters reported that Hesse didn’t say which vendor’s device Sprint plans to offer, but he did say he has an eye on the work of Motorola’s new CEO, Sanjay Jha, who has been turning the phone maker’s focus to Google’s Android OS.
 
“Some things I can’t disclose, but I’m pretty impressed on the handset side with what Sanjay’s been able to do there since he’s been there,”Hesse said.

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Yahoo's new iPhone-optimized Web site.

Yahoo has been busy. Last week, it announced a new customizable home page you can personalize by adding favorite Yahoo services and social-networking modules. On Tuesday, Yahoo unveiled a new iPhone-optimized design for the iPhone’s Safari browser that invites you to sync the modules between the PC and your iPhone.

Here’s how it works on the desktop. When you navigate to Yahoo.com from your browser, you’ll be able to click a link at the top of the page to try out the redesigned home page. You’ll then move to m.www.yahoo.com (which is distinct from m.yahoo.com on the desktop). From there, you’ll see a much sparser design that is flanked on the left by a list of modules–Favorites–that you can add and activate. These include Yahoo finance, eBay, Facebook, MySpace, Movies, Maps, Messenger, Weather, and so on. Hovering over the module displays a summary and some points for interaction. Clicking more deeply may short-cut you to a new Yahoo page.

You’ll be able to sync changes to these favorites on the iPhone’s newly optimized site, and vice versa. The second of three tabs on m.yahoo.com from iPhone’s Safari (it redirects to new.m.yahoo.com) is where your preferred news categories and social networks manifest on the Web app. After logging in, you’ll be able to see, edit, and add new favorites.

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With the early edition of Android 2.0 – the next version of the Google’s Android smartphones’ software – now made available for developers, there are revelations galore about the features of the forthcoming OS.

Codenamed “Donut,” the released code is still a ‘highly unstable’ version of Android 2.0, which the company has released for the developers to enable them to test it as well as build applications for it.

Though Google has not made any formal announcement about the features of Android 2.0, a somewhat fractional list has been unofficially compiled by those who have combed through the new software and its documentation.

Equipped with the Android Search – a ‘universal’ search tool akin to Google Desktop Search, the new Android version includes multi-touch support with gesture control, enabling users to perform different actions by simultaneously touching the screen in several places.

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