Welcome to the Personafile products blog and Personafile product database. The Personafile product database contains popular products from well-known manufacturers like Sony, Apple, Nikon, Canon, Dell, BMW, Chevrolet, Cuisinart, Hewlett Packard, LG Electronics, Linksys, Maytag, Nike, Panasonic, Sharp, Samsung, Thermador, etc. The Personafile product database contains product guides, reviews, news, rumors, user manuals, service guides, warranty and service information, manufacturer links for most products. Products are organized by manufacturer, model number, UPC codes, etc. Popular products like the Apple iPhone, Apple iPod Touch, Apple MacBook Air, Canon Powershot cameras, etc. can be found within.
FAQ: Buying the right Windows 7 upgrade
When I wrote on Monday about the ins and outs of what counts as proper licensing of Windows 7, I was worried that it might turn into a flame war. But, instead, readers sent in a whole bunch of really good questions on the intricacies of licensing Windows 7 that went beyond the basics I had covered. ...
source cnet published Nov 5, 2009 4:55 PM (15 days, 8 hours, 47 minutes ago) tags: windows 7 (linked on 12,751 personafile product pages)
Leaked docs confirm Droid Eris details: November 6, $99
(Credit:
Engadget)
New leaked documents suggest all the Droid Eris grumblings we've heard were true: it should launch November 6, and it will supposedly run $99 after rebate. That's pretty cheap considering it matches the specs of the $180 Hero.
What we've heard about the HTC Eris ...
published Nov 2, 2009 10:59 PM (18 days, 2 hours, 43 minutes ago) (linked on 836 personafile product pages)
J.D. Power smartphone study ranks iPhone #1 in customer satisfaction
Filed under: Enterprise, Wireless, Odds and ends, Surveys and Polls, Apple, iPhone
I don't know about you, but when I hear the name "J.D. Power and Associates," I think of customer satisfaction for automobile manufacturers.
The company also does customer satisfaction surveys in a number of other industries, and yesterday they released the 2009 Wireless Consumer Smartphone Satisfaction Survey and the 2009 Wireless Business Smartphone Satisfaction Survey. As you might not expect after all of the commenter griping we see about the iPhone, Apple nabbed the number one spot in customer satisfaction in both the consumer and business surveys.
As you can see in the regretfully fuzzy screenshot above, the iPhone took first-place honors in the consumer smartphone index with a score of 811 out of a possible 1,000. More importantly, the iPhone was the only smartphone to get a five-circle ("Among the best") Power Circle rating. LG was the surprising second-place contestant, with only three circles ("About average") and a 775 overall score.
The iPhone is no slouch in the business world, grabbing the lead in the business smartphone satisfaction ratings (see below) with an 803 index ranking. Businesses surveyed agreed with consumers and gave the iPhone an "Among the best" Power Circle Rating, significantly better than RIM's BlackBerry devices. The J.D. Power and Associates ratings tend to have the respect of many enterprise CIOs, so this should be good news for Apple in terms of increasing enterprise iPhone sales.
TUAWJ.D. Power smartphone study ranks iPhone #1 in customer satisfaction originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sponsored Topics:
iPhone - Smartphone - Apple - Research In Motion - Handhelds
Apple - iPhone 3G | 16GB, Black (iPhone)
published Oct 12, 2009 3:22 AM (39 days, 22 hours, 19 minutes ago) (linked on 12 personafile product pages)
iPhone's Google Maps app now shows ads
Filed under: Software, iPhone, iPod touch
Have you noticed the new "Sponsored Link" search results showing up when you search in Google Maps on your iPhone? These new search results are ads. They're easy to pick out, because they use a customized icon instead of the typical push pin icon. While it's not surprising that Google is going to want to find every way possible to monetize its mapping service, it's still a little disconcerting to see these results popping up.
Given this obvious new revenue stream, it makes us wonder whether Apple wants to get in on the lucrative mapping action. Their recent purchase of the mapping service company Placebase certainly suggests the possibility.
Do you mind seeing ads intermingled with your map search results on a mobile device? Why or why not?
