Businessweek reports that Apple and Microsoft are currently in negotiations to replace Google as the default search engine on the iPhone with Microsoft’s Bing. The negotiation have reportedly been underway for weeks.

Businessweek quoted the increasing rivalry between Google and Apple as one of the reasons behind the discussions.

“Apple and Google know the other is their primary enemy,” says one of the people, who’s familiar with Apple’s thinking. “Microsoft is now a pawn in that battle.”

If the negotiations are successful, it could also mean that Bing could eventually replace Google as the default search engine for Apple’s desktop version of Safari as well.

Even if Apple and Microsoft do come to an agreement, Businessweek notes that this may just be a time-buying move on Apple’s part who is reportedly working on their own search technology.

- source: businessweek.com

The folks over at MacRumors received some interesting pictures, even a video, of what appears to be the next generation iPod Touch. The images suggest there will be a camera, no word on the megapixels. in the center of the Touch.

The same source that submit these images to macrumors also submitted teardown images of the rumored next-gen iPod Touch to the on-air blog of Covino & Rich hosts of the Maxim Radio talk radio show on Sirius and XM satellite radio. The blog post includes additional information from the source regarding the origins of the device.

-to show it’s real. If you look at the board, it states Apple 2009 very clear. The 2nd gen AKA iPod touch out now, has 2008 on it. They haven’t revised the 2008 touch. I will compare them in pic in a sec.

-BTW, these phones NEVER leave Apple and this one left but it was a durability test phone, so that’s why the screen is all gridded off and cracked.

-The side by side picture is the inside of the current gen vs the 3rd gen (one coming out in September).

-I acquired this from a guy that I buy parts phones and iPods from. I believe he’s a recycler in ***********, so what most likely happened is that Apple threw this away and he some how got it and sold it for parts.

The post also included additional images of the device and also internal pictures of the device. The internal shots revealed a red motherboard in contrast from the usual black circuit board, however, the use of red or alternate colours for the circuit boards is common in prototypes.

Click more for more images and a video
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Multichannel News reports that Apple’s iPhone may be next in line to get the ability to stream content from Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” feature. The feature is available if you have a Netflix subscription and works on Mac and PC as well as various other compatible devices such as an Xbox 360.

Netflix, ahead of pay-TV providers, continues extending its own “TV Everywhere” strategy to more devices.
Next up: The company will soon offer the Watch Instantly video-streaming feature on Apple iPhones and iPod Touch devices and the Nintendo Wii gaming console, according to an industry executive familiar with Netflix’s plans. (Netflix wouldn’t confirm the info, with a rep saying it declines to comment on “rumors or speculation.”)

The iPhone and iPod Touch do offer some video streaming abilities with YouTube over Wi-Fi and the cell data network, along with apps on the AppStore such as the Slingplayer Mobile which allows you to stream via Wi-Fi only. The report notes that the same restriction is likely for any Netflix streaming on the iPhone.

No official word on when/if this feature will be available or in which form it’ll arrive on ie: AppStore application or specialized web application. Stay tuned!


- source: multichannel.com

The folks at Ars Technica are reporting that further evidence of future unreleased hardware is lurking around in the latest iPhone 3.0 beta software update. While exploring the unknowns of the iPhone 3.0 updated system files, a developer discovered references to two new iPhone models and what appears to be another iPod Touch model. Two other unknown pieces of hardware are also referenced as “iProd” and “iFPGA.”

The mystery devices, iPhone2,1, iPhone3,1, iPod3,1, iFPGA, and iProd0,1, are named in the “USBDeviceConfiguration.plist” property list found in /System/Library/AppleUSBDevice/. Also named in that list are the current iPhone and iPod models.

Ars Technica’s Chris Foresman explains:

In addition to these references [to current models], USBDeviceConfiguration.plist in iPhone OS 3.0 beta contains references to iPhone3,1; iPod3,1; iFPGA; and iProd0,1. All of the products are assigned unique productID numbers, though all are assigned a productString of iPhone. These details are reported to Mac OS X when the devices are plugged in via USB, and would show up in System Profiler, for instance.

Boy Genius is also reporting similar information:

“Apple normally makes their device IDs in chronological order, from first released to last released. Here is what I found very interesting for you. Quick, here is an example of the past devices:
iPhone First Gen – 0×1290
iPod touch 1G – 0×1291
iPhone 3G – 0×1292
iPod touch 2G – 0×1293
Then, here is what is found in the ramdisk:
iPhone2,1 – 0×1294
iProd0,1 – 0×1295
iPod2,2 – 0×1296
iPhone3,1 – 0×1297
iFPGA – 0×1298
iPod3,1 – 0×1299?

If anything new arises we’ll be sure to let you know!