MacRumors

Daring Fireball's John Gruber reports on the case of Ninjawords Dictionary [App Store, $1.99], a dictionary application for the iPhone based on Wiktionary offering a high-quality user experience and information content that was recently approved by Apple for inclusion in the App Store. Unfortunately, Apple's approval process for the application required several months and multiple rounds of refinement for the application, ultimately resulting the application carrying a "17+" age rating and also lacking a number of words deemed "objectionable" by Apple's reviewers.

Apple censored an English dictionary.

A dictionary. A reference book. For words contained in all reasonable dictionaries. For words contained in dictionaries that are used every day in elementary school libraries and classrooms.

Gruber's lengthy post details the seemingly ridiculous hoops the application's developers jumped through to win Apple's approval, from adding the mature age rating to preventing "objectionable" words from appearing as suggestions for partial word matches when searching to finally removing the "objectionable" words entirely. A number of the words that Apple objected to and have been removed from the application also carry entirely non-objectionable definitions, and it is unclear why those entire entries were required to be removed instead of merely the offending definitions for those words.

Every time I think I've seen the most outrageous App Store rejection, I'm soon proven wrong. I can't imagine what it will take to top this one.

Apple requires you to be 17 years or older to purchase a censored dictionary that omits half the words Steve Jobs uses every day.

NaviGadget reports based on several other European sites that UK retailer Handtec is listing the TomTom GPS car mount kit for pre-order at a price of 99 plus tax. While Handtec's product page seems to claim that that the TomTom iPhone application is included in the price, it remains to be seen how the software will be accessed from the App Store after purchase.

Interwebs on the other side of Atlantic are talking about TomToms iPhone GPS navigation app and the kit that you should get (but optional) with it. It looks like an online seller is already offering both the app and the car kit (not yet in stock) for a total of 113.85 which equals to about $193.

MacRumors first received word of this listing on Handtec's site nearly a month ago, but to this point no other retailers appear to have offered up information on the much-anticipated TomTom iPhone solution to confirm or refute Handtec's pricing.

Yesterday we reported on a MobileCrunch story about developer Khalid Shaikh, whose developer status was terminated by Apple over third-party intellectual property complaints, resulting in the removal of all of his apps from the App Store. Shaikh had several hundred apps under his name in the App Store, many of which seemed to simply pulled data on a specific subject from the web without providing any other original or unique content. Additional information has come to light about Shaikh showing that he has been attempting to sell Perfect Acumen, the business entity responsible for the development of his apps, for some time now.

On Flippa.com, his auction is titled "1400 iPhone Applications for Sale" with the most recent listing date as July 2. Although all of the apps he previously had in the App Store were listed under his name alone, the details within this auction reveal that the apps were the products of Perfect Acumen. The auction is still active and shows no offers pending or accepted.

Previous auction listings show an interesting trail of information for the business, with the first auction in January indicating that the business had 5 employees and earned $1800 per month in revenue, all the way to the current listing that states the business has 60 employees located in Pakistan with revenue between $10,000 and $50,000 per month. Shaikh also reveals in this listing that headcount is expected to increase to "120 to 240" by the end of this year and that they plan to have over 10,000 apps within this same time frame.

According to Perfect Acumen's website, the company is a "website design/development, graphics and internet marketing company" so iPhone app development is apparently only one aspect of its operations. The current auction consists of "100% ownership" of the company, including its website, content, 1400 iPhone apps, and 100 Android applications. No mention whatsoever is made of Apple's decision to terminate its relationship with Khalid Shaikh and withdraw all of his apps from the App Store.

Mobile Entertainment claims to have viewed documentation revealing that UK wireless carrier O2's exclusivity contract for the iPhone will expire on October 9th. Rumors of the expiration surfaced last month, but this new report is the first to offer a supposed date for the expiration. Both reports do indicate, however, that O2 may retain exclusivity for the iPhone 3GS, leaving competitors with the option to offer only the iPhone 3G for the time being.

O2 signed its original deal with Apple in late 2007, and is believed to have the rights to sell iPhone to 2012.

However, the exclusive arrangement lasts only for two years although sources say that O2 may retain sole rights to the recently launched iPhone 3G S.

Reports have pointed to Orange and T-Mobile, both of which offer the iPhone in other countries, as likely bidders for the right to offer the iPhone in the UK. In fact, The Register reported earlier this week that T-Mobile has already begun offering a small number of iPhones in the UK to high-spending customers who have threatened to leave the carrier in order to entice them to remain.

