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Google Mobile App performs well

The new voice-activated Google Mobile app for the iPhone is finally here. Whatever the reason for the delay, it was worth the wait. As we wrote last week, the search app knows when you bring the phone to your face to speak into it. It beeps, you talk, and it executes a Google search on what you said. (If you’re using a headset, you have to press a button. You can type in your queries, too, if you want.)

It is freakishly accurate. It’s not perfect, but it’s extremely good. Good enough to be used frequently, I’d say, although this review is based on only 15 minutes of experimentation.

I searched for names of people I know, businesses nearby, airline information, and other miscellaneous data. The service bungled one nearby restaurant, but got everything else right. It uses the phone’s location data to narrow down results. Try searching for “sushi” and you’ll get your closest sushi restaurants at the top of your search results.

The Google Mobile app gives you its answers in text, which makes for a very quick experience. If your result returns phone numbers, you can dial the phone by clicking on one. But if you’re driving in your car and need a quick connection, use Goog411 instead, which is a full voice-in, voice-out experience.

As others have noted, Google Mobile doesn’t let you do voice dialing from your own contact list. It’s frustrating to be able to search the entire Web with your voice but not be able to search your own phone. But it’s still a useful and very cool little service.

To get the app visit the iTunes Application Store and search for “Google Mobile App.” As I write this, the description for the page is old, but the app you get is the new one.

Blackberry Storm VS the iPhone

Ok, if you have been watching the news lately you are aware that the Blackberry response to the iPhone is about to hit the market.  The Blackberry response is called the Storm and offers a touch screen interface like the iPhone, but will it fall short of real competition like the G1 and other recent “iPhone killers”

Here is a quick run down on the specs for the two phones:

French Iron Man Blue Ray Movie Release Has iPhone Features

Blu-ray.com reports that the Blu-ray release of the movie “Iron Man” in France will give iPhone and iPod Touch users some extra surprises.

According to the report this release of the movie will use NetBlender’s BD Touch Technology, allowing the movie to interact with Apple’s touch devices. The App is called “Remote Haxey” and according to [...]

Fring Brings Skype, Skype-out and SIP calls to iPhone

The long awaited Fring application is now available for free as the first App from the iTunes App Store to support Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony.

According to the vendor, fringland Ltd., Fring is a mobile internet service and community that allows you to talk, chat and interact with other “fringsters” and all your online buddies [...]

iPhone/iTunes Users Rejoice: Copyright Royalty Board Does Nothing

The Copyright Royalty Board sets the rates that companies like Apple, Rhapsody and Amazon must pay music publishers for each and every digital music track they sell. Fortunately for iPhone users, who use iTunes to sync music and other data or media to their iPhone, they will continue to be able to do so for [...]

Apple Drops NDA for Released iPhone Software

Apple has announced that effective immediately that they are dropping the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for all released versions of Apple’s iPhone Software. Per the Apple website:

“We have decided to drop the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone software. We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that [...]

Stanza Stands Out As The iPhone’s Best eBook Reader

Stanza is the most robust eBook reader for the iPhone, and it’s free. Other options include eReader, but none are as polished and feature-rich as Stanza.

It’s primary asset is a large library of fully available and free eBooks. We immediately went the download section of this App and downloaded 22 great classic novels, such as [...]

Are iPhone App Store Restrictions Reviving the Jailbreak Scene?

Apple’s dubious rejection of applications that are deemed of little utility or duplicative of built-in functionality has drawn harsh developer criticism.

In contrast, the jailbroken iPhone software market is completely unrestricted. Google’s Android marketplace claims a similar unfettered approach. The unrestricted mobile application market is ground already tread by Palm, where concerns over malicious software and [...]