Apple sold 4.4 million iPhones in Q4

Apple says it sold 4.4 million 3G iPhones in the final quarter of 2008, which is down from the 6.9 million sold in the previous quarter but almost twice as many iPhones as were sold in Q4 2007. Whichever way you look at it, that's a lot of phones. [Press release]

5% of American mobile users watch video

Talking of mobile multimedia, a report from The Nielsen Company says 10.3 million Americans currently watch videos on their phone each month - that's 5% of all mobile customers (compared to 3% in the UK). The majority of users - 66% - say they watch their video through the web, rather than downloading clips to their phones. The Apple iPhone is the most popular phone for mobile video consumers, comedy is the most popular mobile video content and waiting for someone or something is the most popular occasion for video usage. [Report (pdf)]

Apple lets iPhone users download via mobile network

Apple 3G iPhone users, who've previously only been able to download music from iTunes via WiFi or by using their computer, can now also download by connecting to their chosen mobile network. [Source: Apple.com Hot News]

3G iPhone can now be unlocked by anyone

The iPhone Dev Team have released a beta version of yellowsn0w; free software that'll apparently unlock any 3G Apple iPhone. [Dev-Team blog]

More mobile ads seen via WiFi

This story seems almost inevitable to me, although it's been covered in fairly excitable terms elsewhere. Mobile advertising company AdMob says 8% of all advertisements it delivered to UK mobile devices in November were served via WiFi rather than over a conventional mobile network. That's up from 4% in August, with over half of the ads coming from Apple iPhone users. It's a similar story in the USA. [AdMob report (pdf)]

Exclusive Orange iPhone banned in France

The Conseil de la concurrence, France's competition regulator, has suspended France Telecom's exclusive Apple iPhone 3G deal - which means the phone will also be available from the SFR and Bouygues Telecom networks from tomorrow. France Telecom apparently had a five-year deal with Apple to sell its iPhone on the Orange network in France, which was seen as damaging competition in the mobile phone market. [Sources: WashingtonPost.com; ArsTechnica.com]

Apple iPhone TV ad banned by ASA

Following T-Mobile's knuckle-rapping last week, Apple is the latest company to have its mobile phone advertising criticised by the ASA. TV advertising for the Apple iPhone 3G described the handset as offering the internet "really fast", showing pages loading in a fraction of a second. The ASA said the on-screen visuals, in conjunction with the repeated use of the claim "really fast", were likely to lead viewers to believe that the device actually operated at or near to the speeds shown in the ad - but it doesn't. [ASA adjudication]

Apple sued over iPhone browser

Law firm Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro has filed a patent infringement lawsuit on behalf of EMG Technology against Apple, accusing Apple of infringing US Patent 7,441,196 in the way the iPhone navigates the internet. The patent covers internet content reformatted to XML; the format used by the iPhone and other mobile devices. [Sources: MarketWatch.com; TheRegister.co.uk]

Worst mobile content of 2008

Yes, I was right - it's time to start the reviews. FierceWireless has published its "Mobile Content Turkeys of 2008" list, which features John McCain Themed Content, Mobile TV, Bad Licensing Deals, Mobile Messaging Addiction and Dumb iPhone Applications.

Mobile gaming worth $10 billion by 2013

Juniper Research says the retail value of the global mobile games market is expected to rise from $5.4bn in 2008 to more than $10bn in 2013, although the potential for growth in many key markets is being dampened by poor marketing and limited on-portal revenue share for publishers. They say the Apple iPhone could end up being a popular choice for game publishers due to the revenue share offered by Apple, which could see the end of Java games. In addition, the volume of paid-for mobile game downloads has flatlined across North America and Western Europe - a phenomenon that was reported in February by M:Metrics. [Press release]

Mobile Phones of the Year 2008

Hey heck, it's time for reviews of 2008 and annual awards. At least, that's what consumer web site Reevoo is telling us. Its top five highest-rated mobile phones of 2008 are the BlackBerry Bold 9000, the Sony Ericsson W980i, the Apple iPhone 3G, the Samsung F480 Tocco and the Sony Ericsson K660i. The top phone for Christmas - based on ratings in the last 30 days - is the Nokia N96. [Press release]

Just 2% of iPhone users don't touch data services

Research company Nielsen has calculated there are 3.6 million mobile subscribers (aged 13+) actively using an Apple iPhone in the USA, with 98% of customers using at least one data service. [Source: wirelessandmobilenews.com]

iPhone 2.2 software to allow over-the-air podcast downloads

Apparently the new Apple iPhone software version 2.2 will allow you to download podcasts 'over the air' instead of needing to synchronise with iTunes on a computer. When it does, you'll find our iTunes feed by clicking here. [Source: AppleInsider.com]

Global smartphone sales up 28%

More research from Canalys. These figures say smartphone shipments have risen 27.9% worldwide (from Q3 2007 to Q3 2008), hitting 39.9 million. This means smartphones now represent around 13% of the total mobile phone market, up 2% from the previous quarter. Nokia has retained its market lead, but its share has been eaten into by Apple and BlackBerry devices. [Press release]

What Mobile awards

This year's What Mobile awards took place last week. The awards, which are nominated by consumers, are now in their fourth year. The Apple iPhone 3G won "Mobile Phone of the Year"; the other phone-related results are below:

• Best Mobile Camera: Samsung i8510
• Best Mobile Game : Metal Gear Acid
• Best Mobile Game Developer: EA Mobile
• Best Online Retailer: T-Mobile.co.uk
• Best High Street Retailer: The Carphone Warehouse
• Best Mobile Service: Nokia Maps 2.0
• Best Mobile Accessory: Sennheiser MM50 iP
• Best Mobile Broadband: 3
• Best Music Phone: Sony Ericsson W890i
• Best Fashion Phone: LG Secret
• Best Smartphone: BlackBery Bold
• Best Manufacturer: Sony Ericsson
• Best Network: Vodafone

[Source: Mobile News]

AT&T profit hit by iPhone subsidy

AT&T's subsidy of the Apple iPhone combined with the phone's success has led to AT&T's profits dropping, according to its Q3 figures. AT&T paid $900 million to Apple for iPhone subsidies during the quarter. [Sources: Wired.com; CNN.com; ATT.com]

Nokia N95 is UK's favourite mobile browser

The latest AdMob Mobile Metrics report, which analyses the company's mobile advertising, says the Nokia N95 is the UK's leading handset for web browsing. 9.7% of all the company's UK advertisements were displayed on an N95 in September. Last year's leader, the Sony Ericsson K800i, has slipped to second place. Worldwide, the Motorola RAZR V3 is top (with 4% of traffic), followed by the Nokia N70, the Motorola KRZR K1c, the Apple iPhone and the Motorola W385. [September 2008 pdf report]

Apple iPhone takes 17% of the US smartphone market

Researchers at the NPD Group have calculated that the Apple's iPhone devices now account for 17% of the US smartphone market, up from 11% earlier this year. And apparently 30% of all 3G iPhone buyers in the US switched from another network, which is good news for AT&T, Apple's exclusive network partner in the 'States. Average industry churn in the USA is estimated to be 23%. [Source: cnet.com]

Apple recalls 3G iPhone chargers in USA - but UK is OK

Apple is recalling its Ultracompact USB Power Adapter from the USA, Canada, Japan, Mexico and a number of Latin American countries. The UK, however, is not affected. Apple says the metal prongs from the adaptor can break off and remain in a power outlet, creating a risk of electric shock. The power adapters were supplied with every iPhone 3G sold in the affected countries. Apple is exchanging every ultracompact power adapter for a new redesigned adapter, free of charge. Replacement adapters will be available from 10th October. [Press release]

Apple iPhone software v2.1 released

New Apple iPhone version 2.1 software has been released, improving the phone's signal strength display (but not signal strength itself) and fixing a number of other bugs. [Source: cnet.com]