MacRumors.com

Mobile advertising firm AdMob today announced that it is launching interactive video advertising for the iPhone and iPod touch. The ads, which will be available as either auto-play or click-to-play implementations, will begin appearing in a limited number of top App Store applications.

For the first time, mobile video is truly interactive as we’ve included customizable in-player action buttons enabling consumers to engage with Web content and more video content without leaving the video player. Advertisers can also include action buttons that open the app store and iTunes store to drive downloads of branded content. This ad unit helps advertisers and agencies extend their existing campaigns to mobile by using video assets created for other mediums and overlaying interactive elements in the highly measureable mobile environment. Advertisers can opt for action buttons that allow users to share video content with their friends or connect to social networking sites within the video player, making it easy to add a social media element to their campaigns.

Video ads will begin as soon as the user launches an application targeted by the ads and will include buttons that will allow the user to perform such functions as viewing related Web content, directly accesings the App Store for the product being advertised (when applicable), or viewing additional video content. Users may also skip the advertisements at any time to proceed to their desired iPhone application.


Google announced last week that it has agreed to acquire AdMob for $750 million in stock. In a follow-up story yesterday, it was reported that Apple had apparently also considered making an offer for the company in the weeks before Google's announcement.

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Belgian newspaper De Standaard reports [Google translation] on the theft over the weekend of nearly 4,000 iPhones from a Willebroek warehouse of CEVA Logistics, a distribution company. The iPhones had been destined to be delivered to Mobistar, the sole official iPhone wireless provider in the country, and have been valued at approximately 2 million Euro or nearly $3 million.

Reports suggest that the burglary may have been an inside job, as the thieves used a fire ladder to access the roof of the large warehouse, where they cut a hole directly over where the iPhones, which had just been delivered to the building, were being stored. Mobistar notes that the devices have been blocked from the company's network, urging customers to be wary of purchasing iPhones through unauthorized sources.

"We have the serial numbers of stolen iPhones block[ed] anyway so they can not be used," says the spokesperson of Mobistar. "[For] people who want to buy an iPhone, [it] is best done in an approved outlet and not on street or on the black market."

Local police have launched an investigation into the burglary, but appear to have little information to go on at the moment.

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Earlier this month, AT&T filed suit against rival Verizon over a series of Verizon commercials attacking AT&T's wireless network, claiming that the ads were "blatantly false and misleading".

Late yesterday, Engadget reported that Verizon had filed a 53-page legal response to the lawsuit, and taken the opportunity to focus the case on what it claims is AT&T's failure to commit the resources to build out its network appropriately. The tone of Verizon's response is set from the very first sentence of its response's introduction:

AT&T did not file this lawsuit because Verizon's "There's A Map For That" advertisements are untrue; AT&T sued because Verizon's ads are true and the truth hurts.

Six pages later, Verizon concludes its introduction with a similar take:

In the final analysis, AT&T seeks emergency relief because Verizon's side-by-side, apples-to-apples comparison of its own 3G coverage with AT&T's confirms what the marketplace has been saying for months: AT&T failed to invest adequately in the necessary infrastructure to expand its 3G coverage to support its growth in smartphone business, and the usefulness of its service to smartphone users has suffered accordingly. AT&T may not like the message that the ads send, but this Court should reject its efforts to silence the messenger.

The remainder of the document consists of Verizon's argument that its commercials touting five times more 3G coverage than AT&T are truthful, a fact that AT&T has at its most basic level admitted. Verizon parries AT&T's complaint that blank areas on the AT&T coverage maps used in Verizon ads are misleading consumers into thinking that no coverage is available when in fact non-3G coverage is offered in those areas by noting that it has held itself to the same standard as AT&T, showing as blank on its own coverage map depictions any areas not covered by its 3G network.

Verizon also takes issue with the procedural details of AT&T's lawsuit, claiming that the company has neither shown that irreparable damage to AT&T from Verizon's ads is likely nor demonstrated why infringement of Verizon's First Amendment freedom of speech should be permitted. Finally, Verizon points to the "free flow of commercial information" as being crucial to consumers, noting that comparative advertising is a common and effective means of assisting customers with purchasing decisions while also driving pricing competition and innovation.

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Apple today posted two new iPhone commercials to its ad gallery and also began airing them on prime-time television. The commercials each continue Apple's recent theme of highlighting six App Store applications in quick succession and each touts that there are now over 100,000 applications available on the App Store.

