Gadgets Blog » iPhone

IPhone 4G Complaints & Reception Issues

Dan Evans — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:10:56 +0000

Stop the presses! This week marks a new generation in smartphone-dom, as well as Apple fanboy-ism. The release of the iPhone 4G, despite some worries about the number of available devices on the market, triggered a mass-rush to pick up the hot item. Apple’s been on a roll the last few months, with the iPad only setting the tone for this week’s new gadget. With Steve Jobs and company poised to take over the world, and the tech news-media salivating over the company’s every move, it seemed like nothing could possibly go wrong. Right?

Unfortunately, there seems to have been a bit of rain on Apple’s parade. The much-anticipated next-gen iPhone was indeed released to thrilled crowds of gadget-lovers, but a second wave of reports began streaming in that seemed to point to some serious engineering failures on the part of Apple. Namely, the new iPhone has some issues with its WiFi and 3G reception caused by interference from the user’s hand. While any wireless device experiences a bit of this interference when in use, the iPhone’s issue is related to the lower left hand corner of the device, a common area to be covered while holding the phone in your hand.

Engadget explains the situation further, offering up the following, which is the official Apple memo on this issue:

Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.

While this may indeed solve the problem with reception, it won’t earn Apple any brownie points from many of their customers. Seeing as this issue is a known problem with other smartphone models, it seems a bit strange that Apple didn’t double check that such a problem was solved on the iPhone before releasing it. To make things worse, this seems to be a structural problem and therefore can’t be repaired with new software. It will be interesting to see if Apple changes the iPhone design in the future to compensate for this problem.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/4260085365

Next-Gen Apple iPhone Leaked to World

Dan Evans — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:10:33 +0000

The folks over at Gizmodo had themselves quite the time with their most recent story. Some poor sod at a bar in Redwood City accidentally left a next-generation iPhone behind, which Gizmodo claims was “camouflaged to look like the iPhone 3Gs.”

Except it wasn’t, and the results of some keen hacking and testing were posted to their website in a news story that has gadget nerds salivating to be sure. The features of this new addition to the Apple family are certainly exciting, and represent some interesting changes in function that could really shake up the next round of smartphones. Design-wise, the gadget looks like an iPhone in an iPod classic body. The rounded corners and three-dimensional build make it look quite distinct from an ordinary iPhone.

The screen is vivid and clear, with resolution at a staggering 960×640, making for exceptional application use and crystal clear images. The device sports two cameras now, one mounted on the back for taking pictures and one on the same side of the screen, presumably for video chatting (!!!). The operating system is Apple’s brand new iPhone OS 4.0, which Gizmodo claims the phone was running prior to the official announcement of such a thing.

Weighing in at 3 grams heavier than the older models, it boasts a larger battery on the inside, presumably extending the life of one of Apple’s flagship products. Other technical changes are exciting, yet a bit puzzling at the same time. The smartphone uses Micro SIM cards, which is likely to be the industry standard in the future. Yet this development is a bit puzzling in light of the iPad’s release. Many were surprised to find out that Apple had not adopted the Micro SIM card for their tablet computer, and now it’s introduction onto the iPhone, and the announcement that the iPhone OS 4.0 will support multitasking, place some questionable light on Apple’s development of two of its featured products.

Ultimately though, Apple will continue to be the trendsetter for smartphones with the release of the next iPhone, and indeed there is much to be excited about, provided Gizmodo’s specifications are correct. If the introduction of the front-facing camera does indeed signal that video chatting will be present on the next generation of iPhones, then perhaps we are looking at applications to 4G technology that will revolutionize telecommunications. It seems as though Steve Jobs and company have created another winner, one that will dominate the market and thrill users for some time to come. Image Source: flickr.com/photos/niw/3347008791

Tech News Roundup: Trains and IPhone Upgrades!

Dan Evans — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:33:45 +0000

For today’s tech roundup, we’ve got a variety of news involving all sorts of nifty gadgets! While this week was a bit of a media cool-down following the release of the iPad, there were still some important stories to go around, and one even involves Apple!

But first, on the larger end of the gadget spectrum: electric, high-speed trains! On Wednesday, United States lawmakers in California and executives at General Electric started a partnership designed to bring bullet trains to the Bear Republic. But it turns out they’re getting some help from a rather unlikley source: the Chiense Government! Don’t believe me? An article from the New York Times spills all the details, including the licensing of federal Chinese technology to GE to aid in the manufacturing of electric locomotives. The California High Speed Rail Authority was impressed by China’s recent prolific development in the realm of high-speed rail: they opened a staggering 1200 miles of track in 2009, all of it capable of running engines at 215 miles per hour.

