It was all about third party developers and newly unveiled applications during the ongoing Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event sponsored by Apple. The Cupertino-based company was proud to announce the successful adoption of its recently released iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK), as well as the introduction of its new Internet service entitled "MobileMe". Check out our full article for the in-depth details regarding these Apple tidbits.

Rumors claiming that Apple's iPhone firmware 1.2 for developers has been jailbroken and available for use may not be without merit, as a video surfaced which show an iPhone with new features believed to be made public when firmware 2.0 comes out. Of course, that means Microsoft Exchange and Cisco VPN settings among other things. To see is to believe, so make that jump to the full article!

Apple is definitely pushing for third-party developed applications and other software for its iPhone, as the company has revealed its iPhone 2.0 software to be released in the coming months. This includes the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) and new enterprise features to make lives of developers easier. Find out what it's about at the full article.

It was announced that mobile phone VoIP provider TruPhone is planning to launch its client for the iPhone. Cisco has been planning this for some time now but it looks like this company will be beating good ol' Cisco to the punch.

The said VoIP client's compatibility has already been proven possible by using the phone's on-board SIP stack to place the call over WiFi instead of the SIM card. So far, the software being used to perform these calls is still very rough.

To place a call, users will first have to "Jailbreak" the iPhone with the iBrickr or iFuntastic then run the terminal software which will place the call. The entire process is very complicated and should not be attempted by less-tech savvy iPhone owners.

If you want an easier way of placing VoIP call, TruPhone will be releasing a true beta in about four weeks. If you want to take part in the testing, you should head over to the official site via our Read link to register for the service.

Bigfoot Networks announced today that it will be making an appearance during BlizzCon 2007 when it happens at the Anaheim Convention Center in California between August 3 and 4.

The good thing about this is that the company will be giving away Killer NIC network cards for fans who will be passing its booth. We guess you're quite familiar now what's the deal with Killer NIC.

If you're not, then we're pretty sure that you have two major problems - namely lag and latency. Bigfoot created Killer NIC with Blizzard's World of Warcraft in mind, implementing Lag and Latency Reduction Technology for a better gaming experience.

"World of Warcraft and the Killer NIC make a great combo. It is the huge demand for the Killer NIC by WoW gamers that brings us to BlizzCon. The fact Blizzard only allows ten companies to be sponsors of BlizzCon shows how much they believe in the power of the Killer NIC and what it delivers for games like World of Warcraft," commented Bigfoot Networks CEO Harlan Beverly.

The above mentioned companies include Intel, nVIDIA, AT&T, Dell, Logitech, Creative, and Cisco among others. Bigfoot's booth number at Blizzcon is S101.

A recent WiFi - iPhone problem was resolved recently at Duke University. At first it was feared that the iPhone was causing a problem with the WiFi network in the campus by barraging the servers with thousands of media control access requests a second, effectively knocking out the wireless access points. As many as 20 to 30 WAPs at a time was knocked out because of the MAC requests.

Recently though, the problem was resolved and the Campus' wireless network provider, Cisco, fixed a glitch in their systems. Apparently, the problem lay within the network and not entirely on the iPhone. A statement released by Cisco stated that the wireless network at Duke University "experience[s] some minor and temporary disruptions in service" given a "particular set of conditions." The specifics of what this set of conditions entail was not enclosed with the statement.

Van Baker, research Vice President at Garter in California, believes that the problem was something unique to the system at Duke University. Other universities also use the the Cisco system using the same kind of infrastructure and they did not experience any problems similar to what Duke experienced. Baker surmises that the Duke system has an encryption system not incorporated in the iPhone and that caused the glitch in the system which caused the WAPs to get knocked out.

Baker further explains his theory by explaining that "Cisco's LEAP (Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol) is an enterprise deployment not seen in the consumer market at all. The iPhone doesn't have a lot of the features you'd normally expect to see in an enterprise class phone."

Sales and distribution network company AsianMedia is happy to announce that it has acquired the rights to NCSoft's MMO video game Lineage II for local distribution in the Philippines. This means that the said country, and nearby markets as well, will finally have their own dedicated servers.

Truth be told, the Philippines is one of the emerging "gaming countries" but it's currently being wrecked by piracy. Despite that however, don't assume that fans in the Philippines wouldn't be getting the same quality of service other top markets are enjoying. Information and Communications Technology Head Apol Salud shared,

The Lineage II servers are also tightly integrated with Telco grade network equipments from Cisco Systems to increase its efficiency in handling large amounts of data traffic. This allows "direct peering" with our partner telecommunication companies such as PLDT DSL, Globe DSL, Telekom Malaysia, and SingTel.

