iPhone in news dominance shocker
It's the Pocket Picks round-up
Welcome to this week's iPhone, sorry, Pocket Picks round up, a week that began with the final, definitive, set in a tablet of stone announcement that the iPhone will be released in the US on June 29th.
As you'd expect, Apple commanded a significant portion of the mobile news this week, backing the iPhone launch update with some slick web advertising (followed by another more traditional TV spot).
That didn't stop yet more unanswered questions emerging: how will Google maps function on the device, and what is that mysterious twelfth icon on the iPhone's main menu?
On the business side, Apple enjoyed an increased share price, spurred by the announcement of an official release date. Looking ahead to launch it seems that fears about shortages are not quite as well-grounded as previously thought; Businessweek estimates that there will be three million iPhones available on day one, with plans to shift an astonishing 45 million of the things by 2009.
As for other handsets, there was a brief automotive theme that took hold mid-week, with both Porsche and Hummer unveiling their respective mobile offerings. Sharp got in on the mobile action with the unveiling of the Advanced ES Smartphone, and Google also got a look-in, with resurfacing rumours about its G-Phone.
Elsewhere, Coca Cola announced a new social networking site for mobile called Sprite Yard. With the emphasis squarely on tapping into the Web 2.0 phenomenon as an advertising avenue, the jury is out on whether the service is anything more than a cynical marketing ploy.
Ofcom is continuing to do what it can to protect the little guys, by investigating the charges carriers dish out to customers that have abused their service in some way. Countering that, a fresh report claims that mobile users are doing what they can to screw The Man man by using their company-funded mobiles for 400m worth of private calls every year.
Finally, a quick look at this week's quirkier mobile happenings. One of our Eastern-dwelling newshounds got wind of a curious Japanese mobile advert involving an interesting take on race relations, and featuring a large white talking dog as the head of a conventional family. Meanwhile, on the other side of the hemisphere, high above sea level, Swiss authorities decided that porn has no place on portable electronics, and banned it outright on mobiles.
Brace yourself for more big Apple news next week, when we bring you our post-World Wide Developers Conference Pocket Picks update (the event will see a keynote from Steve Jobs). Click 'Track It!' to be sure not to miss it.