Remember not all that long ago when just about every computer notebook manufacturer was having problems with batteries -- like catching on fire! 

Now we have battery problems with cell phones!  

Apple is blaming a problem its problem with overheating iPods in Japan on faulty batteries.

In response to reports that Japan is investigating incidents of iPod nanos getting hot enough to scorch paper placed nearby, Apple acknowledged that "in very rare cases" first-generation iPod nanos sold between September 2005 and December 2006 can overheat.

Extremely rare, Apple said it has received reports about less than 0.001% of first-generation iPod nano units acting in this way, and has traced the problem to a single battery supplier. Apple did not name the supplier. 

Lots more at Macworld.

I

I've had the good fortune to give the Jaybird JB-100 Bluetooth Stereo Headset a workout, and it's been a good time.

Now the JB-200 supersedes the groundbreaking JB-100 -- which boldly presented a new design in this field.

The JB-200 offers the same great design, but now with:

• More control of music, with complete AVRCP Music and Call Controls
• Improved fit, with 25% narrower ear-tip
• Sound isolation, with 50% longer sound-isolating ear-tips
• Greater comfort, with higher grade, softer silicon ear-tips
• Enhanced audio experience, with 25% more volume and improved bass performance
• Clearer voice reception on phone calls, with relocated & upgraded mic
• More freedom of movement, with a one-inch longer behind-the-neck cord 

www.jaybirdgear.com

LG Electronics, the South Korean mobile phone manufacturer, has overtaken rival Samsung to take second place in the U.S. handset market behind Motorola in the latest quarter.

The figures, prepared by Strategy Analytics, a Boston-based research firm, underscore the popularity of several touchscreen-based handsets made by LG, including the Vu and Voyager (photo above). Both are sold by Verizon Wireless in competition with Apple's iPhone offered exclusively by AT&T in the U.S. 

More at the Financial Times.

Never a dull moment in the land of Apple.

(Who said tech is dull?)

Just take a look at just some of the recent news (most of it today, in fact):

• 3 million iPhones sold in the first month (more here)
• iPhone 3G issues (more here)
• Problems with MobileMe (more here)
• Steve Jobs' health (is there a succession plan or does the company start and end with him?)

You know, this is like an Apple headline news digest, but very easy on the system.

Apple's iPhone "kill switch" has prompted much hand-wringing, despite the fact that no one knows exactly what it does. But the thing is, we just don't know.

Until Apple explains why it has included this function, or an application appears on the blacklist and is wiped from someone's phone, it's all just the usual leaping to conclusions on a sleepy Friday in August, as reported on CNET.

An independent iPhone developer and author recently discovered a URL while poking around inside the iPhone 2.0 software that downloads a list of "malicious" applications every so often to the iPhone.
Several outlets quickly seized on this detail as proof that Apple is poised to remotely disable any application running on the iPhone that it finds unpalatable.

Before we get into the ways in which Apple might use the blacklist, let's remember that we don't know a damn thing about how this actually works.

There are several explanations for what Apple might be up to.

If you want to know more, head over to CNET.

JAJAH today launched two brand new JAJAH services called JAJAH Babel and JAJAH Concierge.

JAJAH Babel is a speech-to-speech translation service. Currently, it only translates English-to-Chinese (Mandarin) and Chinese-to-English. Perfect timing for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Summer Games, but I wish JAJAH also launched with English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English. My wife and I hire the Maids Home Services on occasion to help clean up our house and inevitably my wife or I ask them to clean a specific area and they don't understand what we're saying since they only speak Spanish. Apparently, my 3 years of high school Spanish went in one ear and out the other.

They often have to get the forewoman to translate, but sometimes even she doesn't speak English. Very frustrating to live in America and not all businesses speak English. We've tried multiple cleaning services, but apparently speaking Spanish-only seems to be a requirement in the housekeeping industry. Anyway, JAJAH Babel could come in handy for just such an occasion.

It was developed in conjunction with IBM and additional languages are coming. You can read about JAJAH Babel and obtain country-specific Babel numbers here: http://www.jajahbabel.com/

If you are in the U.S. and want to try it out, just call 1-718-513-2969. I tried it and it asked me to confirm what I said using its TTS engine. After confirmed what I said was accurate it played back the Chinese translation - also using TTS. Can't say how well the TTS for Chinese is since I don't speak it, but the English TTS was pretty good.

Currently JAJAH Babel is available in the U.S., China, UK and Australia.

