According to The Wall Street Journal Google is planning on introducing their very own eBook store as early as this next month, and gearing up once again to go head-to-head with Apple. This news comes just after Apple announced that in just 28 days, iPad users have downloaded over 1.5 million eBooks via iBooks.

“Google says its new service–called Google Editions–will allow users to buy digital copies of books they discover through its book search service. It will also allow book retailers to sell Google Editions on their own sites, taking the bulk of the revenue. Google has yet to release details about pricing and which publishers are expected to participate.”

Unlike on devices such as the iPhone, iPad and Kindle, Google’s approach will be to allow users access to the digital books from a complete range of websites and over various devices.

Would any of our readers prefer Google’s eBooks over Apple’s iBooks? Sound off in the comments below!

[WSJ via Mac Rumors]

Google prepares for eBook sales, increase competition with Apple is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Today’s iPhone OS 4 beta 3 update has brought with it some interesting new features, including a soft-version of the iPad’s orientation lock and iPod controls added into the fast app switcher (multitasking) UI.

When you double click the home button to bring up the fast app switcher, you can now scroll all the way to the left to get the new orientation lock and iPod controls. The default on the orientation is off but a tap will turn on, or turn off, the lock. (Home screen doesn’t sound like it rotates, however).

iPod controls include back, play/pause, and forward, with the name of the current track written beneath.

The background for the app switcher (and for folders) has also changed from the rubbery, pock-mocked, dark gray of beta 1 and 2 to a new cross-hatched medium gray.

For more check out our complete iPhone OS 4 beta preview and feature walkthrough.

[Thanks anon!]

iPhone OS 4: orientation lock, iPod controls in fast app switcher is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Apple has (temporarily?) removed the beta download from their developer site. It’s not clear if there’s an issue or not yet, but we’re keeping our eyes open and will update again when (we’re assuming not if) it returns.

Continuing their two-week cycle, Apple has just released iPhone OS 4 beta 3 for developers. You can download it now via developer.apple.com.

What bug fixes and new features lurk within? We’ll have to wait and see (and keep an eye on the comments below…)

[Apple, @TUAW]

UPDATED: Beta pulled! iPhone OS 4 beta 3 now available for developers is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Yesterday AT&T released roaming data plans for the iPad 3G and they do not come cheap. Pricing starts at $25 per month for 20 megabytes and goes as high as $200 for 200 megabytes. Unlike the normal data plans, these international plans do not auto-renew on a month to month basis. Here’s the full breakdown:

• $24.99/month: 20 MB data
• $59.99/month: 50 MB data
• $119.99/month: 100 MB data
• $199.99/month: 200 MB data

These plans work in over 90 countries and can be accessed directly from your iPad 3G’s cellular data settings. You do have the option to select a start date and AT&T encourages travelers to set this up prior to leaving the country.

What are your thoughts on the above prices? Too much to be paying for data in this day and age? And with the iPad 3G being unlocked and GSM, could pay-as-you-go MicroSIM plans picked up when you visit be a far cheaper alternative (if they become available). Sound off in the comments!

[AT&T, thanks everyone who sent this in!]

AT&T international data plans for iPad come at a hefty price is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

In stock: Ten 1 Pogo Sketch for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

The Ten 1 Pogo Sketch [$14.99 - TiPb store link] is superbly designed using a light-weight aluminum alloy and detailed graphics, and features a look that’s hard to ignore. The soft tip glides easily over the surface of your device, making it fun and easy to sketch, draw characters, or just slide to unlock. Sized for comfort, it does away with inaccuracies common to fingertip-only use.

Features:

• High-gloss curved pocket clip keeps the stylus handy
• Works with any combination of gloves and nails
• Allows you to use your touchscreen device or multi-touch device at a natural drawing angle
• sleek aluminum design with detailed graphics

Get your Ten 1 Pogo Sketch for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad now from the TiPb accessory store!

In stock: Ten 1 Pogo Sketch for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Frasier Speirs, one of several well-publicized developers to leave the iPhone over objections to Apple’s App Store policies and controversy surrounding app rejections, has decided to return, post iPad, and his reasons are intriguing:

I suspect that the days of everyone buying a MacBook to get online are soon to be over. I’ve already written about how I see our three-Mac family turning into a one-Mac, three-iPad family over the next hardware cycle and I imagine that scenario repeated industry-wide over time. Already the ratio of iPhone OS devices to Macs is 5:2.

