iPhone News Updated

Waitrose Christmas App Populates iPhone App Store

We know we usually bring you Twitter apps, JRPG rip-offs, and massive savings on iPhone games, but we sort of like this one and you’ll see why. So, let’s see, festive gift guide, check. Wine guide, cook’s tools, Christmas day menu planner, turkey timer, it’s all in there.

Recipes are covered courtesy of Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal, which names we’re certain mean something to somebody out there. No offense to them, we’re just probably so far out of their demographic they couldn’t find us with their very own SETI program. And that would be perfectly fine, and also nice and maybe even adequate, but there’s more.

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DoCoMo uses Darth Vader to lure Japan from iPhone to Android

Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has been scaling up its attempts to lure smartphone buyers in recent days with a new TV ad (below) to lure users to the Samsung Galaxy S. The reported ad, the expansion of a campaign that started in the summer, has Darth Vader standing as a personification of the Android phone. His presence gives Galaxy S owners the power to do anything, the WSJ-spotted ad suggests.

The minute-long promo is unique both in its sense of humor but for the attempt to push a Korean-made phone in a country typically averse to foreign-made phones. While smartphones have obtained some influence on the Japanese market, the area typically reverts to traditional “feature” phones from Fujitsu, Panasonic, Sharp and other domestic manufacturers. Many of these have Japan-specific extras such as 1Seg over-the-air TV tuning and FeliCa for near-field wireless payment that often aren’t included in foreign models.

DoCoMo’s version of the Galaxy S, launched October 28, also faces an uphill battle versus the iPhone in the country. Samsung had a relatively strong launch but didn’t claim the absolute top sales spot, having been bracketed in its second place spot by the two existing iPhone 4 models. Apple has only a small portion of the total phone market in Japan, but it commands two thirds of smartphone sales and is single-handedly credited with giving its carrier SoftBank a faster growth rate than the once institutional DoCoMo could manage. The American phone designer has made up for a lack of local features by allowing peripherals such as a wireless 1Seg tuner.

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