Song
- Jamie Oliver's 20 Minute Meals [App Store, $7.99]
- Credit Card Terminal [App Store, $0.99]
- Facebook [App Store, Free]
- The Sims 3 [App Store, $6.99]
- Redfin Real Estate [App Store, Free]
- Shazam [App Store, Free]

Gift
- Target [App Store, Free]
- ColorChange [App Store, $2.99]
- The Snow Report [App Store, Free]
- Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition [App Store, $4.99]
- HotelPal [App Store, Free]
- Zipcar [App Store, Free]

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Google today announced that it has issued an update to Google Earth [App Store, Free] the companion iPhone and iPod touch application to the company's desktop application offering virtual globe and other geographic information.

Among the biggest changes in Version 2.0 of Google Earth is the ability to view custom maps stored in the "My Maps" section of users' Google Maps accounts.

By logging in directly to your Google Maps account, you can view the same maps that you or others have created, using the My Maps interface. Maybe you're on a trip and want to see where Tony Wheeler, the co-founder of Lonely Planet, most likes to travel. Or perhaps you're walking around looking for a restaurant and you want to see where world-famous chef Ferran Adrià likes to eat. All you have to do is click "Save to My Maps", open Earth on the iPhone, log in with the same account information, and voilà, you have your same collection of My Maps right in your pocket.

"My Maps" on Desktop


"My Maps" on iPhone
The update also adds visual feedback to highlight icons when they have been touched.

Now, when you touch an icon, a small glow appears under your finger to let you know which icon you have picked. If your finger touches more than one icon, you'll be taken to a list of all icons, so you can select the one you are interested in.

Finally, Version 2.0 boosts language support to a total of 31.

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MacRumors has heard from several sources that Apple is preparing to launch a "Concierge" iPhone application targeted at customers of its retail stores. The application will reportedly provide many of the same functions available through the company's retail store online reservations system, allowing customers to schedule Genius Bar and One to One appointments from their mobile devices. Sources have also indicated that the application will allow users to keep tabs on their premium membership subscriptions offered by the company.

There is no word yet on when the application, which will presumably be free to download, is expected to appear in the App Store.

On a separate note, MacRumors has also heard that Apple will be opening a new retail store this weekend in the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, New Hampshire, the company's second location in the state. Like the existing Salem, NH store, the Nashua store is located only a short drive from the Boston metropolitan area and is expected to draw heavily from cross-border shoppers looking to take advantage of New Hampshire's lack of state sales taxes.

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Turn-by-turn GPS navigation applications for the iPhone have been a significant topic of interest since the release of iPhone OS 3.0 earlier this year enabled their deployment, and yet another of the major standalone GPS device companies has finally jumped on board. Magellan RoadMate 2010 North America [App Store, $79.99 for a limited time] appeared in the App Store over the weekend, bringing a full-featured GPS solution including text-to-speech, lane guidance, and a "OneTouch" feature for easy access to favorite destinations.

- OneTouch Favorites Menu
The award-winning OneTouch favorites menu lets you bookmark your favorite places and searches so you can easily find them. One Touch, and you’re there!

- Spoken Street Name Guidance
Navigate confidently with spoken street names and directions at each turn so you can keep your eyes on the road.

- Highway Lane Assist
Realistic highway signs guide you into the correct lane when approaching interchanges and exits.

- 3D Landmarks
Incredible 3D images of key landmarks show you the way with stunning visual cues.

- Address Book Integration
With the touch of a button, easily navigate to any contact saved in your iPhone address book.

- In-app Music Control
Take advantage of seamless iPod integration, navigating to any destination while listening to your music.

- Find Your Car
Automatically saves your parking location so you can easily find your way back to your car.

- Pedestrian Mode
Want to find a good espresso after dinner? With pedestrian mode you can quickly find and walk to a café near your current location.

- QuickSpell Address Entry
Our highly-acclaimed QuickSpell® with SmartCity Search allows you to quickly enter addresses into the oversized keyboard. With a few touches, you narrow your location search, making destination quick, easy and error free.

- NAVTEQ Maps
Travel with confidence using NAVTEQ onboard maps. The maps are pre-loaded onto your iPhone so you can navigate worry-free. Even access your maps when your coverage fails.

Magellan has also posted dedicated pages on its site covering the features of the iPhone application and announcing that an enhanced car kit very similar to TomTom's offering is coming soon. The car kit will be compatible with both the iPhone (3G and 3GS) and iPod touch (second generation), and its capabilities will be compatible with any GPS application.


Magellan RoadMate 2010 North America offers maps for the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, and the company's promotional materials indicate that versions for Eastern U.S., Western U.S. and Europe should be available soon.

