Okay, any talk that consistency in Apple's approval process for the App Store has improved definitely has to be put on hold at this point; first we had that BdEmailer situation that duplicates functionality (albeit shoddily) of the iPhone's own email capabilities, and now we have official confirmation that Google did a no-no when it slipped its voice-powered search through the checkpoint. The problem is that enabling the automatic voice detection requires use of an undocumented API call for the proximity sensor that Apple neither guarantees nor approves use of, meaning firmware updates can break it at will. In and of itself, that's not a huge indiscretion on Google's part since they're probably committed to keeping it up-to-date, but the real issue is that this violates an explicit rule of the App Store that bans the use of undocumented calls. Apple, guys, seriously: if you want to be jerks about what gets through and what doesn't, fine -- but at least do it consistently so it doesn't look like you're favoring companies run by members of your own executive board (or in the case of BdEmailer, companies that are doing a bang-up job of making your own products look better).

[Via mocoNews]

You were looking for a laugh to start your Columbus Day / Canadian Thanksgiving Day / etc. off, weren't you? Consider yourself lucky. OLO Computer is reportedly thinking of bringing to market a netbook-styled device that would actually enable (require?) users to plop their iPhone / iPhone 3G into the palm rest; from there, the handset would act as the brains of the operation and double as a trackpad. At the present time, there are no real specifications to speak of -- just a zany teaser page and lots of speculation. We shouldn't have to remind you what an epic failure the whole "cellphone companion" sector has been, as one look at Palm's axed Foleo and the deeply discounted Celio REDFLY should be explanation enough. Hey, we're not trying to discourage you from giving this a go, OLO, but we'd probably have a backup plan ready to roll in case Apple itself drops a netbook on the world in the next 48 hours.

[Via Liliputing]

Read - Official teaser page
Read - Netbook-style clamshell for iPhone is coming

Just over a month after surfacing in Preview form, Mark/Space has loosed the finalized version of The Missing Sync for Symbian on the world. Yes, Mac lovers, this means you can now get your beloved computer to play nice with your Sony Ericsson, Motorola or Nokia-based S60 / UIQ handset. There's even a swank Proximity Syncing feature that enables your mobile and Mac to exchange hellos (and sync, obviously) whenever they are within Bluetooth (around 30-feet) range. The download is available now for $39.95, while packs with more licenses are available for $169.79 and up. Who's game to give it a go and confess whether or not it was worth the coin?

[Via TUAW]

In chatting up Apple's sudden change of direction today on the whole native iPhone SDK issue, Steve Jobs did a little name dropping by mentioning that he digs the way Nokia does things with S60's support for third party applications. It seems apparent from the get-go that Steve has every intention of offering apps through some sort of official, money-generating conduit -- iTunes, we'd wager -- and with that comes the promise of digital rights management, authenticity verification, and all those nasty little technologies that set the hacking community ablaze. To that end, Steve mentioned that he digs Nokia's approach of requiring that apps be digitally signed so they can be traced back to their developers, an effort to stem "viruses, malware, privacy attacks" that he thinks will flourish on a "highly visible target" like the iPhone. There's a problem, though: there's no telling when the last time is that Steve touched a phone not of his own creation, but we've used S60 devices pretty recently (like, today) and we have it on good authority that you can disable certificate verification for installed apps. Think iPhone users are going to have that option? Probably not. Apple's still visibly concerned about keeping the iPhone under its perceived draconian control (even though it's been busted wide open time and time again), and we've no doubt that trend will continue in full effect with the SDK. It's a huge, landmark upgrade from the web-based SDK developers have now, yes -- but we'd recommend Steve screw around with an N95 for a while before he heaps any more love on the way Nokia goes about its business.

Trust us, the irony of someone needing to sync an Apple device through Windows that's running on a Mac is glaringly obvious, but hey, some folks just can't escape Outlook no matter how hard they try. Nevertheless, the new Parallels Desktop beta (which is available now) does add iPhone support in Windows XP and Vista along with a newly fortified Image Tool / Explorer and coherence windows that now work with Expose. Of course, you should recognize that this stuff is indeed still in beta, but if you're the daring (or overly trusting) type, feel free to hit the read link and get your download on.

[Via AppleInsider]

One of the great joys of Mac OS is arguably its unified device synchronization under the auspices of iSync (insert cookie-cutter statement regarding iPhone irony here). For S60 users, that joy just got a little more all-encompassing and more official, thanks to a bounty of fresh plugins released by Nokia to support the latest and greatest models for calendar and contacts synchronization in OS X 10.4.9 and above. Heck, even the barely-released N76 is on the list, so if you're rocking Cupertino's and Espoo's finest, get thee thy plugin and prosper.

[Thanks, Abdul A.]

Hear ye, hear ye, Mac faithful: your definitive BlackBerry solution has arrived. Mark/Space has just completed its beta cycle for Missing Sync's BlackBerry variant and it's available to buy. Besides the obvious sync capabilities, the product adds a couple nifty features like iTunes synchronization and charging via USB (nice). Get it for $40 now -- or, if you're migrating from another Missing Sync version and tossing that Windows Mobile device, just $20.

[Via TUAW]

It looks like The Network has more tricks up their sleeves; too bad one of those wouldn't be launching their hi-speed data network, however beggars can't be choosers. Enter in the latest addition to Verizon's expanding lineup of Rev. A Aircards, the Novatel MCD3000. It supports speeds up to 3.1 mbps through its small flip up antenna, USB 2.0, and is backwards compatible with Rev. 0. The manufacture states that it supports Vista, XP, 2000 and Mac OS X, so the bases are covered from the operating system standpoint. One of our favorite tipsters, HTC Kid, says it's going to be available in the very near future -- so stay tuned for pricing details and launch date!

While the Wintel crowd has been enjoying that Rev. A speediness for some time now (in certain locales, at least), the Mac faithful have been fairly well shut out up until now. Thanks to Sprint and Sierra Wireless, all that changes today, as the Seirra AirCard 595 PC Card now works in OS X 10.4 or later. The free Watcher Lite 1.0 software is currently available from Sierra's website, but before you go dashing out to pick up a card, you will still need a Windows-based machine to activate the device or have it pre-activated before heading into your Mac. Furthermore, don't plan on utilizing that ExpressCard slot either, as the only supported card thus far rocks a PCMCIA interface. Nah, Macworld hasn't hit full swing just yet, but this news is a real fine way to get things rolling.