TUAWiPhone's Google Maps app now shows ads originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sponsored Topics:
iPhone - Google Map - Google - Apple - Placebase
Apple - iPhone 3G | 16GB, Black (iPhone)
published Oct 12, 2009 3:21 AM (39 days, 22 hours, 21 minutes ago) (linked on 12 personafile product pages)
Sneak peek at Dell's even-slimmer new Adamo
(Credit: Dell)
Dell offers a tantalizing sneak peek at a revamped Adamo laptop today, with a photo and brief teaser description of the new system:
9/9/09 comes only once and today Dell is offering a glimpse of its highly stylized, thin 9.99-millimeter Adamo By Dell concept that'
...
published Sep 22, 2009 4:09 PM (59 days, 9 hours, 32 minutes ago) (linked on 10,951 personafile product pages)
With the hype around Apple's near-certain upcoming tablet PC seemingly cooling off, our attention now turns to Microsoft--as the company is rumored to be preemptively working on its own Apple-tablet killer.
ZDNet's Mary-Jo Foley reports that Microsoft plans to create a tablet, which is based in part on ...
published Sep 22, 2009 4:08 PM (59 days, 9 hours, 34 minutes ago) (linked on 11,006 personafile product pages)
Snow Leopard selling faster than Leopard
Filed under: Retail, Software, Snow Leopard
They aren't flying off the shelves, but early signs are that Snow Leopard boxes are far exceeding sales of Leopard, and 4 times higher than sales of Tiger.
That's the assessment of the NPD group, which tracks retail sales for many industries. The firm also notes that sales declined about 25% from week 1 to week 2, again, far better than both Leopard and Tiger. Tiger was released in April of 2005 and Leopard hit the streets in October of 2007.
Of course, Snow Leopard sells for US$100.00 lower than the price of previous versions of Mac OS X, so that could be a large part of the success of the release.
Stephen Baker of NPD noted, "As we head into the fall selling season, and the release of another major OS upgrade, it will be instructive to see if that upgrade (Windows 7) -- currently projected to sell at ASPs much higher than Snow Leopard -- can deliver the same incremental increase in consumer demand that Snow Leopard has enjoyed."
As we've noted, the update to Snow Leopard has been a bit bumpy for some, but by most measures of satisfaction and sales Snow Leopard is not at all like the mammal it has been named after -- which is, sadly, endangered and diminishing in numbers.
TUAWSnow Leopard selling faster than Leopard originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sponsored Topics:
Snow Leopard - Mac OS X - Operating system - Apple - TUAW
published Sep 21, 2009 4:27 PM (60 days, 9 hours, 15 minutes ago) (linked on 131 personafile product pages)
Dell's 9.99 MacBook Air Killer Design Concept
Apple’s flagship laptop, the MacBook Air, is a beauty. Very thin, very light, it is a piece of art. There have been three attempts so far to build a product that would outdo the Air: the HP Voodoo Envy, the Lenovo ThinkPad X300, and most recently, the Dell Adamo. Let’s talk about each, and end with the 9.99 design concept, the only product I’ve recently seen that could make us forget the MacBook Air.
...
source digital trends published Sep 10, 2009 9:14 PM (71 days, 4 hours, 28 minutes ago) (linked on 10,957 personafile product pages)
iPod nano: Cheaper, more features, and a video camera too!
Filed under: iPod nano
Apple appears to be aiming right at the Flip market with its release of the updated iPod nano today. A quick rundown includes:
Storage capacity: 8GB for $149USD, 16GB for $179USD.
2.2-inch color display. 240-by-376-pixel resolution at 204 pixels per inch.
Battery: 24 hour playback for audio, 5 hours for video
Video camera. H.264 VGA video, 640 by 480 pixels, up to 30 frames per second with AAC audio. Real-time special effects include: Sepia, Black and White, X-Ray, Film Grain, Thermal, Security Cam, Cyborg, Bulge, Kaleido, Motion Blur, Mirror, Light Tunnel, Dent, Stretch, and Twirl
FM radio featuring iTunes tagging and live pausing (for those who still like to listen to Delilah.)
Pedometer and accelormeter
Built-in mic and speaker with voice memos
Genius features
Voice Over kit featuring a multiple number of languages
Variety of colors, but two of those colors -- yellow and red -- are in-store only.
We will have an in-depth look at the nano later today, as I'm actually headed out to the Apple Store to get one to replace my aging, dying iPod 5.5G.
[For those who are asking -- as far as we can tell from the spec, the iPod nano will not shoot still pictures, only video. We'll be able to confirm this later today.]
