Smartphones are getting better in the power management department. Just a few years ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find too many of them that were energy efficient (e.g. N95 was atrocious in that regard). No matter how energy efficient your smart-phone is, you still want to be able to keep it charged on the road, especially when you do not have access to a power outlet. That’s why you need iPhone solar chargers. They can help keep your iPhone charged no matter where you are (as long as you have access to some sunshine) and most are easy to carry around too.

If you are planning to spend a lot of time outdoors with your iPhone, these 5 solar iPhone chargers are worth a look:

Solio Magnesium Edition Universal Solar Hybrid Charger: a water resistant and durable iPhone solar charger that can provide 20 minutes of talk time and 50 minutes of music. Handy charger for emergency situations.

K3 Wind and Solar iPhone Charger: one interesting hybrid wind charger for iPhone. It can power your iPhone using solar or wind technology but it is a bit less portable than other items on this list.

Tuff-Luv “Sun-Pod” Solar power charger: can charge your iPhone, iPod, and other mp3 players. It can be charged through a PC or with some sunshine. Read the rest of this entry »

With all the talks about iPhone 4G leaks and Apple’s treatment of the media and its developers, it is easy to somewhat forget what Apple is closing on as the first half of 2010 winds down. The iPad may be a very popular device, but the iPhone is still Apple’s top gadget. We are only weeks away from the release of iPhone 4G, but it’s very clear that iPhone 4G will have a huge level of demand. According to Digitimes, Apple’s contract manufacturer is prepared to ship 24 million units of iPhone in 2010.

Foxconn will ship 4.5 million units in the first half and 19.5 million units for the rest of 2010. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 4G on June 7, 2010 during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

That is quite a huge number even for Apple. But Steve Jobs has talked about being more aggressive in these tough times. The company was pretty aggressive with its pricing strategy with iPad. Can Steve give us a much more affordable iPhone? We can’t put it past Apple considering that the company will do almost anything to show how superior its platform is to Android.

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We have been hearing for months how Android will eventually catch iPhone and surpass it in the upcoming years. Android OS is run on various devices, so it is only a matter of time before this contest becomes one-sided. According to NPD, Android phones are responsible for 28% of sales last quarter, more than iPhone’s share, which stands at 21%. Android has still some ways to go to catch RIM, though that’s a matter of time too.

It’s so easy to write off iPhone’s chances when it has taken such a short period of time to catch up with iPhone. But comparing iPhone and Android is somewhat similar to comparing Apples and Oranges. The iPhone OS is a closed platform that is run only on Apple devices (and currently has only AT&T to count on). Android is run across multiple devices and networks. Trying to read too much out of these numbers is grasping at straws. Are Android numbers impressive for such a young platform? No one can question that. Nevertheless, the platform has ways to go to reach its full potential.

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By now, there is no secret that many iPhone owners are with AT&T due to not having any other choice. AT&T may brag about having the most innovative phones and a large customer base on TV. But the company is still not holding up its end of bargain by improving quality of calls throughout its network. So how is it that Verizon and other network carriers fail to get their hands on iPhone when their customers lust for the device? Apple needs new networks to expand its market-share, so it seems like a no brainer move for the company to go with Verizon or T-Mobile.

Computer World discusses a very interesting theory on its latest piece about this issue. Could it be that Apple decided to stay with AT&T for now in exchange for AT&T offering cheap plans to iPad owners? How about the fact that iPad plans are prepaid? Most carriers love nothing more than locking people in long term contracts. AT&T may have given up a lot for iPad to keep iPhone to itself for now. If that is the case, it may take a while before iPhone owners get to switch their network.

Credit: InvestorPlace

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Apple has been bashed in the past few months for its strict policies when it comes to approving apps and getting them up live in iTunes. We all remember how Apple did not want any developers to use the word “Android” in their app descriptions. The company does not allow adult apps to make their way to iTunes either. So there is no question Apple is as controlling as any other company out there when it comes to protecting its product ecosystem and brand. But is Apple abusing its power and banning apps developed by those who are critical of it?

Michael Wolff, a Vanity Fair columnist, has realized this the hard way. He wrote a story about how Apple Steve Jobs may be losing it when it comes to keeping porn off iPhone. Has that column come back to bite Michael where it hurts the most? After all, how would you explain his app being rejected by Apple? It’s quite possible that Michael’s app was rejected by mistake. Steve Fiore had to resubmit his app. That could be very much the case this time as well.

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