Penny Mobiles – Mobile phone news, reviews & information

It was not due to lack of testing that the faulty antenna design for the iPhone 4 actually made it to the production. In fact, it was an issue that was already brought up earlier on by one of Apple’s senior engineers and an expert on antenna technology, Ruben Caballero. The information was leaked by a source from within Apple who refused to be named.

With that little trivia known, the only thing we can really ask now is “why Apple, why?”

The iPhone 4 is a major handset. No matter how one looks at it, it has been designed to be the next in line to the throne that was once occupied by the iPhone 3GS. So it makes no sense that Apple would ignore such serious warnings. However, the fact of the matter is that the iPhone 4’s antenna is indeed faulty; the folks at Cupertino could not afford to let such a major flaw be part of the final product.

This is also a major issue internally; after all, experts like Ruben are good at what they do. For their assessment to be ignored and the final product to still have the major flaw they pointed out is an insult to their skills and expertise.

To have this news break out at such as time is also a major blow to the company –as it further undermines their capacity to handle problems with handsets –if they failed to prevent it in the first place, how could people trust them to fix it at all?

In the meanwhile, it is only a few hours before the Apple conference starts and we will finally be able to know what Microsoft has been planning recently. It may have been strange, but at least the emergency conference seems to be focused on dealing with the antenna issue.

When it comes to the Android, anyone who is familiar with technology would have plenty of reasons to praise and be happy with this mobile platform. From its open source nature to the fact that it supports so many standards, it is hard for any tech junkie to not like any product that is sporting the little green robot from Google.

But for the general public, the Android is just another name, and being open source is hardly a reason to choose an OS. In order to figure out what makes and Android smart phone so good, here is a quick layman’s look at Google’s operating system.

First off, the Android is an operating system. This is basically the digital foundation upon which all apps, functions, features are accessed and run from. The iPhone and many other smart phones all have their own operating system, and aside from the hardware features of a mobile handset, the operating system is an important factor to consider when buying a phone.

The Android is unique from the iPhone OS as it is an open source platform. For the consumer, this technical term may not mean much, but the bottom line here is that open source operating systems tend to have more apps that can do more things. Literally speaking, the phone will be more “open” to developers. This means that the people that make apps will have access to more of the phone’s features, like the camera, music player, and other valuable resources. In turn, this will allow for the creation of a wider range of apps.

Another reason why Google’s Android is so good is because Google made it. This means that all (well, most) of Google’s online services are accessible from an Android device. Be it Gmail, Google Buzz, Google Chat, Google Earth, Maps, Street View, YouTube, Picasa and everything else is compatible with the system.

Finally, no mobile OS would be worth much without a decent set of handsets that employ it, and the Android certainly doesn’t fall short here. At the high end, phones like HTC’s Desire provide an impresive array of features, while phones like the upcoming SE XPERIA X8 allow access to to this powerful OS on a budget.

Apple has done it again. You thought purging the app store of mature apps was the end of it, but apparently it was just the beginning. Now, pre-fabricated apps are also deemed unworthy and Apple is out to get rid of them by the handful.

Pre-fabricated apps are applications that were generated with the use of templates such as RSS apps that were built by your run-of-the-mill app creating services. Apple is specifically tossing out new submissions that are basically just duplicates of already available apps. We all know how many of these are launched every day so expect to see a whittled down list of new apps in the online store.

Good news to those who were able to launch pre-fabricated apps before though, Apple is not removing apps that already have their approval. They are also giving a fair warning to app building services such as “AppMakr” and are giving them the guidelines on what to improve in order to make their apps acceptable for distribution in the Apple app store. Adding features such as offline functionality and in-app purchasing may just increase the chances of getting a nod of approval from Apple.

This move seems to be to the users’ advantage. Apple is encouraging app developers to create practical and innovative apps instead of just wasting virtual space for apps that already exist or have very little use. This would mean spending less time wading through the app store looking through pages worth of clone apps.

This may also mean that impulsive consumers would be able to spend on at least decent quality apps instead of regretting a spot purchase. Quality policing is something that Apple should have done in the first place, but better late than never, right?

Clearing the app store of mature content was just the beginning. Apple is out to prove that they hold a high standard of quality and that they care for their faithful fans by making sure they do not settle for less than they deserve. Seeing the app store filled with apps that carry the Apple seal of approval is surely going to be a treat for any Apple owner.

Head over to Gizmodo for more information about the App Store purge.

The complimentary iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update has been released by the company and it comes with some spectacular new features. It also continues with some of the features of the earlier updates. You can get a lot of latest information on updates Apple.com. iPhone OS 3.0 allows the users to use subsequent generation of iPhone applications.

Some useful and interesting features of OS 3.0 are here for you:

Copy, cut, and paste- With this new firmware you will be able to copy, cut and paste text very fast from one application to another. You will be able to select complete blocks of web text jut by tapping and will also allow pasting images from the Internet.

MMS- Easily sends MMS messages with audio, pictures, contact information etc. You will just have to tap to add a photo in the messages.

Keyboard in landscape form – This gives you more space to type. You can rotate your iPhone and use the bigger keyboard for notes, mail, messages etc.

Spotlight Search- Apple has given you the option to find things on your iPhone, from just one area. It will find all the emails, contacts, notes and calendars. It also finds everything on the iPod.

Voice Memos- You have the option of capturing a meeting, memo or audio recording as you are moving.  Voice Memos run with the integrated microphone in the iPhone as well as the mike on the headset.

Control by parents- Parents can choose the apps, videos and music children can see.

Login for YouTube – You can easily log in to the YouTube account and save and add bookmarks as well as include in favorites.

Just Shake for shuffle- The iPhone will move on to the next song from your list when you give it as shake.

iPhone 3GS is the flagship mobile phone from Apple and most of us who use the iPhone 3GS will not have to pay any money for upgrading it. Enjoy your iPhones with the new application.