Talk about being on a hot streak. Netflix has been the talk of the town here lately, hiring a new guy to concentrate on digital distribution, nixing HD DVD rentals for good and showing up on your iPod touch / iPhone. You heard right -- thanks to a new third-party application from i.TV, users can now manage their Netflix queue right from their handheld. In the app, users can see detailed content information, ratings, cast credits and recommendations, and you can even sign up for access or link to an existing account. Oh, and did we mention it's free to download? Because it is.

According to a report from NPD, sales of cellphones have shifted in a manner which should shock and stun even a casual observer. Apparently for the first time in years, Motorola's ubiquitous RAZR has been overtaken in consumer sales... by the iPhone 3G. This is a watershed moment for handset sales in the US, marking not only a shift away from the dominant market leader, but a turn towards more complex, full-featured devices. The news comes hot on the heels of NPD's previous findings, which still placed the RAZR in the top spot -- though with ever-decreasing numbers. In that same report, the iPhone found itself in second place, but it appears that flagging interest in the inescapable dumbphone coupled with the recent iPhone PR blitz have put Apple's moneymaker into the top position. The news is also buoyed by recent reports that Apple has overtaken RIM as the number two smartphone vendor, and a J.D. Power study which found affection for the device waxing in the extreme. Overall, however, handset sales fell 15 percent year-over-year, and LG managed to snag the top brand position, with two models in the top five. Still, if there already wasn't a clear indication of the market moving towards both smartphones and touchscreen devices, this should give everyone a clearer picture of both the public's wants, and the power of Cupertino's ad-men. Full PR after the break.

So apparently Apple knew what it was talking about after all. Research firm Canalys says that Apple stole the rug out from underneath RIM in the third quarter to become the world's number two pusher of smartphones, taking a hearty 17.3 percent market share compared to RIM's 15.2 percent and Windows Mobile's 13.6 percent. For what it's worth, the firm says RIM could very well bounce back in the fourth quarter with the Bold, Storm, and Pearl 8220 all ramping up in time for the holidays, but either way, number one platform Symbian needn't sweat any time soon; Nokia's baby managed to lose 21.5 percent share year over year, but they're still sitting pretty with 46.6 percent.

How'd Apple manage to steal so much BlackBerry thunder (pun painfully intended)? Part of the evidence might lie in J.D. Power's just-released 2008 Business Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction Study, revealing that suits adore their iPhones, like their BlackBerrys just alright, and despise their Palms. Amusing to us was the iPhone's rating of a 5 out of 5 in the Features category -- the only contender to get a perfect score there -- despite the fact that virtually every other smartphone platform continues to outstrip it for raw capability. Usability, though, well... that's arguably another story altogether.

[Via AppleInsider]

Read - Apple outsells RIM
Read - JD Power rankings

If you're one of those people always complaining about the iPhone keyboard (the lack of one, that is), then this is probably a vital piece of news, even if it's not totally practical. Or practical in any way, actually. Some very enterprising citizen of the world seems to be running a chunk of Ruby code on his jailbroken iPhone 3G, which allows it to recognize what appears to be a Palm / Visor external keyboard connected via a custom cable. The results of this intense bit of modification? Well -- not much, honestly, but it's still kinda cool. "Hello Keyboard," indeed. Check out the video of it in action after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

No clue if you've been paying attention the past few months, but quite a bit of belt tightening has been going on. Granted, Apple's been making out just fine, but a fresh report from the doors of FBR Research asserts that it may be cutting its Q4 iPhone 3G production in the wake of a global spending slowdown. It should be noted that a 10% cut was already on the table, making this 30% larger than anticipated. According to the report, the firm's reported decision to scale back production "suggests that the global macroeconomic weakness is impacting even high-end consumers, those that are more likely to buy Apple's expensive gadgets." As we restrain ourselves from thanking Captain Obvious, we should also point out that this may not be nearly as big a deal as the numbers make it seem -- maybe it overshot Q3 production in order to guarantee 100% service levels in all markets, for instance. How's that for analysis?

[Via Silicon Alley Insider]

Why yes, FastMac -- we want 24 hours of talk time, 72 of audio, 20 of video, and 31 hours of standby on our iPhones and iPhone 3Gs. Throw in a camera flash that doubles as a flashlight, and the ability to charge a USB device like a Bluetooth headset right off the phone, and you've got a deal on this iV charging kit of yours! Oh, there's a catch? It's a wee bit bulky, with an aesthetic similar to that of mophie's Juice Pack? Hey, it could be worse. This largification -- along with $79.50 -- is apparently the price you pay for digital endurance.