He believes Apple can and will reject apps, and that the frontier days of computing are giving way to the mainstream, appliance future.

iPhone OS is the first mass-market operating system where consumers are no longer afraid to install software on their computers (I'm not counting read-only media software platforms like games consoles here). In a conversation recently, a friend recounted a scene that he passed by in an airport. Four fifty-something women were sitting at a cafe table discussing the latest apps they had downloaded on their iPod touches. New software can't break your iPhone OS device and, if you don't like it, total removal is only a couple of taps away.

Speirs also thinks iPads are cheap enough you can buy each year’s new model and still save money compared to traditional computers. And he wants into that ecosystem.

[Frasier Speirs via Daring Fireball]

Another developer returns to iPhone post-iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Big week for Apple patent pr0n, as in addition to getting a patent for the original 2007 iPhone 2G design, Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ive, et al are not being granted a patent for the 2008/2009 iPhone 3G/iPhone 3GS design as well. And not content with hardware alone, Apple has filed for patents on almost all their Home Screen and App Store icons (we couldn’t find Calendar, which means its either too generic or we just couldn’t find it).

So fair warning to all the iClone manufacturers without prior art or $40 billion in the bank — start visual differentiation plans now.

As to the icons, at almost 1000×1000 pixels and with detail to match, it shows just how obsessive Apple is when it comes to their products and while other OS and devices may use the same app-launcher paradigms, they don’t seem to be slaving over every last detail — in art, consistency, multitouch panel quality, and touch detection software quality — Apple is putting in. Just amazing. (Except for those diagonal stripes).

Gallery after the break!

[Patently Apple, GoRumors via Engadget]

Apple gets patents for iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G/iPhone 3GS design, applies for iPhone/iPad icon trademarks is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

OmniGraphSketcher for iPad [$14.99- iTunes Link] is one of Omni Group’s latest editions to the iPad. Like the Mac app of the same name, it’s a quick and easy graphing or plotting tool that allows for realtime creation of charts and graphs. And on the iPad, it’s all done with multitouch.

You can plot out your own data points and format them any way you want. You can change color, axis points, size, shape, arrows… you get the idea. You can even copy and paste data from a multicolumn document such as Excel or Numbers and create a simple graph quickly.

I found this app to be useful in meetings or anywhere, really, that you need to illustrate some sort of graph (see the YouTube video at the end of this post to get an idea). If you already use iPad, then this is a great arsenal to have for any sort of data analyst, manager or sales person. Show up at a customer site with a busy spreadsheet? Does the customer look confused? You can very quickly plot out a graph to show them why their sales may be down or up.

Finally, OmniGraphSketcher allows you to read OmniSketcher files in email and allows you to export as a PDF via email or as an image to your Saved Photos album.

Overall I am impressed with OmniGraphSketcher. It eerily appears very similar to Apple’s own iWork suite for iPad and you can see where the groundwork has begun to standardize these types of apps on iPad. I vote two thumbs up for OmniGraphSketcher.

Check after the break for a video and pictures!

Quick Review: OmniGraphSketcher for iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

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iPad Wi-Fi + 3G is here, Steve Jobs’ thoughts on Flash are clear, Leanna talks Words with Friends, Georgia likes Field Runners, Chad’s all over Gowalla, and Rene loves him some Instapaper. Listen in!

Want to be part of the show?

Grab your iPhone, launch VoiceMemo, record yourself introducing the show. Tell us your name, where you live, your favorite iPhone app, and finish it off with “…and my favorite podcast is iPhone Live!” Then email it to news (at) tipb (dot) com. We’ll pick one of you, and you’ll be on the show!

• Example: "Hi, this is Jon from Cupertino. My favorite app is We Rule and my favorite podcast is iPhone Live!!"

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You — iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

iPad Live Podcast #2: Thoughts on thoughts… is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

During the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama sent out her first tweet, via CNN’s Ed Henry. After light-hearted negotiations and getting clearance from the top — the very tip top — Henry typed the tweet out on his iPhone on Mrs. Obama’s behalf:

“from flotus: ‘here at dinner this is officially my first Tweet. i am looking forward to some good laughs from the potus and jay’”.

POTUS, of course, would be President of the United States. Jay would be Leno, the one who cost Coco his happy.

The story is almost Sorkian and worth a read, so check it out via the link below.

[CNN]

First Lady of the United States tweets first on iPhone is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog