There have been rumors going around that Apple is planning to delve into the video game market even further by coming up with its own platform, either in the form of a console or a handheld device.

Apple, even up to now, has remained mum on the matter but it seems that the rumors have a basis after all. One search at the database of Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval website will yield a patent dated February 5, 2008.

The said patent tells of new “goods and services” that are describe as the following:

• Toys, games and playthings, namely, handheld units for playing electronic games
• Handheld units for playing video games
• Stand alone video game machines
• Electronic games other than those adapted for use with television receivers only
• LCD game machines
• Electronic educational game machines
• Toys, namely battery-powered computer games

Given the success of mobile gadgets iPhone and iPod Touch, it seems that a portable gaming device from Apple is going to be a sure hit among its loyal fans. While the company has yet to give an official comment, Sony and Nintendo better look after their market as early as now.

Apple has released two new TV commercials for the iPhone focusing on the device’s internet capabilities. The first, ”Facebook," talks about how you can check on your Facebook account from the iPhone, while demonstrating the social networking site’s iPhone and iPod touch interface. The second new advertisement, ”Cars," shows how the iPhone’s internet access can come in useful when dealing with a car salesman. Both are filmed in the style of Apple’s original series of iPhone ads, with the device being used against a black background, while an unseen narrator speaks above the song ”Perfect Timing” by Orba Squara. Both ads are available for viewing on Apple.com.

Apple have released updated versions of the iPod touch and iPhone.

The latest iPhone features 16 gigabytes of memory and retails for £329. The new iPod Touch comes with 32 GB of memory and also retails at £329.

The new devices are available through Apple’s online and retail stores. Apple have confirmed that these new iPhone and iPod Touch models will be shipped with updated software that the company announced in January.

Even though Apple’s stock prices are in the slumps, iTunes usage is certainly not! Website Optimization posted that iTunes has surpassed RealPlayer usage in terms of online streaming — for the first time in history. They cite that iTunes was the only online streaming player that had a positive growth over year 2007. Here’s how the online players break down as of December 2007:

• iTunes - 35,664
• QuickTime - 12,787
• RealPlayer - 27,565
  
• Windows Media Player - 75,865

iTunes is now the second most popular streaming player behind Windows Media Player. Web Optimization also stated that iTunes has an annual growth of about 26.8%. There’s no doubt that we will hear about this more when Steve takes the stage at a future music-related event.

Read more here
 

You probably already know that you can go directly to the iPod touch January Upgrade purchase page by following this link. What you might not know is that in order to purchase the iPod touch January upgrade you must be logged into your iTunes account and you must be running iTunes 7.6. You cannot make this purchase using earlier versions of the software.

If you ever restore your iPod and need to get back those upgrades, once again you need to use the magic of 7.6 plus be signed into the account with which you purchased it. I found out the hard way that your Mac doesn’t automatically “remember” that you purchased it and that it belongs on your iPod touch.

I was one of the many people affected by the week-long “Error -2″ outages at the iTunes store and had bought it with my secondary account. After restoring, my iPod just wouldn’t reload the upgrade. I knew I had bought it and I knew it was available in my home folder in Library/iTunes/Mobile Applications. The problem was that I needed to sign into my secondary account (rarely used–except for doing posts like these) and then synchronize while signed in.

A few calls to Apple and a lot of annoyance later, I hope these tips may save you some grief. You can tell if your iPod touch has been “blessed” by checking its Summary tab in iTunes. Next to the Software Version, you should see the magic phrase “(with Software Upgrade)”.

Read More here

If you live outside the US and simply can’t get enough of music, Amazon’s latest release would probably make you smile. On January 27, 2008, the Amazon MP3 was launched to begin rolling to foreign shores this year.

With over 3.3 million songs to choose from, it’s enough music to last a whole lifetime. The songs found in their collection are compatible with most digital music-capable device, the PC, MAC, iPod, Zune, Zen, iPhone, RAZR, and even BlackBerry.

Don’t worry about the cost when getting your music. Majority of the songs are priced from 89 cents to 99 cents. Most albums are price from US 5.99 to US$9.99. The top 100 albums are worth US 8.99 or less, unless marked otherwise.

Regarding this latest offer, Bill Carr, Amazon.com Vice President of Digital music said:

We have received thousands of e-mails from Amazon customers around the world asking us when we will make Amazon MP3 available outside of the U.S. They can’t wait to choose from the biggest selection of high-quality, low-priced DRM-free MP3 music downloads which play on virtually any music device they own today or will own in the future

We are excited to tell those customers today that Amazon MP3 is going international this year.

Amazon MP3, the world’s biggest collection of online songs, is now ready to take on the world with it services. If you want, feel free to check it out yourself.

Jeremy Horwitz at iLounge has written a comprehensive guide for integrating the iPhone with you car, from a budget-friendly rig to the ultimate set-up.

The problem, of course, is that there’s no single device, cable or solution that will manage calls, music, and charge your iPhone’s battery simultaneously (Yet). I’m using a set-up similar to Jeremy’s budget solution — a cheap mount holds the iPhone in place, an audio cable connects it to my stereo’s audio in port and a Belkin charger keeps the battery going.

Of course, I’ve still got to pick the thing up and disconnect the audio cable to place or receive a call. I know that a Bluetooth headset would eliminate that issue, but I don’t want to have to buy one more thing to accessorize my iPhone.

Jeremy’s “Optimal Solution” eliminates a lot of the stuff with a Contour Design / Bluetrek SurfaceSound Compact, which is a nifty hands-free solution for mobile phones (though quite pricey). If price is not a concern, check it out. As for the rest of us, have you got your iPhone set up in your car? Share your solutions below.