TUAWiPod nano: Cheaper, more features, and a video camera too! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
published Sep 9, 2009 6:55 PM (72 days, 6 hours, 46 minutes ago) (linked on 144 personafile product pages)
AT&T Announces Rollout Plans for 7.2 Mbps 3G Service
AT&T today announced its plans for rolling out 7.2 Mbps 3G data service on its network. Deployment will begin in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami, with service in those cities beginning by the end of the year. Service will...
Apple - iPhone 3G | 16GB, Black (iPhone)
published Sep 9, 2009 3:44 PM (72 days, 9 hours, 57 minutes ago) (linked on 12 personafile product pages)
$80 on apps? I didn't think it was that much, but after going over estimates in my head, that sounds about right, actually. A survey of 1200 App Store customers estimates that we've spent about $80 on applications so far, with an average of about 65 applications per customer. There's a little weirdness in those figures though: they also say that 65% of the apps downloaded were free, and that the average app price was $1.56. There's some extra information hidden in there: if 65% of the apps are $0, and the average price is still up above $1, that means people are spending way more than $1 on the apps that they do buy. More research seems needed there.
There's another surprising figure as well: of all the 1200 customers surveyed, altogether they only had about 15,000 unique apps on their iPhones. When you compare that to the latest figures of about 65,000 apps, that means you've got about 50,000 apps (definitely the majority) that are completely untouched by these customers. Of course, 1200 is a tiny sample when you're talking about the millions of iPhones sold overall, but if that is in fact a representative sample, that means that there are many, many more apps than people have actually downloaded and tried in iTunes.
Not hard to believe -- with iPhone developer numbers in the hundreds of thousands, tons of trashware on the store, and the relative ease it takes to crank out an app, it's no surprise that you've got way more apps than people interested in trying them. But then again, isn't that the way we want it?
TUAWSurvey: Average iPhone user has spent $80 on apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
published Sep 8, 2009 5:39 PM (73 days, 8 hours, 3 minutes ago) (linked on 12 personafile product pages)
Canon EOS 7D pics and specs leak out
published Aug 31, 2009 4:43 PM (81 days, 8 hours, 59 minutes ago) (linked on 501 personafile product pages)
Snow Leopard reviews roundup
Filed under: Reviews, Snow Leopard
With only a few hours more to wait until the packages start arriving and the stores start selling Snow Leopard, the reviews are beginning to pour in. To summarize: it's faster, it's (mostly) stable, yay new Finder, mostly yay new QuickTime (good thing you can still install the QuickTime 7 player), and in the words of our colleagues at Engadget: "Here's the thing about Snow Leopard, the single inescapable fact that hung over our heads as we ran our tests and took our screenshots and made our graphs: it's $30. $30!"
Uncle Walt Mossberg at AllThingsD: "Overall, I believe Snow Leopard will help keep the Mac an appealing choice for computer buyers, and I can recommend it to existing Mac owners seeking more speed and disk space, or wanting to more easily use Exchange. But I don't consider Snow Leopard a must-have upgrade for average consumers. It's more of a nice-to-have upgrade. If you're happy with Leopard, there's no reason to rush out and get Snow Leopard."
Gizmodo's Brian Lam: "Challenging 30 years of ever more bloated software tradition, the changes here are about becoming a more effective middleware between the media and the hardware, reducing friction while becoming more useful by, well, being lighter, less visible."
Macworld's Jason Snell: "Failing a massive makeover, then, we've got to take joy in the little gifts that Snow Leopard gives us. And there are a lot of them. I'd like to pick my favorite, but the fact is, they're all small enough that I can't really choose one. But if I could gather up the whole lot of them in my arms, I'd give them a hug."
Ed Baig at USA Today: "In my experience, Mac OS X was already a superior operating system to Windows. With Exchange and other technologies, Snow Leopard adds bite, especially for business. But as upgrades go, this one is relatively tame."
Wired's Brian X. Chen: "This upgrade won't deliver any radical interface changes to blow you away (not that we would want it to), but the price is more than fair for the number of performance improvements Snow Leopard delivers."
Jason Parker at CNET: "Overall, we think that Snow Leopard did almost everything Apple says it set out to do: it refined and enhanced Leopard to make it easier to use. Though the system performs well in everyday use, many of our tests indicate it is slightly slower than the older version of Leopard in more intensive application processes. Still, we highly recommend upgrading for all the new features and Microsoft Exchange support."