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Bloomberg reports that Apple is reported to have approached mobile advertising firm AdMob about a possible acquisition just prior Google's announcement that it had agreed to purchase the company for $750 million in stock.

AdMob Inc. was approached by Apple Inc. about an acquisition before the company agreed to a $750 million offer from Google Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

Apple contacted AdMob a few weeks before Google made its bid, said one of the people, who declined to be identified because the negotiations weren't public.

It is unclear from the report's sources the extent of Apple's seriousness regarding the potential offer, but any interest at all on Apple's part appears to reveal that the company has considered moving beyond its traditional hardware and software offerings onto Google's turf of online and mobile application advertising.

Buying AdMob would have allowed Apple to expand into online advertising, a strategy that Nokia Oyj is pursuing, Weide said.

"If a lot of traffic goes through my devices, why can't I become the middleman that serves ads against that inventory?" Weide said. "AdMob would have allowed them to do that quickly."

Following on the heels of news that Apple is hiring iPhone game developers, Apple may be looking to move beyond simply providing the tools and infrastructure that have fed the iPhone's success and begin enhanced efforts to pursue its own App Store content and other revenue streams associated with the applications available in the store.

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Apple appears to be getting even more serious about gaming on the iPhone and iPod Touch. We've long known that Apple has been positioning the iPod Touch as a gaming device, and Steve Jobs even acknowledged to the New York Times the success of this initiative:

"Originally, we weren't exactly sure how to market the Touch. Was it an iPhone without the phone? Was it a pocket computer? What happened was, what customers told us was, they started to see it as a game machine," he said. "We started to market it that way, and it just took off."

In the past couple of weeks, Apple held a "game day" for select media in which they demonstrated some high profile upcoming games, including Star Wars Trench Run and SGN's Skies of Glory. The platform has already attracted some high profile developers including id Software's John Carmack who believes it could be a serious threat to Nintendo's DS and Sony's PSP.

"I think mid- to long-term it's a significant threat," he says. "I don't carry a DS or a PSP around, but I've got my iPhone everywhere. So if it plays good games, I'm less likely to pick one of the others up. ... I think the stars could align and it could start to eclipse those other systems in terms of unit sales."

In fact, id Software is so positive about the iPhone platform, they are winding down their development of BREW/Java mobile games for other mobile phones in favor of focusing on the App Store. id Software recently ported Doom to the iPhone and has plans on bringing the entire Quake franchise as well as an original Rage-based game to the App Store.

Apple is now recruiting (via AppleInsider) for a game developer with "3-4 years of video game development experience" who has shipped at least one high profile title. Apple did ship one game (Texas Hold'em) for the original App Store launch but has yet not released any other games under their own brand. Apple has also recently hired Graeme Devine a notable game developer who was also the lead designer for Halo Wars. While the purpose of these hires is unclear, it seems Apple is starting to take gaming very seriously.

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In yet another example of a high-profile developer team stepping back from Apple's App Store, Rogue Amoeba today announced in a lengthy blog post that it will no longer develop applications for the iPhone following an extended run-in with App Store reviewers over a bug fix update to the company's Airfoil Speakers Touch application. The application allows users to stream any audio content from a host computer directly to an iPhone or iPod touch.

In simplest terms, Apple's objections to the use of "Apple Logo and Apple-owned Graphic Symbols" in the application led to multiple rejections of an update designed to fix a critical performance bug, leading to a delay of over three and a half months before the updated version was finally approved and made available to the public.


Original Airfoil Speakers Touch Screenshot
While Apple's objections to the use of Apple-owned images in iPhone applications are well-known, Rogue Amoeba's situation was rather unique in that the images did not originate from the iPhone application itself, but were being sent from the host computer sending audio to the device. Those images were generated using Mac OS X tools specifically designed to aid developers in this process.

As you can see, Airfoil Speakers Touch displays an image of the sending Mac, with a screenshot showing the source application. If you're sending from an iMac with Safari as your source (as pictured), it shows your iMac running Safari. If you're sending from a MacBook Pro, it shows a MacBook Pro, and so on. These computer images are provided by Mac OS X itself, using a public function expressly for this purpose.

We also show the source application's icon - Safari in the above example. This icon also comes from a public function provided by Apple as part of Mac OS X. These functions are expressly made to enable developers to get this artwork, and use it just as we are.

After multiple rejections, including one involving a sympathetic Apple employee who attempted to assist with the situation, Rogue Amoeba was finally able to satisfy Apple's reviewers by stripping out the "Apple-owned" images and substituting in an image of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) logo linked to an explanation page detailing the company's difficulties with Apple.


