Apple’s discussion board has been jumping a bit about Windows 7, and it isn’t because they’ve all converted from Apple’s OS to Windows suddenly; it’s because many of them have been experiencing weird errors and issues with their PCs freezing out the iPhone when using Windows 7 in conjunction with the Intel P55 USB chipset. Both are brand new, so odds are you’re not affected. But if you’re a “keep up with joneses” type with all new stuff, you might be affected.

The thread is pages long now, and a fair number of users are claiming the same “0xE8000065″ error when trying to sync their data on their iPhone with the hardware setup above. The issue seems more prominent with 64-bit versions of the OS for some reason or another.

Microsoft is reportedly aware of the issue, and is working on a fix that should be released soon. Consider this a public service message for those few who might have had trouble, and wondering if they’d gone mad.

The timing was perfect as the long awaited DOOM title has finally been released. Those of you that were lucky enough to get it when it first hit the market were treated to a great Halloween weekend of one of the most anticipated titles yet for the iPhone games applications. For only $6.99, you are getting a lot of entertainment for your dollar.

The 3 original episodes of DOOM are all included and they have added an original 4th episode, Thy Flesh Consumed. First person shooter games are always a blast to get through and with 36 challenging levels, this one is going to keep you busy on the train ride into work for quite some time. It should only be a matter of time before DOOM 2 finds its way onto the apps page and after working the bugs out on this one, it should only get better.

Marvel has also announced that they are jumping in

with both feet and plan on releasing several comic book series’ that will be available for direct purchase on the iPhone. This will now put the iPhone in the electronic book category as this application allows you to avoid the lines at the local newsstand or collectors stores in order to be able to enjoy your latest edition of the Marvel library.

It will be very interesting to see how this plays out in the very near future as the iPhone is jumping into some very different markets with these applications. While the Kindle Reader is already facing a lot of direct competition and scrutiny, this is only going to make matters worse for it. We all know that Apple jumps in hard with both feet and when they do something, they do it right. It is pretty safe to assume that if these latest applications are a hit, we are going to see them expand fairly rapidly.

It was only a matter of time before someone else jumped into the ring to face off against the iPhone. Up until now, Blackberry and the iPhone have been getting along fairly well in the battle for phone supremacy. Both cater to different markets and seem to be quite happy with where they are in the cell phone niche. It is almost as though there is an unwritten law between these two not to cross the imaginary line.

That is now changing as Verizon has gone directly after the iPhone with its “Terminator” style advertising. The new Droid phone is set to hit the market later this month and it will be interesting to see if it lives up to the claims that it makes. Nobody ever said the iPhone was perfect, but it is pretty close. There is no other phone that has the amount of applications, nor the flexibility that the iPhone boasts. Now the Droid shows up and lays down a full-fledged challenge.

The funny thing is that both phones are basically sitting with the same engines inside. That being the case, the outside shell may look different, but what makes both of these phones tick inside is very similar. Motorola is launching a battle against a like minded tank and this will probably spell disaster for them. iPhone has already proven how flexible it can be and when they don’t have an application for it, they simply make a new one up to satisfy their customer’s needs.

For use of a better quote, “all we did here was wake up a sleeping lion.” Motorola has managed to pretty much stay out of the fire lanes when it comes to the iPhone and Blackberry battle, but this move will significantly change things. For every new application that they have come up with, you can expect that the iPhone team is already burning the midnight oil in order to get their new applications up and running.

When this happens, Blackberry will get a small break because the new target in iPhone’s sites is going to be Motorola. If you thought the presidential election was bad, you have not even started to see mudslinging. Expect iPhone to go for the throat on this one. While they are in competition with Blackberry, they are in essence two separate markets. Motorola is going after their direct market and that will simply not fly.

Even Pepsi isn’t immune to PR goofups, such as the tasteless and pointless “Amp Up before you score” app they recently released, which struck a sour note for some users.

That prompted a rather insincere apology from Pepsi, published on Twitter:

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Our app tried 2 show the humorous lengths guys go 2 pick up women. We apologize if it’s in bad taste & appreciate your feedback.
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In other words: yeah, yeah, if you don’t like it, don’t download it, more or less.

The app itself: pickup lines that are supposed

to work on various types of women. Yep, that’s the whole purpose of the app, and it ignores the rather obvious tip of “don’t glance at your iPhone constantly while trying to pick up women”.

It isn’t that we’re so sensitive, its just curious that a large company like Pepsi would green light a silly, borderline sexist and absurd app like this one with its name on it. We’ll be interested in the uproar increases if it issues an actual apology, not a half-hearted text message that sounds like a 13 year old wrote it.

A member of MacRumors forum has reported buying and unboxing the TomTom GPS Car Kit for the iPhone, and MacRumors was nice enough to post about the experience. The kit has been delayed a few weeks, but is now being shipped to stores apparently.

More about the insert details here:
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Also found within the car kit packaging was a paper insert describing a forthcoming free TomTom iPhone application that will allow users to administer some of the technical functions of the car kit without the need for the TomTom navigation iPhone application, which is sold separately. It is possible that this free application will enable the use of third-party GPS applications with the kit, allowing them to take advantage of the kit’s built-in GPS receiver and other features.
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This isn’t a shock, given we reported on this particular issue a few weeks ago.