David Pogue in the NYT: "[I]f you're already running Leopard, paying the $30 for Snow Leopard is a no-brainer. You'll feel the leap forward in speed polish, and you'll keep experiencing those "oh, that's nice" moments for weeks to come. If you're running something earlier, the decision isn't as clear cut; you'll have to pay $170 and get Snow Leopard with Apple's creative-software suites -- whether you want them or not. Either way, the big story here isn't really Snow Leopard. It's the radical concept of a software update that's smaller, faster and better -- instead of bigger, slower and more bloated. May the rest of the industry take the hint."
...and the aforementioned Engadget review, with lots of delightful videos (captured with QuickTime X's new screencasting feature).
If you've got Snow Leopard questions, we've got answers. Throw a comment in this post, send us a tweet over at the Ask TUAW account, or visit over on the Facebook page. We're also hoping to put together a late-night Friday liveblog to take live feedback from upgraders, and then we'll be live again Sunday night for the talkcast where it will be all Snow Leopard, all the time.
TUAWSnow Leopard reviews roundup originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sponsored Topics:
Snow Leopard - Apple - Mac OS X - QuickTime - Microsoft
published Aug 27, 2009 5:06 PM (85 days, 8 hours, 35 minutes ago) (linked on 131 personafile product pages)
Steve Jobs Almost Entirely Focused on Tablet Project?
The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that Steve Jobs has been focusing almost exclusively on Apple's much-anticipated tablet computer since his late June return from a medical leave of absence for a liver transplant. The report no...
published Aug 25, 2009 4:56 PM (87 days, 8 hours, 46 minutes ago) (linked on 412 personafile product pages)
Apple Store UK says Snow Leopard ships by August 28th
There's been a lot of news circulating around about the upcoming release of Mac OS X 10.6. First, Snow Leopard hit Amazon's pre-order list (and soon topped it) and days later, there were reports that Snow Leopard had finally reached gold master.
Today, Apple's UK store has posted information about Snow Leopard and Apple's "Up-to-Date" program, with an interesting note: Ships by August 28th. If this is true, it would confirm rumors that the next major release of the Mac operating system would be released ahead of the September release date set by Apple.
While the page is public, there's no way to order it yet. This could be a simple error or an outdated page but has Mac fans in a buzz as the release gets closer.
[via MacRumors]
TUAWApple Store UK says Snow Leopard ships by August 28th originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sponsored Topics:
Snow Leopard - Apple - Mac OS X - Operating system - Unofficial Apple Weblog
published Aug 21, 2009 3:48 PM (91 days, 9 hours, 54 minutes ago) (linked on 131 personafile product pages)
TomTom for iPhone now available in US
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, First Look
There's been plenty of hype and mystery surrounding the TomTom GPS navigation app for iPhone. Originally announced back in June, the app created by the popular GPS company promised to be the first of its kind... only to have competing apps from Navigon, Telenav from AT&T, iGO and others hit the store ahead of it.
Finally, TomTom for iPhone [iTunes Link] has debuted on iTunes in the US today (already up and reviewed in its New Zealand incarnation) and is now available for purchase. Priced at $99.99, the app is a fully featured turn-by-turn GPS system that includes:
landscape and portrait modes & pinch to zoom take full advantage of the iPhone interface
voice guided directions
integrated with your iPhone address book
route options including fastest, most direct, etc.
ability to find points of interest and call for reservations
TomTom is also offering a bundle including the application and a car cradle kit that offers enhanced GPS performance, a charging port and hands-free calling.
Having just hit the app store, details are still coming in about the features of the app and news about the car kit's availability. TomTom's iPhone website doesn't seem to be updated often, but it offers a link to subscribe to news updates as they become available.
TUAWTomTom for iPhone now available in US originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sponsored Topics:
iPhone - App Store - New Zealand - Apple - TomTom
published Aug 18, 2009 6:24 PM (94 days, 7 hours, 18 minutes ago) (linked on 412 personafile product pages)
Sony announces 'snackable' 100MB Minis for PSN Store
published Aug 18, 2009 6:15 PM (94 days, 7 hours, 27 minutes ago) (linked on 641 personafile product pages)
The original Apple tablet: Marketing lessons from the Newton
We all know Apple's original tablet had some hard-core fans, but it bit the dust--hard--back in 1998, not long after Steve Jobs returned to the company. Some say the touch-screen Newton, one of the early "personal digital assistants," was ahead of its time. Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it's interesting to look back at Apple's marketing efforts and wonder if there are any lessons to be learned and how they might be applied to spinning a new tablet, if indeed it's a real product.
