Join TiPb tonight for all the week’s news, views, and rants. If you have any questions, leave a comment below, hit us up on Twitter @theiphoneblog, or better still — join us live in the chat room via http://www.tipb.com/live

Chat with you soon!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone Live! Tonight at 8pm ET/5pm PT

Apple is reviewing 100 new claims they want added on a 10+ year old patents says Peter Hoddie on Twitter.

Hoddie ran the QuickTime team at Apple after the departure of original lead, Bruce Leak, and is currently co-founder of Kinoma, which develops multimedia solutions for Windows Mobile and Nokia S60. While he didn’t elaborate on which patents or what additions were being reviewed, but given his former position, it’s not hard to imagine it has to do with Apple’s own multimedia framework.

A quick search of the US Patent Office shows Hoddie listed in the following QuickTime-related patents:

• User interface for presenting media information
• Techniques for capturing information during multimedia presentations
• Apparatus and method for storing a movie within a movie
• Methods and apparatuses for transmitting data representing multiple views of an object
• Method and apparatus for identifying user-selectable regions within multiple display frames
• Method and apparatus for synchronization of data retrieval and presentation
• System for data retrieval by scheduling retrieval if number of units scheduled equals or less than predetermined number and retrieving before or at time elapsed
• Method and apparatus for identifying user-selectable regions within multiple display frames

QuickTime has become one of the core display layers of both Mac OS X and iPhone OS X. So is Apple trying to secure against the future or setting up for some more patent pugilism? As Hoddie states, there’s clearly a reason…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Reviewing 100 New Claims to Add to 10+ Year Old (QuickTime?) Patent

Apple has launched a new sub-section of iTunes devoted to music movies. Why music movies? It seems like while iTunes sells a lot of music, they’re not yet selling as much video and Apple seems to think they can use the music tie-in to promote the movies. (We’ll spare you the iTunes LP-esque “and it will look great on an iTablet!” line this time. Whoops.)

According to Billboard:

One of the first exclusives is “It Might Get Loud,” the documentary about guitar gods Jimmy Page, the Edge and Jack White, which iTunes will offer from Dec. 8 – 22 before any other outlet. Pre-orders start today. Another is the Kings of Leon concert film “Kings of Leon, Live at the O2″ from Nov. 3 – 10.

Big Music stands to benefit as well, since their music DVDs haven’t exactly been flying off the shelves. Will online exclusives and easy impulse purchases help? We guess that depends on whether you’ll be loading up your iPhone with them?

[Billboard via AppleInsider]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Launches “Music Movies” on iTunes

Looks like Apple snuck a little something extra into iTunes 9.0.2 for iPhone and iPod touch users — 180+ app management.

Instead of just mirroring the 11 visible iPhone 3.x Home Screens (with their maximum 180 app slots), iTunes will now let you add even more apps. These additional apps are displayed on grayed-out Home Screens (because they’re not visible on the iPhone — you have to use Spotlight Search to launch them), but in iTunes are otherwise easy to organize and remove.

[via TUAW]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iTunes 9.0.2 Offers 180+ iPhone App Management

Marware’s C.E.O. Premiere for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. [$34.95 - TiPb Store Link] is a horizontal case with a belt clip and top flap. Either you love that style or you hate it, but there is no denying their popularity among iPhone owners. Marware has been making iPhone cases since day one and some pretty good ones at that. What did we think of the Marware C.E.O. Premiere?

Follow us after the break!

The Marware C.E.O Premiere has the classic horizontal holster case design that covers your iPhone in a textured, soft leather with quality stitching and an ultra-slim non-removable belt clip. The interior of the case is made up of microfiber cloth which is a welcomed addition that promises not to scratch your device while it is in use.

The flap that encloses your iPhone stays closed with the help of Velcro. Though I would have preferred Marware to use magnets, the Velcro does it’s job. However, when I am in a quiet room and need to get to my phone I’d like to get it out in silence rather than hearing the sound of Velcro tearing open.

The C.E.O. Premiere is designed only to provide access to the headphone port while your phone is inside. This design allows you to listen to music or take calls with the iPhones headset while you are out and about, but like all other cases of this style, no other controls can be accessed when the it’s is closed. Keep that in mind if it’s a deciding factor when you’re looking for a new case.

Marware was kind enough to include a decent screen protector in the package as well.

If you prefer the horizontal case and can get past some of the Marware’s minor shortcomings, the C.E.O Premiere as it’s truly a quality case.

Learn more at TiPb’s iPhone Store >>>

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Review: Marware C.E.O. Premiere for iPhone 3GS & iPhone 3G

Bell Mobility has just announced that their new GSM/HSPA network, shared with previously-CDMA frenemy Telus, has gone live! What does that mean? Yesterday, Rogers and their Fido subsidiary were the only place to go for Apple’s iPhone (or a BlackBerry Bold if that’s how you roll). Today — technically as soon as Telus announces — you have your choice of 3.5 carriers (Fido is still Rogers).

So this means massive competition, price wars, and a huge win for consumers, right?

Eh… not so much. Like Orange UK, multiple carriers seems only to mean multiple non-competitive pricing plans, as each one wants as much as they can get, and don’t feel any pressure to compete — yet.

Hardware prices are the same, up to $299 for the iPhone 3GS on a 3-year contract, with service plans ranging from $45 for 100 minutes, Fab Five, 500MB, night/weekends 9pm-7am to $95 for 500 min, Fab Five, 2GB, nights/weekends.

(Along with $6.95 system access fee, monthly e911 fee, $2 paper billing option, $35 activation fee, and other nickel and diming…)

If you’re planning to hook your iPhone up to Ma (Canadian) Bell, let us know what you think of the pricing, and what you choose!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Bell Mobility Canada GSM/HSPA Network Goes Live, Brings iPhone With It!

Apple has just announced that there are now, officially, over 100,000 iPhone and iPod touch apps in the iTunes App Store:

"The App Store, now with over 100,000 applications available, is clearly a major differentiator for millions of iPhone and iPod touch customers around the world," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "The iPhone SDK created the first great platform for mobile applications and our customers are loving all of the amazing apps our developers are creating."

Effusive developer quotes abound as well:

"The App Store has forever changed the mobile gaming industry and continues to improve," said Travis Boatman, vice president of Worldwide Studios, EA Mobile. "With a global reach of over 50 million iPhone and iPod touch users, the App Store has allowed us to develop high quality EA games that have been a huge success with customers."

"With 10,000 downloads a day, worldwide customer response to our I Am T-Pain App has exceeded our wildest expectations," said Jeff Smith, CEO of Smule. "The App Store has given us a unique opportunity to create and grow a very successful business, and we're looking forward to an exciting future."

Serving 77 countries, with well over 2 billion downloads, jokes, whines, complaints, and rejections aside for the moment, that’s a massive milestone for Apple. Congrats.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

It’s Official: Apple Announces Over 100,000 iPhone Apps!

Squarespace [Free - iTunes link] is a brand new app that lets you administer your Squarespace web site — at least the blogging aspects — right from your iPhone and iPod touch.

The innovative hosted content-management system has become the darling of the technorati due to its robust online management tools and ability to scale to handle huge spikes in traffic (i.e. Digg effect). The app features:

• Posting and editing content
• Posting pics
• Multiple site support
• Site stats and graphs
• New site registration

Next on the list will be comment management, slated for version 1.1.

Note: While the app is free, Squarespace itself is a paid monthly service. But if you’re a user, and you try out the app, let us know how it works for you!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Squarespace App — Administer Your Blog From the iPhone