ARM is showing off their new Cortex A9 multi-core mobile processor, which will scale over 2Ghz at less than 0.25W of power per proc — and since Apple is rumored to be a massive ARM licensee and Apple staff were hinting that developers should prepare themselves for multi-core, rumors once again resurface that this smoking hot chip might become part of the 4th generation iPhone and iPod touch. (As part of PA Semi system-on-a-chip, ‘natch).

The current iPhone 3GS and iPod touch G3, as well as a bunch of competing smartphones (and superphones, don’t get us started!) use the ARM Cortex A8. MacRumors is guessing it might just make its way into the iTablet/iSlate as well.

CES is ramping up folks, and remember TiPb will be there, so we’ll bring you back anything more we can find out.

Video highlights after the break…

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

Potential iPhone Gen 4 ARM Cortex A9 Multicore Processor Demo

Looks like AT&T put the HSPA 7.2 3G peddle to the metal so T-Mobile wouldn’t grab all the nation-wide upgrade headlines today.

"We are focused on providing our customers with the industry's best combination of mobile broadband speed, performance, coverage and available devices," said John Stankey, president and CEO, AT&T Operations, who announced the network updates at the Citigroup 20th Annual Global Entertainment, Media & Telecommunications Conference today. "As we light up new backhaul connections across the country, we're able to deliver a meaningful 3G speed boost for millions of customers who are already using HSPA 7.2-compatible devices. At the same time, we're also looking to the future with these backhaul enhancements, which will support our move to next-generation LTE technology starting in 2011."

Of course, that doesn’t mean iPhone 3GS users (who’s radios support HSPA 7.2) will suddenly feel themselves pressed back into their seats yet — oh, no, no, no. This is only potential. The reality is only 6 US cities have been lit up so far:

Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami, with capabilities being turned up on a site-by-site basis beginning last month. Further backhaul deployment will continue in these markets and begin in additional markets across the nation. We anticipate that the majority of our mobile data traffic will be carried over the expanded fiber-based, HSPA 7.2-capable backhaul by the end of this year, with deployment continuing to expand in 2011.

So, any of you in those cities at warp factor 1 yet?

[Thanks to our good friend Phil Nickinson for the tip!]

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

AT&T Announces Completion of HSPA 7.2 3G Upgrade — Just Don’t Count on Speed Yet!

The Baltimore Sun has regurgitated a recent Apple patent filing for a 3D, multitouch, zooming user interface. So the speculation jumps immediately to iTablet/iSlate and iPhone 4.0? Is this the “surprising interaction method” we’d heard rumored? Or just another in a long list of patents Apple may or may not ever get around to implementing in a real device? Place your bets in the comments!

[Baltimore Sun via Engagdet]

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

3D Multitouch Interface… for iTablet and/or iPhone 4.0? Apple Patent Regurgitation!

You may have heard that we’re taking a short break from the 3rd annual Smartphone Round Robin for CES this year (and for our own sanity, truth be told.) Lucky for you, we have just the thing to tide you over this week: two podcasts with your favorite editors from the Smartphone Experts Network.

This week we have the second podcast we recorded over the course of our time together. We’ve embedded it below, but honestly: you’ve subscribed to TCPJ by now, haven’t you?

How to listen to the Smartphone Round Robin Podcast Part 2:

• The Cell Phone Junkie
• Subscribe with your favorite client
• Subscribe via iTunes
• Listen via phone with Podlinez: 510-495-6352
• Download the show directly

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

Smartphone Round Robin Podcast Part 2: Device Impressions!

I have been playing the iPhone game Link4 Online [Free - iTunes Link or $2.99 - iTunes Link], which is a “connect 4″ type game by PlayMesh. I love Link4 and have spent many a long night challenging other players to the game. Link 4 also has a chat room and if you have ever been in a chat room you know that a lot of nefarious things can happen. To keep the discussions as clean as possible, PlayMesh has evoked an auto-banning system. Now certain words (that will not be mentioned here so as not to get my editor’s wrath) are sure to get you banned. However, what has been happening in Link4 is interesting.

Waiting on players, I would sit in the chat room and after a time I noticed that many people were asking about how wine was made and where raisins came from from. I also noticed a lot of people were being banned, for 24 to 316 hours of play.

PlayMesh, did someone steal your Fruit of the lomb undies? Did the California Raisins cause you indigestion? The reasons are unclear, but if you even whisper the word ‘grapes’ in Link4 be assured your account will be banned.

It turns out, you can’t type the word “grapes” without being banned. Now perhaps grapes is a rude word somewhere I’m not aware of, or perhaps PlayMesh has a personal vendetta against the fruit, but either way watching this never-ending process has become almost more fun than the actual game.