Of course, a lot has changed in 10 years. Or has it?
What do you guys think? Will Apple have a hard time selling a new Newton?
Other Newton ads:
What is Newton?
Wanted
Where is Newton?
Most boring meeting in the world
Gotham City
Who is Newton?
After the break, check out a bonus Newton 2008 mock ad.
...
published Aug 13, 2009 7:51 PM (99 days, 5 hours, 50 minutes ago) (linked on 412 personafile product pages)
Verizon announces AD3700 global modem from ZTE
published Aug 13, 2009 7:42 PM (99 days, 5 hours, 59 minutes ago) (linked on 8,412 personafile product pages)
Apple reportedly sells 5 million iPhones to China Unicom
Filed under: Hardware, Odds and ends, Apple, iPhone
It appears that China Unicom has been selected as the sole distributor of iPhones in China, according to a report in the International Business Times today. While the deal has yet to be finalized, the company has purchased 5 million WCDMA iPhones without Wi-Fi from Apple at a price of 10 billion yuan (US$1.46 billion).
China Unicom is to begin selling the 3G phones in September at company stalls in Carrefour stores, as well as at several large China Unicom retail outlets. The phones are expected to sell for 2,400 yuan (US$352 as of this writing) for an 8GB model and 4,800 yuan (US$704) for a 16GB iPhone. It's estimated that Apple's profit from each sale is about 1,100 yuan (US$161).
China Unicom faces stiff competition from black market iPhones, which are selling for as low as 400 yuan ($59). The International Business Times report notes that Apple made large concessions to China Unicom in order to enter the massive Chinese market. To give some scale to the size of this sale, Apple reported during the 3Q 2009 conference call with Wall Street analysts that they had sold a total of 5.2 million iPhones in the last quarter.
TUAWApple reportedly sells 5 million iPhones to China Unicom originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sponsored Topics:
ChinaUnicom - IPhone - China - Apple - Unofficial Apple Weblog
Apple - iPhone 3G | 16GB, Black (iPhone)
published Aug 13, 2009 7:37 PM (99 days, 6 hours, 5 minutes ago) (linked on 12 personafile product pages)
Safari 4.0.3 is available for your software updating pleasure
Filed under: Software Update
Hot off the Software Update express it's Safari 4.0.3, which Apple's verbiage states:
This update is recommended for all Safari users and includes improvements to stability, compatibility and security including:
Stability improvements for webpages that use the HTML 5 video tag
Fixes an issue that prevented some users from logging into iWork.com
Fixes an issue that could cause web content to be displayed in greyscale instead of color
For detailed information on the security content of this update, please visit this site: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.
Go on, download it and let us know if unicorns appear in your browser. The update requires a restart.
TUAWSafari 4.0.3 is available for your software updating pleasure originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sponsored Topics:
Apple - Safari - Update - Web browser - TUAW
published Aug 12, 2009 3:27 PM (100 days, 10 hours, 15 minutes ago) (linked on 131 personafile product pages)
Apple to Launch 8 GB iPhone 3GS?
Boy Genius Report has received several tips that Rogers Wireless, Apple's Canadian iPhone partner, is in the process of shipping an 8 GB version of the iPhone 3GS to its retail stores. BGR has also received several photos of what appear to be an int...
published Aug 10, 2009 12:38 PM (102 days, 13 hours, 4 minutes ago) (linked on 12 personafile product pages)
iTunes 9 to Include Blu-ray Support and iPhone App Organization?
Boy Genius Report has received a tip from a "pretty reliable source" claiming to have knowledge of several new features to be included in iTunes 9. The rumored features include support for Blu-ray media and visual organization of iPhone and iPod tou...
published Aug 10, 2009 12:36 PM (102 days, 13 hours, 5 minutes ago) (linked on 12 personafile product pages)
AT&T CEO admits iPhone won't be exclusive forever
Apple - iPhone 3G | 16GB, Black (iPhone)
published Jul 23, 2009 9:40 PM (120 days, 4 hours, 2 minutes ago) (linked on 12 personafile product pages)
Apple set to release third quarter 2009 earnings report on Tuesday
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Apple Financial, Steve Jobs
It's been a nice year for Apple so far. Stock prices have been steadily rising since January, outpacing a middling technology market. Apple is poised to reach a stock price it hasn't seen since August, 2008. And this particular quarter has seen a lot of Apple news and activity: the new iPhone 3GS was released this quarter with an associated 1 million device sales in the first weekend alone, the MacBook line received a refresh and a price cut, and Apple reported that application downloads on iTunes reached the 1.5 billion mark. Plus, let's not forget that Steve-O (ostensibly) returned to work in June.
