Wireless Dynamics has announced iCarte, an iPhone add-on that adds NFC and RFID capabilities (read and write) to the iPhone. This could be used in many ways, like contact-less micro-payments, public transportation tickets and information gathering (ads, promos...). NFC is very popular in countries like Japan. In France, the subway system is equipped with NFC to replace paper tickets. Last summer, there were rumors that Apple would integrate NFC in the next iPhone, and if that was the case, Wireless Dynamic might be able to build on the momentum with iCarte. This product uses a smart chip from NXP Semiconductors. They too would benefit from the NFC boom predicted by some.

Guess there's no point resting on one's laurels, which is why word has it that Apple is already ready to work on Mac OS X 10.7, thanks to the discovery of a new database entry for the open source "launchd" framework that is behind the booting of Mac OS X references, where "11A47" is accompanied by a new error message. Judging by Apple's numbering scheme in the past, the numerical prefix of a Mac OS X build will determine the version number, and in this case 11A47 conveniently points toward the next version of the operating system, Mac OS X 10.7.

If you’re wondering how Apple managed to process so many of the applications that submitted to it for approval in the App Store, the answer seems to be that Apple has just recently started running the apps through a static analysis tool to look for private API calls. Private APIs are used to access features that Apple does not want to make available to third-party developers. With this latest system, it’ll be much easier for Apple to find use of private API calls, which will be much harder for a human tester to find.

While most people would think that the lack of Wi-Fi, coupled with sales of “only” 5,000 iPhones at launch would be disappointing, it seems that the App Store is doing rather well in China, despite all the hurdles that it’ll have to clear. Let’s not forget that the current official iPhone in China only sports 3G internet and users who want to purchase stuff from the App Store will need to have a credit card from a Chinese bank. Of course, if the news that there will be a new iPhone sporting Wi-Fi in China will certainly help boost the App Store business in that region and the possibility that the iPhone will be released on China Mobile will make it even better.

What you see here could possibly be Apple’s annual Black Friday deals, where it seems all iPods (save for the iPhone and shuffle) will receive a whopping 30% discount, and Macs will be 25% cheaper while other Apple software and accessories will benefit from a 15% discount. This deal is supposedly legal only for November 27th and at selected Apple stores which will open its doors from 6 in the chilly morning onwards.

Shenzen seems to have carved a reputation for coming up with clone hardware, and their latest line of Macbook Air clones will come with a removable battery, a SIM card slot and a memory card reader, making it sound much more delectable than the original. Too bad the innards are netbook-class specifications with an Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz processor coupled with 1GB RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, HDMI connectivity and a 12.1" LCD display. Word has it that future iterations will include 10", 11", 12.1" and 13.3” Mac clones.

There doesn't seem to be a shortage of rumors where Apple's tablet device is concerned, and the latest one includes a high-end graphics card which is capable of producing images with "stunning resolution." Touted to debut sometime in Q1 next year, it seems that the said "stunning resolution" will be greater than that of the iPhone and iPod touch. Apart from that, the device is slated to come in "several different models" which point towards a 3G-enabled version that will most probably be tied to a contract with a wireless carrier, AT&T included.

Apple recently filed a patent on a design for a device which prevents its own owner from using it unless said person has shown that he/she has complied with an advertiser's demands. This involves paying enough attention to an ad which requires taking necessary action as proof. Pretty weird to pay money for something and then being forced to watch ads on it, eh? This is pretty much a weird way of doing business, but knowing Apple's creativity, it might just spawn something else.

You have to admit that apps that get rejected on Apple’s AppStore tend to get quite a bit of publicity, and the Bobble Rep-111th Congress Edition app is no difference. The app has 540 caricatured heads, which will bobble around when the iPhone is shaken and costs 99 cents. Apple initially rejected it because it supposedly violated the developer license agreement due to it containing content that ridicules public figures. Fortunately Apple has relented; after all, caricatures aren’t that bad, right? You can now bobble the heads of senators for $0.99.

When Psystar first started to sell Mac clones, nobody thought that they would be able to win against Apple, and it looks like everybody was right. After a rather long drawn battle with Apple in courts, a judge has rules in Apple’s favor in its copyright-infringement case against Psystar. Long story short, the judge deemed that “has violated Apple's exclusive reproduction right, distribution right, and right to create derivative works”. More details of it can be downloaded in PDF form here. This ruling did not include a permanent injunction against Psystar, but that’s because Apple has not requested one yet, but we’re fairly sure that they will.

Want some jewelry that emphasizes that you’re a serious Mac-addict? Well, the folks over at PowerBook Media make a living out a repairing old Macs and iPhones, so they obviously have plenty of spare parts. With that in mind, they’re offering earrings made from iPhone home buttons, and also the power buttons from aluminum, black anad white MacBooks and MacBook pros. They’re going for $14.95 per pair, so it’s a lot cheaper than buy an iPhone and ripping the home button out, right?

Folks who have been wanting to join Apple will want to sit up and take notice of Apple’s latest job listing. The advertisement seeks a full time employee with 3-4 years of video game development experience. Candidates will need to have shipped at least one AAA title to be eligible. Does this mean that Apple wants to get more serious about game development on its iPhone platform? So far Apple has only released 4 applications on its iPhone App Store, and the only game amongst that is Texas Hold ‘Em that is going for $4.99.

It seems that 2009 has certainly been a good year for Apple and the company is probably planning to make 2010 even better. As you can probably guess, for starters, Apple’s senior vice president of retail has announced that they will be opening another 40-50 more Apple retail stores in 2010. Some of the focus of the new stores will be go offer larger stores, and we can certainly understand why. In case you’ve forgotten, the Apple stores will be opening Paris, London or Shanghai. Talk about world domination baby steps at a time.

TomTom will be offering updates for its iPhone navigation app that is currently awaiting approval from Apple for it to debut on the App Store. This new update, should it be approved successfully, will feature advanced lane guidance, text-to-speech, "Help Me," updated map/safety cameras (in selected European nations) databases, customizable audio warnings and iPod player control. Not too shabby considering these additions are free.