It’s usually Google’s style to steal the thunder of a rival (mostly Microsoft) by announcing way cooler products close to the rival’s launch party. Apple one upped Google just few hours before the Nexus One launch event. Sweet timing Cupertino.

Adding more fuel to the fire, in his release Steve Jobs has rubbed it in that no competitor is close to catchin up anytime soon.

“Three billion applications downloaded in less than 18 months–this is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. The revolutionary App Store offers iPhone and iPod touch users an experience unlike anything else available on other mobile devices, and we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon.”

Ouch. That jab gotta hurt.

The Business Insider reports that Apple is planning to acquire the VOIP provider iCall. Even though Apple was adamant not to allow VOIP apps like Google Voice in the iPhone appstore, the news is not quite surprising. Blogosphere is buzzing for the past few weeks about the rumored Google Phone, which makes calls ONLY via VOIP. No call charges. No contracts. Nothing. Such a gadget would be an instant hit as people are getting irritated with their carriers every passing day. Apple could use the iCall technology to equip iPod Touch to compete head on with the Google Phone. In addition to the laundry list of features, iPod Touch will win the VOIP only gadget battle hands down. In the long run, Apple could even use this as a bargaining chip with the carriers to squeeze more subsidies/revenue share. Like the recent Lala buy, it’s just a matter of time before the VOIP service is ported into the iPod Touch/iPhone.

“What’s driving usage on the network and driving these high usage situations are things like video, or audio that keeps playing around the clock. And so we’ve got to get to those customers and have them recognize that they need to change their pattern, or there will be other things that they are going to have to do to reduce their usage.”

May be he should change the pattern in which AT&T operates.

Apple is said to be in “very advanced” stages of negotiations to acquire the online music streaming startup, Lala.com. Lala allows users to listen songs free online for the first time and also offers Web Albums on the cheap. Web albums are songs that are hosted in Lala’s servers and can be streamed online via a browser. Web albums are dirt cheap, mostly costs one fifth of a Mp3 album since the songs are not downloaded by the user. There is a very high probability that Apple is acquiring Lala for this Web Album technology. So in the near future, Apple could be adding the much awaited cloud music storage/streaming to iTunes. Lala’s technology will enable iTunes users to listen their collection from anywhere without being limited by the size of the storage on a computer, iPod Touch or the iPhone. Hopefully Apple also adds the cloud video streaming as well in 2010.

iPhone app developers got a powerful and completely open ad management plaform from.app/ads. .app/ads open platform helps iphone app developers to manage their ad inventory efficiently. App developers can choose the ad network or exchange that can run ads at any given time. Also, developers can choose to integrate the ad code they need from the companies they want, instead of a pre-selected loaded SDK. The platform also allows app developers to run their own ads or promotions from the .app/ads web control panel. One more USP of .app/ads is the ease with which developers can add in-app purchases for their iPhone apps. In-app ads can use text and/or images and can be rotated along with other ads.

The platform is free to use and the level of control an app developer gets with ad management will give the .app/ads platform a huge impetus.

AT&T’s plan offers the following features:

• Receive your voicemail messages as text messages, emails, or both
• Respond how you want – call back, send a text, or reply by email
• Forward your voicemail messages to others by text message or email
• Save your messages in your phone or on your computer for as long as you want

Will this bring AT&T back to iPhone users’ good books? Definitely not. But this sure is a sign that AT&T is trying, something.

Now that Jack Dorsey’s new mobile POS startup is touted to become a huge venture, this rumor gets very interesting. Apple might not want to spread itself too thin by getting into a new vertical. However, the way Apple has positioned iPod Touch from “the best iPod ever” to “the portable gaming/computing device” over time indicates that it would be extremely profitable to bring into market a portable POS. The POS would be another feather in iPod Touch/ iPhone’s cap and at the same time, one more very compelling feature to lure new customers Apple’s way. Just like the iPhone appstore, Apple could mint money by selling the iPhone or iPod Touch, the POS add on and taking a cut off the POS transaction as well. Its a Win-Win-Win situation, but might not happen in the very near future.

The new version of Super Monkey Ball boasts of 115 stages, and will let the iPhone user to play against up to 3 other players on a local Wi-Fi network. Super Monkey Ball is priced at a steep $9.99 and can be downloaded here. SEGA, the game developer has indicated that they might be relesing free aditons/upgrades in the future for Super Monkey Ball 2. Now that sounds like a treat.

A graphic novel-cum App complete with a soundtrack is now available for all the Johnny Cash lovers at iPhone appstore. The app on the seventeen time grammy winner follows the storyline of the print comic book of the same, with additional animated transitions. There is a catch with regards to the soundtracks though. The app will search for any Johnny Cash soundtracks that you own in the iPhone and will insert them at appropriate places in the graphical novel app.

The app costs $0.99 in the iPhone appstore and can be downloaded here.

The app was initially rejected because  Apple doesn’t allow third-party developers to use private APIs in their apps. So as a last resort, the developer, Brian Meehan, sent an impassioned plea to Steve Jobs as to why the app should be approved and also explained how much of a loyal Apple user he has been all his life. To his(and now everyone’s surprise), he got callback from the Apple Executive and the app was approved the very next day. The Executive also stated that, the approval came “directly from the top.” Sweet.

We extend our heartfelt(with some jealousy over their newfound cloud with Steve himself ) congrats to Pointy Heads, the developers of the app. The Knocking Live app is free and can be downloaded here.

Israeli VOIP startup fring becomes the first iPone app to ring video calling to the iPhone. However, due to the lack of a front facing camera in the iPhone, the video communication will be one way. iPhone users can only view the caller at the other end, who most probably would using a Nokia S60 mobile phone.  Fring app enables video calls between fring contacts and skype contacts as well. Due to the limitations set by AT&T, iPhone users in USA can use the viseo calling feature only through WiFi. As usual, fringland(developers of fring) have been leading the mobile IM/VOIP pack by beating Skype in bringing video calling to the iPhone. Now lets pray that Apple adds a front facing camera in the next generation iPhone.

fring is a free app in the appstore and can be downloaded here.