MobileCrunch has reported that Apple has banned developer Khalid Shaikh from the App Store and removed all 800+ of his apps that were being sold in the App Store. Apple's "Notice of Termination" e-mail to Shaikh describes that third-party intellectual property complaints are the impetus behind the banning:

Pursuant to Section 3.2(d) of the iDP Agreement, you agreed that "to the best of Your knowledge and belief, Your Application and Licensed Application Information do not and will not violate, misappropriate, or infringe any Apple or third party copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy and publicity, trade secrets, patents, or other proprietary or legal rights (e.g. musical composition or performance rights, video rights, photography or image rights, logo rights, third party data rights, etc. for content and materials that may be included in Your Application)." Apple has informed you of numerous third party intellectual property complaints concerning over 100 of your Applications and reminded you of your obligations to obtain the necessary rights prior to submission of your Applications. Nevertheless, we continue to receive the same or similar types of complaints regarding your Applications despite our repeated notices to you. The persistent nature of such complaints has led us to conclude that you are entering into the representations and warranties in the iDP Agreement in bad faith by misrepresenting that you have all the necessary rights for your submissions.

As the MobileCrunch article points out, a search at AppShopper.com shows 854 apps by Shaikh. The majority of Shaikh's apps seemed to be data on a specific subject simply pulled from the web without providing any other original or unique content. Most apps were priced at $4.99 and this banishment could represent lost sales of thousands of dollars per day. Shaikh reportedly has admitted that the goal was not to produce valuable apps but to focus on monetization instead. All of Shaikh's apps have already been removed from the App Store and can no longer be purchased.

The App Store policies and approval process have been under quite a bit of fire lately, most notably with the rejection of the official Google Voice app, as well as the removal of 3rd-party Google Voice apps from the App Store in recent weeks. Apple has been tight-lipped with the public about such rejections though some affected developers have publicized their communications with Apple and spoken openly of their opinions of App Store practices.

The iGO My Way 2009 turn-by-turn navigation app is now available in the App Store, offering editions for North America, Europe, and Western Europe. The North America app is priced at $79.99, matching the price of Sygics competing app, Mobile Maps, and exceeding Navigon's MobileNavigator app by $10 at its introductory price that's in effect until August 15. iGO's app made one of its first appearances on the iPhone in early 2008, well before the SDK was available.

The iGO app for North America weighs in at 970MB and includes maps for the U.S. and Canada, as does Navigon's MobileNavigator app, while Sygic's North American version also includes Mexico (a U.S.-only version is available for a lower price).

The iGO apps get their map data from Navteq, which is based in Chicago and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nokia Corporation. The App Store description states that the app comes with a lifetime license and free quarterly map updates until December 2010. It features 3D maps and offers voice guidance in 4 languages.

You can keep your maps up to date simply by updating the application for free. The product comes with a lifetime license and a FREE subscription to quarterly map updates until December 2010. The application will be updated with enhancements and new features as they become available.

Another major player in the navigation market, TomTom, still has yet to release their navigation app for the iPhone, which was first announced at WWDC in June. The latest information indicates that TomTom's app is still on track for release later this summer, though pricing and an exact release date are still not known.

Apple today released two new iPhone commercials, now available on Apple's iPhone ad gallery. Similar to some previous iPhone commercials, the new ads each feature three App Store applications linked by a common theme.

Share: Focuses on the iPhone's ability to easily share data and engage in multiplayer gaming.

- Mover [App Store, Free] - allows users to share photos, text clippings, and other data with nearby iPhones by a simple flick of the finger.
- Bump [App Store, Free] - allows users to swap photos and contacts by bumping iPhones together.
- Scrabble [App Store, $4.99] - allows users to play the classic word game head-to-head via Wi-Fi or Facebook.

Travel: Demonstrates the iPhone's utility when traveling, highlighting a trip to Paris as an example to tie the three featured apps together.

- Rick Steves' Historic Paris Walk [App Store, $4.99] - provides users with an interactive, multimedia guided tour of historic Paris sites.
- Paris Metro 09 [App Store, $4.99] - offers an interactive map and route planner for major transportation systems in Paris.
- Postman [App Store, $0.99] - enables users to create custom digital postcards using their own photos or Google Maps photos, custom text, and themes, and send the postcards to others via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and other services.