Apple appears to have weathered the Palm Pre assault with considerable fortitude, and the iPhone in all its iterations now commands more than 10% of the smartphone market.
So what are experts predicting for Apple tomorrow? For starters, above-average revenue. Among well-regarded Wall Street analysts (take that for what it's worth) the top estimate is by Mark Moskovitz of J.P. Morgan, predicting 8.49B in revenue, with earnings per share (EPS) of $1.23. Lowest is Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray, who is predicting "only" 8B in revenue. But all revenue estimates are above the guidance numbers released by Apple itself, which put revenue at 7.9B. The Thomson Financial consensus (an average of all predicted reports) puts revenue at 8.18B. Everybody is in agreement that Apple's gross margins, which were 36.4% last quarter, are the envy of the market.
Trading is brisk today, and stock prices are rising in expectation of tomorrow's positive announcement. Apple's announcement will occur at 5pm EST Tuesday. Check back for TUAW's report. It will be very interesting to see how well Apple does.
TUAWApple set to release third quarter 2009 earnings report on Tuesday originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
published Jul 20, 2009 10:35 PM (123 days, 3 hours, 6 minutes ago) (linked on 412 personafile product pages)
![[i] link by personafile | visit personafile.com](http://personafile.com/_shared/~~pk-000000000046788-abad339450944185ac4efc7131482f89~.gif){kind=small}
Have you noticed the new "Sponsored Link" search results showing up when you search in Google Maps on your iPhone? These new search results are ads. They're easy to pick out, because they use a customized icon instead of the typical push pin icon. While it's not surprising that Google is going to want to find every way possible to monetize its mapping service, it's still a little disconcerting to see these results popping up.
They aren't flying off the shelves, but early signs are that Snow Leopard boxes are far exceeding sales of Leopard, and 4 times higher than sales of Tiger.
$80 on apps? I didn't think it was that much, but after going over estimates in my head, that sounds about right, actually. A survey of 1200 App Store customers estimates that we've spent about $80 on applications so far, with an average of about 65 applications per customer. There's a little weirdness in those figures though: they also say that 65% of the apps downloaded were free, and that the average app price was $1.56. There's some extra information hidden in there: if 65% of the apps are $0, and the average price is still up above $1, that means people are spending way more than $1 on the apps that they do buy. More research seems needed there.
With only a few hours more to wait until the packages start arriving and the stores start selling Snow Leopard, the reviews are beginning to pour in. To summarize: it's faster, it's (mostly) stable, yay new Finder, mostly yay new QuickTime (good thing you can still install the QuickTime 7 player), and in the words of our colleagues at Engadget: "Here's the thing about Snow Leopard, the single inescapable fact that hung over our heads as we ran our tests and took our screenshots and made our graphs: it's $30. $30!"
There's been plenty of hype and mystery surrounding the TomTom GPS navigation app for iPhone. Originally announced back in June, the app created by the popular GPS company promised to be the first of its kind... only to have competing apps from Navigon, Telenav from AT&T, iGO and others hit the store ahead of it.
It appears that China Unicom has been selected as the sole distributor of iPhones in China, according to a report in the International Business Times today. While the deal has yet to be finalized, the company has purchased 5 million WCDMA iPhones without Wi-Fi from Apple at a price of 10 billion yuan (US$1.46 billion). 
Hot off the Software Update express it's Safari 4.0.3, which Apple's verbiage states:
It's been a nice year for Apple so far. Stock prices have been steadily rising since January, outpacing a middling technology market. Apple is poised to reach a stock price it hasn't seen since August, 2008. And this particular quarter has seen a lot of Apple news and activity: the new iPhone 3GS was released this quarter with an associated 1 million device sales in the first weekend alone, the MacBook line received a refresh and a price cut, and Apple reported that application downloads on iTunes reached the 1.5 billion mark. Plus, let's not forget that Steve-O (ostensibly) returned to work in June.