If anyone has any ideas as to why this is occurring comment below. Also, if you want to try me at a game of Link4 my tag is Belarbrina.

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

Link4 Online for iPhone — Connecting Fun, Just Don’t Type “Grapes!”

Our sibling site, Android Central, will be doing a meta live blog of Google’s big Android/Nexus One event at 1pm ET/10am PT, and yours truly is going to be online with them to help them out and get a sneak peak at the competition.

What will Google announce? Just the mega-phone? Free candy? Who knows with them! Join us for the meta live blog!

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

The Competition: Android Central Nexus One Meta Live Blog: 1pm ET/10am PT

It seems Apple has made the move and gotten into the in-app advertising business. The rumor of Apple purchasing Quattro Wireless has turned out to be 100% accurate. The AdMob competitor, Quattro Wireless, was purchased by Apple for a cool $275 million.

“We are thrilled to let you know that Apple has acquired Quattro. We want to share with you our excitement about this news and what it means for our customers. We have built our business by enabling advertisers to reach the right consumers across the mobile web and in applications. We remain focused on delivering more engaging, relevant and useful ads to mobile devices, and improving the measurement and execution of digital campaigns. Together with Apple, we look forward to developing exciting new opportunities in the future that will benefit our customers.”

Something also to be noted is that former Quattro Wireless CEO, Andy Miller, revealed in the press release that his title is now Vice President of Mobile Advertising at Apple. The Google vs Apple showdown seems to be heating up. 2010 is going to be an exciting year in the mobile world.

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

Apple Purchased AdMob Competitor Quattro Wireless

Apple has announced they have surpassed the 3 billion download mark within their App Store. Somewhere in Cupertino Steve Jobs must have a huge smile on his face as it was just this past September where downloads reached 2 billion:

"Three billion applications downloaded in less than 18 months—this is like nothing we've ever seen before," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "The revolutionary App Store offers iPhone and iPod touch users an experience unlike anything else available on other mobile devices, and we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon."

So let’s stop and think about this, iPhone and iPod touch users in 77 countries downloaded one billion applications within a 4 month period. That’s pretty impressive and with no signs of slowing, it’s a safe bet Jobs is right about the competition.

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

Apple’s iPhone App Store Passes 3 Billion Downloads

UPDATE: Skype got back to us all official PR like:

We’ve identified the fault which has made Skype for iPhone unavailable to some people. A fix is underway, and we expect that the app will be fully available in the next few hours.

ORIGINAL: If you click on an iTunes link to get the Skype for iPhone App, as of this writing, iTunes pops up a notification saying Skype for iPhone is not currently available in the US App Store, or other international App Stores. If you search for Skype, the Skype app doesn’t show up. Skype’s official iPhone app page, still tells you to “Get it now”, but it’s currently not get-able.

Temporary glitch? Sign that maybe, finally it’s being replaced with the 3G version AT&T, Apple and Skype said back in October ‘09 would be coming our way? Or just gone as in another App Store brouhaha may be brewing?

An international, hours-long lasting glitch sounds odd. Removing an old version and leaving nothing available for a time before replacing it with a new one isn’t typically how the App Store works — it’s usually fairly unnoticeable to the end user (known bugs not withstanding). Unless CES is going to mean an announcement from Skype? And, well, we can’t imagine something this high-profile would just be gone, right?

We’ll update If Skype for iPhone comes back up, same as before or new and 3G, or if we get any solid info.

[Thanks to @mugunthkumar for the tip!]

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

UPDATED: Skype for iPhone “No Longer Available” – Yeahbuwhat?

Boom Town claims several sources have confirmed that Apple is getting into the in-app advertising business by buying AdMob competitor Quattro Wireless for $275 million.

Since Apple currently dominates the mobile app space, bolstering their cut of profits with a cut of in-app advertising is likely good business for them. It’s all about the eyeballs, and if those eyeballs are locked on iPhones and iPod touches, why let Google gobble it all up?

If rumors are true that Google bought AdMob out from under Apple (much like Apple bought online music streamer Lala out from under Google), then switching targets to an AdMob competitor couldn’t have been entirely off the radar, now could it? (Especially with — yes more rumors — of Google now turning towards Spotify for their music fix).

Apple and Google certainly look to be getting even more up into each others business, and that should make the expected Nexus One announcement later today, along with Apple’s expected January 27 event, and the whole of 2010, a lot more exciting!

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

Boom Town: Apple Buying AdMob Competitor Quattro Wireless