Big news round Twitter-way, with Apple adding a few more official Twitter accounts, and Microsoft Bing and Google paying for unrestricted access to real-time search Twitter’s firehose of user status posts.

First up, while Apple’s never been accused of “getting” social media, and it may come as a surprise they’re using Twitter at all, it’s not so surprising that — rather than customer feedback, support, or insight into the iron curtain that shrouds Cupertino — these accounts are just news/marketing updates on when the latest music and media hits the world’s most popular download service. (And some seem less than active at the moment). Baby steps?

You can follow them via: iTunesTrailers, iTunesMusic, iTunesMovies, iTunesTV, and iTunesPodcasts.

Also both Microsoft’s Bing and Google have now announced partnerships with Twitter. Bing says:

Were you as fascinated by the 6-year-old boy floating away in a balloon as we were? Was it a hoax? We know that people are going to twitter more and more for information surrounding all the latest chatter. You can now search for what people are saying all over the web about breaking news topics, your favorite celebrity, hometown sports team, and anything else you use Twitter to stay on top of today.

Google says:

We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, and we look forward to having a product that showcases how tweets can make search better in the coming months. That way, the next time you search for something that can be aided by a real-time observation, say, snow conditions at your favorite ski resort, you’ll find tweets from other users who are there and sharing the latest and greatest information.

Does this hybrid search model appeal to you? Let us know!

[Ballmer photoshop re-used in honor of Windows 7 launch day]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iTunes Gets Twitter Accounts, Bing and Google Get Twitter Real-Time Search

Apple “rejected” Google Voice for iPhone from the iTunes App Store, the FCC asked Apple, AT&T, and Google to answer some questions about that rejection. Now those questions have been answered-ish, and boy did it result in a flurry of posts here on TiPb and more importantly — an impressive and penetrating degree of analysis from our commenters.

Have trouble keeping track? Or just want to know what you happily avoided? No worries, we have you covered:

• Apple Responds to FCC Questions (Google and AT&T as Well)
• Apple: 8500 Apps to Review a Week by 40 Odd Reviews
• AT&T To Reconsider VoIP Applications Over 3G? Yeahbuwhat Apple VoIP apps?
• Do Other Countries Lose Out on Apps Because of AT&T Policies?
• Apple iPhone is a Restaurant, Not a Super Market, and They Should Say So on the Sign
• Apple Afraid Google is Taking Over the iPhone?
• Apple Kicking Themselves They Didn’t Buy GrandCentral (Google Voice) First?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple, AT&T, and Google FCC Response/Google Voice Rejection Roundup

It’s been a busy week here at TiPb, what with iPhone 3.0 launching last Wednesday and Apple barely giving us time to catch out breath before iPhone 3G S dropped on Friday. As always, we tried to bring you as much info as fast as we could, so in case you missed anything in the mad rush to the third iPhone generation, here’s a roundup:

• TiPB Standing in Line for the iPhone 3G S
• TiPb Video: White 32GB IPhone 3G S Unboxing and Quick Look
• iPhone 3G S – Disassembled
• iPhone 3.0 on iPhone 3G S: Battery Percentage Meter Found!
• iPhone 3G S (Finally!) Supports Full Apple Headset Remote Features
• TiPb Video: iPhone 3G S vs. iPhone 3G App Launch Battle Royal!
• TiPb Video: iPhone 3G S vs. iPhone 3G Browser Speed Smackdown
• iPhone 3G S vs. Palm Pre Web Render Benchmarks
• TiPb Video: iPhone 3G S vs Palm Pre: Browser Speed Test
• TiPb Video: iPhone 3G S Multilingual Voice Control Challenge
• Apple Store iPhone 3G S Display Video
• How To: Share iPhone 3G S Video via Mobile Me
• Upgrading to iPhone 3G S? What Are You Doing With Your Old iPhone?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb iPhone 3G S Launch Roundup

Well, it looks like UPS did indeed deliver a few iPhone 3G S a tad early. Heh. And here’s what some of the top guns in tech thought of Apple’s newest handset.

Overall, most felt it was evolution rather than revolution, a solid update if not one re-forged in the unicorn tears of it’s ancestors. Is the best getting better enough? TiPb will tell you our thoughts after we stand in line tomorrow and grab ours. If you’re waiting as well, check out the reviews and let us know what you think:

• Chicago Sun Times: Review: iPhone 3G S is a slick upgrade for a slick device
• CNET: Apple iPhone 3G S – 32GB – black (AT&T)
• Engadget: iPhone 3GS Review
• Gizmodo: iPhone 3GS Review
• New York Times: Apple Fills in Some Gaps With Latest iPhone
• USA Today: Upgrade makes great iPhone even better
• Wall Street Journal: New iPhone Is Better Model–Or Just Get OS 3.0

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone 3G S Early Review Roundup

Last Monday, during the WWDC 2009 Keynote, Apple introduced the iPhone 3G S, the “S” referring to the speed (we’re hoping for screaming fast). If the amount of news it’s generated is any indication, we’re all going to have a hard time keeping up. In an effort to help out, here are some highlight of TiPb’s iPhone 3G S coverage:

iPhone 3G S Features

• Apple Announces iPhone 3G S – Ships June 19
• iPhone 3G S — Apple Delivers Mobile Video to the Masses
• Apple Demonstrates Voice Control for iPhone 3G S
• iPhone 3G S — What We Didn’t Get

Should You Upgrade to iPhone 3G S?