Revised Airfoil Speakers Touch Screenshot
The lengthy and frustrating experience has clearly led the developers to reevaluate their efforts for the iPhone platform, and they have decided to step back from further App Store development.

The chorus of disenchanted developers is growing and we're adding our voices as well. Rogue Amoeba no longer has any plans for additional iPhone applications, and updates to our existing iPhone applications will likely be rare. The iPhone platform had great promise, but that promise is not enough, so we're focusing on the Mac.

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AT&T today published a public response to a recent series of advertisements from rival Verizon attacking AT&T's 3G network coverage. The latest spat between the two companies began last month with Verizon ads using map-based representations of AT&T's and Verizon's 3G coverage areas, with Verizon's network being touted as covering five times the area of AT&T's.

Earlier this month, AT&T filed suit against Verizon for misleading advertising, claiming that the ads implied that AT&T offered no coverage outside of the highlighted 3G areas, when in fact the vast majority of those areas are covered by the company's EDGE network, which the company claims is virtually identical to its 3G coverage with the exception of data transfer speed.

Today's release from AT&T takes its argument directly to the public in an effort to "set the record straight" on what AT&T has to offer. While the release does not directly mention the iPhone, it is clear that the much of the dispute over AT&T's 3G coverage has centered on the popular device.

As the U.S. market leader in wireless data service, we typically don't respond to competitors' advertising. However, some recent ads from Verizon are so blatantly false and misleading, that we want to set the record straight about AT&T's wireless data coverage.

In the release, AT&T details the three types of technology used in its wireless networks (3G, EDGE, GPRS), the functionalities offered by each technology, and the respective coverage areas by population in the United States. The company also touts the breadth of popular smartphones available to customers and the availability of over 100,000 applications, both obvious references to the iPhone. Finally, AT&T notes that it has the "nation's fastest 3G network", which also offers the ability to handle voice and data simultaneously.

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Macworld reports that Orbicule has updated its Undercover [App Store, $4.99] theft recovery application for the iPhone and iPod touch to include a tool that utilizes push notifications to entice thieves into opening the application to allow it to transmit the device's location to Orbicule's recovery center.

Now you have the ability to send push notifications with any message of your choosing directly to the iPhone - yes, just like MobileMe. But the comparisons end there. You can make the messages as enticing as you want - say, by having them pretend to be a notification from your bank account.

If the crook chooses to view the push notification, Undercover will launch, disguised either as a game that's taking its sweet time to load or loading any Website of your choosing, such as the aforementioned bank's. While the thief is distracted, Undercover will be happy to save the device's GPS coordinates and IP address to Orbicule's Website. Each time that Undercover launches, it will save a new set of coordinates that you can view in Google Maps. They'll also be sent directly to any police officer you've contacted to work on the case and registered in Orbicule's Undercover Center.

Orbicule has also posted a video preview of Undercover demonstrating the new push notification feature.

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CNET reports that TomTom has updated its turn-by-turn GPS navigation application for the iPhone with several highly-anticipated features, including text-to-speech and advanced lane guidance. The updated application has been submitted to Apple and is currently awaiting approval.

The update will add text-to-speech (TTS) for spoken street names and POIs as part of the device's directions, graphic lane guidance which displays a visual representation of complex highway intersections with indications of valid lanes for the route, and a "Help menu" offering a shortcut to emergency number and directions to the nearest emergency services.

Also included in the revised version are in-app iPod controls, map updates, and audio warnings to alert drivers when they are speeding or approaching safety cameras used to aid in ticketing drivers exceeding the speed limit.

The TomTom iPhone application is available in a number of countries and regions, with the U.S & Canada version [App Store] priced at $99.99.

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TechCrunch reported yesterday that Joe Hewitt, the developer behind the popular Facebook iPhone application, has resigned from the project over his dissatisfaction with the "gatekeeper" model of Apple's App Store review process. In response to a request for comment from TechCrunch, Hewitt explained his views:

My decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apple's policies. I respect their right to manage their platform however they want, however I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer.

The web is still unrestricted and free, and so I am returning to my roots as a web developer. In the long term, I would like to be able to say that I helped to make the web the best mobile platform available, rather than being part of the transition to a world where every developer must go through a middleman to get their software in the hands of users.

Hewitt remains employed at Facebook, but declined to discuss his new role in the company.

Apple has received significant criticism over apparently inconsistent review standards and impersonal communications that have left developers frustrated with the process. Hewitt's comments reveal, however, that his dissatisfaction extends beyond the simple mechanics of the process to the overall model used by Apple, clearly showing his preference for an open system unfettered by reviewers deciding what may and may not be included on the iPhone platform.

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