The most important technology event of the year, writes Brian Caulfield, probably isn't the launch of the iPhone 3GS today. But it may be this week's release of the iPhone OS 3.0 software update for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The real breakthrough is the added ability for software developers to sell subscriptions that deliver premium content or additional levels for a game. "Basically, when we look at the iPhone we don't see a mobile phone, we see a computing platform," says Shervin Pishevar, CEO of Social Gaming Network (SGN).

OS 3.0 also lets developers turn the iPhone into a control panel for other electronics equipment and gives it the ability to automatically find and sync up wirelessly with software running on another iPhone or iPod touch.

Among marketers already taking advantage of the new capabilities are Men's Health and Whole Foods. Read the whole story...

Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of BlackBerry handset maker Research in Motion, expressed little concern about Apple's new iPhone 3GS or the newly launched Palm Pre in a call with analysts yesterday. And why should he? The company added 3.8 million net new subscribers, 65% above the same quarter of last year, driving a 53% year-on-year revenue gain, Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson reports.

"We are starting fiscal 2010 with strong financial performance and impressive market share gains," Balsillie said. Market research group IDC says that RIM now commands 55% of the US smart phone market.

The overall market is growing, Balsillie pointed out -- indeed, four-fifths of RIM's new BlackBerry subscribers in the quarter came from the consumer market, where Apple and Palm compete most directly. Read the whole story...

The acting president of Matrixx Initiatives, which markets Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gels and swabs, says he will "vehemently counter" the Food and Drug Administration letter that warns that the products can cause temporary or permanent loss of smell but he realizes that changing the agency's mind is probably a futile pursuit, Marissa Miley reports.

Bill Hemelt indicates that the company will encourage consumers to use Zicam oral products instead. The FDA has not taken issue with those products. Hemelt doesn't know yet if it will take additional marketing to rebuild the brand when two new oral products are launched later in the year but he tells Miley that he hopes not.

Matrixx is working with its PR firm, Golin Harris, to reach out to consumers on the Internet and through social media to calm safety concerns. "We are going to be communicating through all sorts of those -- Twitter, Facebook -- and get our story out," Hemelt says. "There probably will be an open letter to consumers that will be published in newspapers." Read the whole story...

Corn Flakes with a Touch of Honey is launching this month supported by a campaign created by Leo Burnett. It is targeting consumers over 55 and the Hispanic market, Lindsay Gordon reports.

"Kellogg's Corn Flakes has been a part of the Latino breakfast experience for years," says Susanne Norwitz, director of brand PR at Kellogg. "This new flavor addition simply provides another great option for those who love the wholesome goodness of Corn Flakes."

The line "With a Touch of Honey" is printed in both English and Spanish on the packaging. Honey-sweetened products grew by 7.5% last year, according to Mintel. Read the whole story...

Yesterday, we brought you a review of the Nissan Cube, a vehicle that took so long to make its way to the U.S. market that it's time may have passed. Today, we bring you a review of a vehicle that has not arrived yet but whose time, according to Dan Neil, has come again.

"Did you vote for McGovern twice (once as a write-in candidate)? Did you stop following the Grateful Dead because they became too corporate? Brace yourself," he writes. A modernized VW Westfalia camper van called the California is available again. Alas and alack, it's only sold in Europe.

The California features a gas stove, running water, an electrically deployed pop top, a fold-down double bed, rotating front captain's chairs and a staggering number of convenience features and -- get this -- a turbocharged five-cylinder diesel engine that's capable of cruising at Autobahn speeds.

Neil says it would cost too much to make the diesel California legal in the U.S. considering its small market potential. Then again, "What if VW of America heard a loud outcry for the California?" Power to the people and all that. Right on. Read the whole story...

Meanwhile, the third-gen Prius gasoline-electric hybrid is going gangbusters in Japan. The company had set a sales target of 10,000 units a month in Japan; customers face a seven-month delay in delivery. Read the whole story...

The NBA Finals pitted L.A. against Orlando, sites of Disney destinations, and the games were on Disney-owned ABC, so a parade and merchandise at Disneyland makes marketing sense. Read the whole story...

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