• Jeremy’s take: TiPb vs. TiPb: Why I AM SO Upgrading to iPhone 3GS
• Chad’s take: TiPb vs. TiPb: Why I AM NOT Upgrading to iPhone 3G S
• Rene’s take: The Need for iPhone 3G S Speed. Or, What Did You Want, a Built-In Espresso Maker?!

Speeds and Feeds

• Inside the New iPhone 3G S Processors: More than Just Mhz
• iPhone 3G S Speeds and Feeds Revealed: 256MB RAM, 600Mhz CPU
• iPhone 3G S Uses PowerVR SGX to Become One with Speed Force

Platform

• iPhone 3G S Developers Already Splitting the Platform?

Carrier Plans and Info

• AT&T Posts iPhone 3G S Info Video
• Would You Sign a 3-Year AT&T Contract to Get iPhone 3G S at $199/$299 Subsidy Pricing?
• Rogers/Fido to Sell iPhone 3G S in Canada, $199/$299 on June 19
• Rogers Canada Brings Back $30/6GB Data Plans for iPhone 3G S
• O2 Releases iPhone 3G S Pricing for UK, Yeah
• Best Buy to Offer iPhone 3G S Insurance

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb iPhone 3G S News Roundup

It’s been a busy day here on TiPb, so just in case you missed anything, here’s a roundup of all our WWDC 2009 news and coverage.

• TiPb WWDC 2009 Live Meta Blog
• Apple Posts WWDC 2009 Keynote Live Stream
• Apple Announces iPhone 3G S – Ships June 19
• Apple Posts iPhone 3G S Guided Tour
• iPhone 3.0 Release Date: June 17
• 2008 iPhone 3G Now Priced to Move! $99 Starting Today!
• iPhone 3G S — What We Didn’t Get
• AT&T — MMS Later. Tethering… Um… Er… Bai!
• AT&T Responds: iPhone 3.0 MMS and Tethering
• Rogers/Fido to Sell iPhone 3G S in Canada, $199/$299 on June 19
• iPhone 3G S — Apple Delivers Mobile Video to the Masses
• Apple Demonstrates Voice Control for iPhone 3G S
• iPhone 3G S – 2x Faster, but Still no 802.11n
• MobileMe Update Coming June 17: Find my iPhone, Remote Wipe, iDisk Mobile, File Sharing, Public Folders
• Apple Releases iPhone 3.0 Gold Master to Developers + WARNING!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

WWDC 2009 News Roundup: iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3.0

Over the last few weeks, one of our all-star forum reviewers, msbaylor, has been putting a massive amount of iPhone To-Do apps through their paces: Things, Appigo’s ToDo, Toodledo, Done, Zenbe Lists, Ultimate ToDos, and Firetask. Well now he’s to-done, and you can check out his colossal review roundup on our forums (along with screenshots and videos aplenty!)

On behalf of everyone seeking that holy grail of To-Do nirvana, we can’t thank Matt enough for going to all this trouble. Here’s what he wanted, but read it quick so you can get to the good stuff!

• Sync (not at additional cost)
• Sleek/non-confusing interface
• sub-tasks
• due-date
• priority

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Forum Mega-Review: iPhone To-Do App Showdown

TiPb typed our iPhone-loving fingers off yesterday, the first day of Macworld Expo 2009. If you missed any of our coverage, here are the links below. Now we’re off to day 2, so check back soon ’cause we’ll be bringing you the best and the brightest iPhone apps and accessories we can find on the show floor. We’ll also try to Twitter as much as we can in between posts via @theiphoneblog and @reneritchie

• TiPb at Macworld 2009 Keynote Live Blog!
• Macworld: SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone Demo Video
• Macworld: Exhibition Day 1 Photo Gallery
• Macworld: New iLife iPhoto 09 Integrates Slide Shows for iPhone
• Macworld: Apple Announces Keynote Remote App for the iPhone
• Macworld 2009 Keynote Photos
• Macworld: Direct Music Downloads for the iPhone via 3G (Updated: and EDGE!)
• Macworld: iTunes Goes DRM FREE!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb at Macworld Day 1 Roundup

Before we hit the sure-to-be-craziness of WWDC, TiPb has some definite house cleaning to do. Meaning lucky for you readers, more roundups! With Rene handling every roundup possible for the iPhone 3G and beyond I thought it’d be a great time to focus on the device we’ve all been unconsciously neglecting: the iPhone!

Every few weeks, I’ll present you with a quick list of web apps, native apps, and games that should tie up any loose ends that we might have missed. Click on each link to learn more about the program and be sure to mention your experience in the comments or forums. Before we start, with the iPhone 3G just mere days away, make sure you participate in TiPb’s Wait-A-Thon-Tastic and give yourself a chance to win a FREE iPhone 3G!