Aside from this, AsianMedia also noted that it will be putting up a 24/7 customer service center using servers from Dell to address regional and local gamers' concerns. According to AsianMedia Chief Operating Officer Ronald Allan Aquino mentioned that these kind of services will further endear Lineage II to the Southeast Asian player,

We have a great product in Lineage II and we've done everything we can to ensure that we provide the best gaming experience possible to those who log in to our servers to play. This is the kind of game where you simply cannot afford to be lagged if you expect to get anywhere in PvP or PvE scenarios.

Call history. Calculator. Multiple ringtones. Text Messaging. These are just a few of the features mobile phone users take for granted. At a glance, one may think that little by little, mobile phones are conquering the landline phone market.

But think again. Despite the booming technology of mobile phones (ever-increasing file storage space, increasing camera pixels and whatnot), more people and businesses still cling to their desktop phones.

Cisco Systems, Avaya Inc, as well as many other telephony companies have developed advanced mobile communications solutions, such as dual-mode phones that work with extension dialing that comes with PBX (private branch exchange) systems, even on the go. Another variant, which are softphones for laptops, are also adding more features and are decidedly more user-friendly than desktop and landline phones.

However, despite of all the improvements that mobile communications has to offer, many people still prefer using the more traditional landlines as well as their Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) counterparts. "People still relate to their physical phone. It's like their office space. It's very near and dear to their hearts," said a network administrator from a Canadian engineering company, who asked to remain anonymous.

There are more reasons beside mere sentimentality. There are the still-recurring issues that plague mobile phones, such as lesser sound quality compared to their more traditional siblings, and the softphones' dependence on PC performance.

With about 500 million users, desktop and landline phones can't be phased out that easily. "It would take about five to seven years for wireless phones to replace wired," according to Ken Dulaney, mobility analyst for Gartner Inc.

 

The online game Second Life shares a lot of things with the real world such as terrorist attacks, protesters, and flash floods. Given that, one more thing they recently added is the NBA Headquarters. David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA, gave his take on their HQ in Second Life stating "Bringing the NBA to the virtual world provides us with a new and innovative platform to reach our fans and the millions of residents in Second Life." He added that the "The NBA Headquarters creates an interactive worldwide community where fans can come together, engage with our game, and most importantly, share in their passion for the NBA."

The Electric Sheep Company, a leading creator of 3D virtual world content and solutions, developed the site and filled it with features that will make basketball fans very happy. Second Life residents will gain access to the T-Mobile Arena, broadband video of classic NBA games and highlights, and even a chance to get their picture taken with the NBA's championship trophy in the Toyota Larry O'Brien Trophy Room.

Sibley Verbeck, CEO of The Electric Sheep Company, spoke on their creation and the NBA saying that "NBA is a sports innovator, being the first professional sports league to unveil a comprehensive headquarters in a virtual world." He also noted that "NBA is engaging its fan community at a whole new level, and bringing fans together from around the world."

Features:

• T-Mobile Arena 
• NBA Store
• NBA Jam Session
• Toyota Larry O’Brien Trophy Room
• Cisco Wireless Press Center
• Path of the 50 Greatest NBA Players
• David Stern Avatar
• NBA Orientation Island

All in all, it looks like a solid effort from Stern and The Electric Sheep Company. Now, even Second Life avatars can enjoy the NBA in their world. We are still waiting for the NBA to start having a Second Life league, complete with the Laker Girls though.

Enterprising Games Week is an event set to take place on June 27 and 28 in London and is set to focus on how companies can use AI, virtual worlds, Web 2.0 functions and video games to create learning and brand extension experiences. DevelopMag reports that what makes this event noteworthy is that they're set to feature a keynote from Lionhead studio boss Peter Molyneux.

The event is also set to feature Nader Nanjiani of Cisco, and both Peter Molyneux and Nanjiani will be speaking during the serious games portion of the event.

The event is made possible by the folks of Apply group and the serious games association, Anglish. Martine Parry founding director of ANGILS and production director of Apply Group comments: "With two conferences and two masterclasses across two days, focused on the key issues, coupled with the quality of our speakers, Enterprising Games Week is the right one-stop forum to learn about what can be achieved whilst networking for business."