ALK Technologies Ltd today announced the second update for its popular CoPilot Live iPhone GPS navigation app.

This latest update adds new features that further enhance the iPhone navigation experience, including in-app safety camera updates, improved GPS performance and the ability to use the iPhone’s native keyboard throughout the app.

Since launch, CoPilot Live has proved a popular choice for iPhone users becoming the best selling turn-by-turn navigation app and top-grossing app overall in many regions.

New in the latest update:

MacRumors (and various other blogs) now are reporting that AT&T is planning to support Skype, Google Voice, and other voice related software on their network, something they previously hinted they would never do.

A quote from the original article in the Washington Post:

“One source close to the thinking of AT&T executives said the company has been deliberating the decision for weeks and that top executives have said they were close to accepting voice over Internet services on all AT&T

phones, including the iPhone. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because a decision hadn’t been officially announced. Skype currently operates on the iPhone through WiFi access, but not on AT&T’s 3G mobile network.”

Apple had been reported to have rejected Google Voice from being in its App Store, which (as you may have read) caused a firestorm of “he said, she said” to occur in the iPhone universe. Nonetheless, smart move by AT&T to allow the services on their network.

AppleInsider is reporting a rather curious (and interesting) trend; exclusivity starting to end for the iPhone in various parts of the world. Now that includes Canada.

An excerpt from the report:

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Apple’s exclusive carrier contracts for the iPhone in each country continue to fall, as a new report has claimed that two new carriers in Canada will offer the handset.

Citing sources within both companies, The Globe and Mail reported that Bell Canada and Telus Corp. will begin selling the iPhone in November, bringing the previously exclusive contract held by Rogers Communications for more than a year to an end.

“The country’s two largest incumbent telecom companies, under pressure to re-ignite growth as new wireless competitors begin operations this year, are banking on Apple Inc.’s ground-breaking smart phone to help them sign up bigger-spending customers and shift the balance of

power in Canada’s mobile market,” the report said.

The inhibitor for Bell and Telus had previously been incompatibility with the iPhone on their 3G networks. However, both providers have reportedly caught up with Rogers and are prepared to offer Apple’s handset.

Neither carrier would officially confirm the deal, and Apple also refused to comment on the matter. However, the report cited people familiar with the matter who said an announcement was likely to come this week.

The news comes just weeks after both Vodafone and Orange announced they will carry the iPhone in the U.K. in the coming months. Until now, Apple’s smartphone has been exclusive to O2 in Great Britain.
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Personally, we believe choice is a good thing in the long run, and it appears that the bell is close to tolling for AT&T in the US given the recent actions of Apple.

Adobe on Monday announced joining up with many handset operating system makers, including RIM, Nokia and Microsoft among others, to bring Flash Player 10.1 to smartphones. You’ll notice the name you don’t see: Apple.

By early 2010, the newest mobile version of Flash should be available for many smartphone platforms. Not the iPhone.

Here’s more details from AppleInsider, who reports on the reasoning behind the absence:

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Adobe said that the new mobile version of Flash offers accelerated video and graphics capabilities while conserving battery life. The new player offers streaming video in HD and browser-based Web applications.

“With Flash Player moving to new mobile platforms, users will be able to experience virtually all Flash technology based Web content and applications wherever they are,” said David Wadhwani, general manager and

vice president, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. “We are excited about the broad collaboration of close to 50 industry leaders in the Open Screen Project and the ongoing collaboration with 19 out of the top 20 handset manufacturers worldwide. It will be great to see first devices ship with full Flash Player in the first half of next year.”

Of course, the elusive twentieth manufacturer missing from Adobe’s lineup is Apple.

Though the iPhone is not included among the handsets, past reports have suggested that Adobe hopes to bring it to the platform. If that were to happen, though, Flash would have to overcome its various shortcomings on mobile devices as perceived by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
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Here’s to hoping Apple gains its senses and grabs up Flash support, before devs once again revolt.

VoIP company Vonage has announced the launch of Vonage Mobile, offering very low-cost international calling for the iPhone and iPod touch (and BlackBerry too). And its free. Interesting move, indeed.

The iPhone app permits calls to be made via Wi-Fi or cellular connection, (the iPod touch is obviously limited to Wi-Fi calling).

A release excerpt from Vonage:

“With Vonage Mobile you can call around the world from home, a Wi-Fi hotspot, or while traveling around the country. Vonage Mobile is easy to use. There are no access numbers or new phone numbers to give to friends and family. Simply enter an international number or select a

contact from the existing contacts on your iPhone or Blackberry and hit send. Vonage does the rest.

This app will give customers exceptional per-minute rates to any country they want to dial. In the fourth quarter 2009, we will enhance the app to include the popular Vonage World plan that was introduced for home service in August. This enhancement extends the ability to make unlimited calls to over 60 countries for one flat monthly fee to mobile users, giving customers the choice to pick the plan that fits them best.”

We applaud this move, and it should put pressure on AT&T to change their rates too.