The other new service is JAJAH Concierge - http://www.jajahconcierge.com

Very relevant for consumers that need to make calls hands free, JAJAH Concierge voice activates JAJAH services so there is no need to scroll through address books or dial long phone numbers. This free service gives JAJAH customers a local number, which can be used to initiate phone calls, send a text message or establish conference calls, all with voice commands at JAJAH's low rates and without lifting a finger. This new service does not cost anything additional and leverages MOBIVOX voice application.

Ever wonder how much data fring consumes when making a VoIP call or even when idle? Personally, I really like fring which I like to call "the Swiss army knife of mobile VoIP and IM", since it works with Skype, SIP, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, and AIM.

Well, I found the answer to this question on fring's blog which was posted today.



When idle, fring also consumes an additional 10kb per hour of connectivity to communicate with fring's servers. This is needed to get/push presence and other info.

According to USA Today, AT&T and Apple have agreed to extend their exclusivity relationship through 2009, meaning the next iPhone will be made specifically for AT&T service.

The report claims that Apple originally signed the deal with AT&T through 2008 and next year would start selling iPhones on other carrier services. But after AT&T offered a $300 subsidy on each iPhone instead of the revenue-sharing model that became such a hot issue last year, Apple decided it was in its best interests to stay on with AT&T for one more year and take the subsidy.

Undoubtedly some will say that AT&T may have made the best deal in quite some time and I tend to agree. But still others will say that Apple did the right thing in taking the money and although it's forced to sign up for another year with AT&T, it's still the right move.

Those people are dead wrong. 

And The Digital Home got that right -- read on!

Dynolicious utilizes the accelerometer built in to your iPhone or iPod Touch to sense the motion of your vehicle to calculate performance statistics including 0-60 acceleration, 1/4 Mile Elapsed Time, Lateral G's, and Horsepower. Is this not the coolest Apple App ever? I would have headed over to the Apple App Store to buy this app pronto, except I no longer drive a high-performance Dodge Viper - I now drive a pokey Volvo.

Here's a photo of my beloved 2001 Dodge Viper at a Cape Cod motel before it was totalled by a 24-year old pharmacist one month after I sold it to him.


Anyway, the sampling data is sampled as many as one hundred times per second, to get a detailed picture of your car's acceleration. This information is then used to determine the speed of the vehicle and the distance travelled. The site explains that due to the unique hardware integrated into the iPhone, this can all be done with no setup, wires, or extra equipment like traditional accelerameters.

According to their web site, "Unlike other accelerometer-based performance meters, Dynolicious uses the advanced data-handling and display capabilities of the iPhone to make the most of your performance testing."

Further, Dynolicious maintains a history of test runs, showing you averages and trends in your results. Dynolicious also allows you to enter modifications performed to your vehicle, and will instantly show before-and-after results to easily identify gains or losses.

Here's some screenshots:




Specification/Features breakdown...

Performance Measurements

• 0-60 MPH
• Other Speed Tests (0-10 MPH through 0-100 MPH in 10MPH increments)
• Quarter Mile Elapsed Time
• Quarter Mile Trap Speed
• Elapsed Time and Trap Speed for standard intervals (60', 330', 1/8 Mi, 1000')
• Lateral G's (current and peak)
• Braking G's (current and peak)
• Wheel Horsepower
• Estimated Engine Horsepower

Results Presentation

• Realtime Speedometer and Graphs
• Realtime graphical skidpad display
• View results for latest test run or any saved run
• View averages based on vehicle, date, or modification
• Compare results between vehicles, dates, or before-and-after modifications

Configuration

• Rollout 0" to 24" (separate settings for 0-60 and Quarter Mile tests)
• Stores vehicle weight and drivetrain efficiency in your vehicle's profile
• Calibration routine gets the maximum accuracy possible with the built-in accelerometers

Accuracy

• 0-60 MPH: +/- 0.08 sec*
• Quarter Mile: +/- 0.10 sec*, +/- 1.5 MPH*

*Results based on preliminary testing. A detailed accuracy analysis using professional timing equipment at a regulation dragstrip will be posted soon.

Hey, hey, hey ... Sprint Nextel was dealt a major blow in its early-termination-fee case when a California judge ruled it would have to pay $73 million. Bad news for Sprint ...

... but good news for us! The decision could bode poorly for the various trials that are taking place throughout the country, as well as the attempt by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make wireless carriers exempt from these state court cases.

"This ruling sounds the death knell for the industry's petition seeking a preemption ruling from the FCC -- a ruling the industry has never been able to win in court," said Scott Bursor, an attorney representing the plaintiffs. 

Read more about it at CNN Money.