[Via Macworld]

We thought we'd heard the last of this whole AT&T / Starbucks WiFi deal yesterday, but alas, we were terrifically mistaken. AT&T has come forth today with two fluffy press releases that flesh out the details, and amazingly, there are some inclusions that we weren't made aware of yesterday. For starters, all iPhone / iPhone 3G customers will now have free (and seemingly limitless) access to AT&T WiFi hotspots across the US -- we're talking Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, the whole lot. Additionally, the carrier has welcomed select BlackBerry users -- that's the Bold for now, the Pearl 8120 / 8820 "later this year" -- into the same deal, though the official verbiage mentions that an "unlimited data plan" is required. If you didn't make the cut this time, fret not -- AT&T has plans to invite "more mobile devices" into the fold here shortly.

Read - Free AT&T WiFi on iPhone / iPhone 3G
Read - Free AT&T WiFi on BlackBerry

Nah, Softbank Mobile's launch of the iPhone isn't entirely to thank for the carrier notching record operating profits this quarter, but it certainly didn't hurt matters. Noting that Apple's darling "pulled in more mobile subscribers," the company reported an operating profit of ¥180 billion ($1.85 billion), though net profit did slide 11.5% to ¥41.1 billion ($422.2 million). In fact, Softbank president Masayoshi Son proclaimed that he used an iPhone every day, telling the press that it was "useful, and the more that [he] uses it, the better [he] understands its strong points." Of note, the operator's retention of mobile phone customers "has also improved with the iPhone," and while income from voice calls continues to drop, earnings from data services were on the up and up. Data, kids -- that's the future!

[Via mocoNews]

Oh, so you know what's hot, huh AT&T? Is flipping the on / off lever back and forth a gazillion times on this finicky Starbucks iPhone WiFi plan hot? Because it feels downright cold over here. While we can only hope and pray that this is the signal to finally close the book on this ridiculous saga, AT&T users all over the US are receiving text messages from AT&T confirming that free Starbucks WiFi (for iPhone owners) is on. Reportedly, the message indicates that their iPhone purchase gives them access to two hours of gratis use per day, though we'd go in with the lowest possible expectations in order to not be let down (again). Good luck, mettlesome ones.

[Thanks, Boy Genius]

Wondering where your iPhone 3G unlock's at? Rest assured, the delightful world of hackery hasn't been standing still in the months since the 3G was released, and to prove it, the iPhone Dev Team has slipped out a little teaser video (only with an iPhone 3G unlock could a 55-second video of terminal commands be called a "teaser video," by the way) showing some talented son of a gun having his or her way with the phone's baseband. An unlock isn't publicly available just yet -- but it looks like they're getting close. Any T-Mobile USA execs wryly smiling right about now? Check the full video after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

The T-Mobile G1's Google Maps Street View implementation is one of the slickest features of the first Android phone, but it looks like Apple's going to keep feature parity -- the latest builds of iPhone OS 2.2 seeded to developers have Street View, as well as the ability to give mass transit directions. That's pretty useful for cityfolk like us -- and we're also stoked that line-in audio is now supported in the SDK, giving devs the ability to create voice recorders and other interesting audio apps. Of course, there's no word on when 2.2 will actually arrive, but until then we suppose we'll live with regular, non-data-augmented streets. Lots of screenshots of the new features at the read link.

[Via MacRumors]

We're going out on a limb here and assuming that the Haute Diggity Dog iBone comes jailbroken and ready to rock, or at least that's the impression we get from checking out that heretofore unseen bevy of icons. Customized for the "tech savvy dog on the go," this here iPhone chew toy gives dear Fido access to bark / hand-shake training, posture lessons, Washington Huskies sports updates (it's the Clemson Tigers in all honesty, but work with us here), a mysterious fitness app and a bone application for times when supper just seems too far away. You know your pup's worth the $11.95, you just know it.

[Via textually]

Microsoft's Robbie Bach feigned an uninterested yawn at Apple's 6.9 million iPhones figure in an interview with BusinessWeek the other day. He wasn't particularly insulting of the product, but didn't think the number means too much in the long run. "Apple had a big launch of a new product, and they launched at scale in a lot of new countries with a lot of new [wireless] operators. This quarter, RIM is having its big launch, and at some point we'll have our big launch. We'll have to see where things normalize." While that statement is encouraging for the fact that it semi-implies that Windows Mobile 7 is supposed to be released at "some point," we're not sure we're picking up what Robbie is putting down -- 6.9 million of a single device seems to imply a bit more than "launch buzz." Things devolved quickly when Bach started spouting about how carriers want a balanced ecosystem. That may be true, but consumers are the ones that buy the phones, and if their RAZR buying habits are any indication, "ecosystem" isn't their top priority.

[Via Electronista]

One might think that the BlackBerry Bold and the BlackBerry Storm could get along together, but similar to twin brothers who both aspire to graduate Magna Cum Laude from an Ivy league school, these two aren't exactly the most loving of siblings. Oh, and toss in that iPhone 3G -- which played a huge role in helping Apple sell more phones than RIM last quarter -- and you've got yourself a bona fide mess. Check out all three getting shoved up on one another in the name of comparison just after the break. It's a little uncomfortable at first, but you'll get used to it.