iPhonekiller (prototype)

	iPhonekiller (prototype) Laser cut 25mm steel and an axe handle. “Pitch” (in a Steve Jobs style product announcement): Whenever a new hand held device, or new exciting smartphone hits the market, a questions roars through the internets, tech blogs and news: Is this the iPhone killer? The answer is always...well...not quite, not yet.... So I was thinking, maybe these guys who make these devices are not looking at the right place for that iPhone killer. Why don’t I scratch that dream product itch, and transform this buzzword into a real product that it’s soul purpose is to do what it claims to be..... I’d like to introduce you to the iPhonekiller....It’s amazing... It is an open design, you can download it from my website, produce and use it. It is 1.6 Kg , 25mm ( 3.5 lbs, 1 inch) of precision laser cut steel, with a fantastic 36 cm wood ax handle. You can just feel the awesome power of it when you hold it in your hand..It’s amazing....... Video of the iPhonekiller annonemeent and Open Design: http://www.vimeo.com/11806851 The iPhonekiller is a statement about current tech products and personalities status , worshiped by the media and public, along with my possibilities to react and criticize that in a humorous way, with an Open Design. *No iPhnes were harmed during the developement of the iPhonekiller. Price upon request.					L: 13 CM
						W: 7 CM
						H: 34 CM

Microsoft Talking to Apple About Being a Search Option on the iPhone, Not Google Replacement

Correcting yet another too-early rumor, sources tell BoomTown that–as has been previously reported many times in many places–Microsoft and Apple are in long-term talks about adding the Bing search service as a prominent option on the iPhone and not as a replacement of Google.

Currently, Google (GOOG) is the default search on the popular mobile device, although you can easily go into its settings and switch the search option to Yahoo (YHOO). Few consumers do, though.

Microsoft (MSFT) has been angling to be added to the search options for a long time, but has wanted to do so in a way that makes the choice more visible.

And it is probably a good idea to give users of the iPhone more choice in a wide range of services.

But, whether Apple would make Microsoft’s Bing the default or whether it would simply allow iPhone users more of a choice among search services is unclear.

In addition, Microsoft wants to make its Bing mapping more integrated with the Apple (AAPL) iPhone.

“Being an option is what’s on the table,” said one source briefed on the talks. “That’s all for now, although who knows where it could lead?”

But, cautioned several sources, talks are not complete, even though the software giant is eager to be able to announce such a deal at Apple’s upcoming developers conference on June 7.

Microsoft execs have been nervous about completing such a deal, especially because Apple is notoriously secretive and is known to end talks due to leaks.

That said, relations between Apple and Google have become increasingly tense, as their product offerings–especially in the mobile arena–have become competitive.

Google was one of Apple’s principal partners on the iPhone upon its launch and its services are prominent on the device.

But, as the device has evolved, sources say Apple has been considering a number of search options, as well as mapping, for the iPhone.

Google execs have been anticipating this, of course, especially as the search giant has pushed development of its Android mobile operating system.

In fact, a recent developers conference that Google had in San Francisco, its top execs spent a lot of time publicly attacking Apple.

Thus, it is likely that its top-level placement on the iPhone and other Apple products will diminish.

While being an option is not the same as completely replacing Google, it would give Bing a well-known platform to show off its technology to consumers.

Microsoft would like to hip-check Google off of the iPhone, of course.

But like rumors that it would pay News Corp. (NWS) to “de-index” its content from Google and display it prominently on Bing, the notion is premature.

Amazon.com Said to Introduce Thinner Kindle in August (Update2)

May 28 (Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc., the world’s largest online retailer, plans to introduce the next version of its Kindle electronic-book reader in August, according to two people familiar with its plans.

The device will be thinner and have a more responsive screen with a sharper picture, the people said, who didn’t want to be identified because the plans aren’t public. The new Kindle won’t include a touch screen or color, they said.

Amazon.com, which introduced the Kindle in 2007, faces increased competition from Apple Inc.’s iPad -- a tablet device that lets users browse the Web, watch video and read digital books. The company also faces a renewed challenge from Sony Corp., which introduced a touch-screen e-reader last year. Sony also added a service that lets users download books wirelessly, matching a feature of the Kindle.

Craig Berman, a spokesman for Seattle-based Amazon.com, didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

Amazon.com fell $1.24 to $125.46 today in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The shares have declined 6.7 percent this year.

Amazon.com Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos said this week that the company was concentrating on wooing committed book readers and that a color display screen is “some ways out.”

Not Ready

“I’ve seen some stuff in the laboratory, but it’s not quite ready for prime-time production,” Bezos said May 25 at the company’s annual shareholders meeting.

The Kindle uses a black-and-white screen that mimics the appearance of paper. The new version will have sharper contrast that makes e-books look more like real books, the people familiar with the product said. The delay during page turns also will be shortened. The iPad, meanwhile, uses a full-color LCD screen.

About 6 million e-readers will be sold this year, up from 3 million last year, according to Forrester Research Inc. The Kindle has about 60 percent of the U.S. market, followed by Sony with 35 percent, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based research firm estimates.

Earlier this year, Amazon.com bought a company called Touchco, which specializes in touch-screen technology, according to the people.

To contact the reporters on this story: Peter Burrows in San Francisco at pburrows@bloomberg.net; Joseph Galante in San Francisco at jgalante3@bloomberg.net