Read on for the Rest of the Software Roundup!

Web Apps

HyperOffice promises to make your iPhone a mobile business collaboration and productivity tool. With HyperOffice, you can share your data with associates and clients. Also, you can access your data in Outlook and even remain in sync. HyperOffice is an award winning software that makes things easier for iPhone business users.

iZoho

Zoho is a web office suite that includes tools for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, note-taking, wikis, etc. With the launch of 2.0, Zoho has completely revamped their web app, iZoho, for the iPhone. The new design introduces tabbed interface for easy navigation between Zoho Apps. I gave iZoho a twirl and couldn’t manage to edit my documents as promised, viewing was a cinch though. However, the interface is slick and I remain hopeful that the customizability of Zoho can translate to the iPhone.

Mobispine

Mobispine is a free mobile news reader that offers easy categorization and over 250,000 global sources to comb through. It’s a great way to streamline your daily blog visits and quicken the pace for how you read websites. The best thing is it’s easily customizable!

Widgetop

This web app allows you to run single Dashboard widgets from the Widgetop catalog without loading Mobile Widgetop Desktop. Essentially, it puts the widgets on the homescreen of the iPhone which allows for easier access to the widgets.

Games

A FPS that uses the accelerometer and multi-touch for controls is planned to be released very soon. There is a video of gameplay footage and graphic-wise it is pretty amazing. This is probably a first glimpse of many, many FPS to come to the iPhone.

Tribal

For jailbroken iPhones this game has a basic premise but is executed beautifully. The graphics and animation are definitely exciting but the gameplay leaves a lot more to be desired. The whole idea behind the game is to “shoot the targets that pop up on the screen”. As simple as it is, it’s a great time killer when waiting for the next appointment.

temper4iPhone

An old favorite for the oldies. Temper4iPhone is an emulator of TurboGrafx-16 also known as PC Engine for the iPhone. Which basically means, you can play Bonk on the iPhone. Emulators are a sweet way to gain access to incredibly vast game libraries rich with history.

Native Apps

This Native App for jailbroken iPhones allows you to post new web logs to your LiveJournal account. With a simple interface, it serves as an extension of your LiveJournal page and could be extremely useful for anybody who wishes to blog-on-the-go. Since it’s in the beginning stages of development there is still much more work that can be done.

RetroPhone

Ever wanted a rotary dialer for your iPhone? It’s trendy these days to use our advanced technology to recreate ancient technology, isn’t it? It’ll be available through the AppStore. Can’t wait for a developer to create a telegram machine for the iPhone..

And that’s it for this roundup! Hope you guys listened to Dieter on how to prep for WWDC. And be sure to be a part of TiPb’s Live Color Commentary Blog!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Roundup: Apps Aplenty, Games Galore, & Loose Ends

Back in April, we lamented that the month ended pretty much exactly where it started, 6 iPhone’s launched, 1 announced for Canada, 7 rumored around the rest of the globe, and not much else on the horizon.

Wow. What a difference a month makes!

Here we are at the end of May, and we have the same 6 launched, but an unbelievable 45+ countries/territories announced, presumably for the iPhone 3G, presumably in June following Apple’s WWDC and Steve Jobs’ scheduled Keynote.

What’s left for June? China? Japan? Russia? A roof-blowing “one more thing” announcement of the iPhone 3G being sold unlocked?

What do you think?

Unofficial end of May scorecard:

Launched: Austria (T-Mobile), France (Orange), Germany (T-Mobile), Ireland (O2), UK (O2), USA (AT&T)

Announced: Africa (Orange), Argentina (America Movil), Australia (Vodafone / SingTel), Austria (Orange), Belgium (Orange), Brazil (America Movil), Canada (Rogers), Chile (America Movil), Columbia (America Movil), the Czech Republic (Vodafone), Denmark (TeliaSonera), Dominican Republic (America Movil/ Orange), Ecuador (America Movil), Egypt (Vodafone / Orange), El Salvador (America Movil), Estonia (TeliaSonera), Finland (TeliaSonera), Greece (Vodafone), Guatamala (America Movil), Honduras (America Movil), Hong Kong SAR (Hutchison) India (Vodafone / SingTel), Italy (Vodafone / Telecom Italia), Jamaica (America Movil), Jordan (Orange), Latvia (TeliaSonera), Lithuania (TeliaSonera), Macao (Hutchison), Mexico (America Movil), New Zealand (Vodafone), Nicaragua (America Movil), Norway (TeliaSonera), Paraguay (America Movil), Peru (America Movil), Philippines (SingTel), Poland (Orange), Portugal (Vodafone / Orange), Puerto Rico (America Movil), Romania (Orange), Singapore (SingTel), Slovakia (Orange), South Africa (Vodafone), Switzerland (Swisscom / Orange), Turkey (Vodafone), Uruguay (America Movil)

Rumored: Netherlands (?),

Note: Extent of America Movil and Orange Africa deployment not yet fully detailed.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone Risk: May Roundup