And in another bout of legal ridiculousness involving the internet, a 16 year old boy has filed a harassment complaint against his own mother after she changed the passwords to his email and Facebook accounts. Lane New said in a written statement that his mother had posted several slanderous things on the social networking site regarding his personal life. While neither he nor his mother would identify said slanderous things, a victory for the teen would likely reinvent the parent-child dichotomy the world over! A possible end to curfews everywhere?

And finally, as promised, our news story about Apple. The magnanimous tech company announced an update to its iPhone OS this week, brining us up to version 4.0. But there’s some pretty exciting updates at hand, which could also bode well for iPad owners. Among the newly-included features are App folders, location-based notifications, and (finally!) multitasking! The introduction of a task-switching option will enable users to run multiple applications on their iPhone at the same time. Perhaps such anÂ introduction will be on the iPad in the near future? It would certainly open up a new world of possibilities for the new tablet market.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/24736216@N07/3429753993

Apple Tablet: a Bright Future for Tablet Computers?

Dan Evans — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:00:27 +0000

I’ll confess that I recently converted from the world of PCs. Perhaps I was drawn in by the shiny aluminum bodies the new MacBook computer possesses, or perhaps it was due to chronic frustration caused by Windows Vista on my old HP laptop. Regardless, I’ve been immensely satisfied with my MacBook Pro, although a few things do still bother me about the Apple brand as a whole.

Apple users, the sort with iPhone, iPod, MacBook, and additional Apple paraphernalia, can be bothersome to me at times. While yes, Apple makes some great electronics, the level of devotion to the brand can be a bit absurd. Nonetheless, Apple promises to give people something new to get excited over, as they announced a January 27 event to roll out their newest foray into the electronics market.

Inviting people to “Come see our latest creation,” the company has (wisely) left the exact content of the unveiling up in the air, leaving many people to speculate on what it will be. In all likelihood, the product will be Apple’s much-speculated upon tablet, as sources have told the Wall Street Journal that the new product is intended to ship in March. That makes it fairly certain that Apple will be showing it off starting on the 27th, unless they have something truly remarkable up their sleeves, which would be exciting in its own right.

With such an important company preparing to launch a tablet based computer, a look at what exactly such a unit would entail can give us a bit of a sneak preview of such a hypothetical Apple Tablet. First and foremost, the tablet would operated with touch screen type interface. The iPod Touch has been a tremendous success for the company, and its possible that this tablet would feature at least a portion of its menu arrangements in a similar style to the Touch and its cousin, the iPhone. The idea of a computer that is operated without a mouse is exciting, and the fact that this technology is now being adapted to larger units means some great new technology is in the future.

There are some questions that need to be asked about the tablet, however. First of all, price is a huge concern. Before its untimely demise, the CrunchPad was rumored to go on sale for around $400. The Apple Tablet has been speculated as high as $1000, which in some ways is unsurprising, given that this is an Apple product. The unit would likely have the same great wireless capability as Apple laptops, making connecting to and surfing the Internet a breeze.

However, what sort of operating system can we expect with the unit? Will it run Snow Leopard, or a more application based operating system similar to the iPhone? These types of specifications will likely be answered when the gadget is unveiled, but issues over what types of programs will be able to run on the computer will be a concern for most users.

The main question I have for the future of tablet computers is where they fit into the computing world as a whole. Will a tablet be able to have all the functionality of a normal laptop? This seems very unlikely, and let alone the fact that for effective word processing, an external keyboard would likely be needed. If the primary capabilities of the unit are Internet use, then why pay so much money for such a gadget? The flexibility the unit will have, as well as the fragility of the tablet design, is concerning for such an item. Nonetheless, it will be exciting to see Apple’s product when they (hopefully) unveil it. I’m just not sure if its something I’ll be adding to my wish list anytime soon.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/ndevil/3817840411

Attention All Singles: An iPhone App for Safe Dating

gadgets — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:20:48 +0000

Here’s something for all you singles and of course concerned parents who want to sleep a little bit better at night even knowing that their daughter is out in the big bad dating pool. Intelius, the Bellevue provider of background checks, has come out with an iPhone application called Date Check which is a “private investigator in your purse.”

You enter the name, phone number or e-mail id of the “person of interest” and DateCheck instantly scans the online and offline public records. The aptly named “Sleaze Detector” screens the seemingly perfect date who sounds too good to be true for drug possession, assault, DUI or other convictions. On getting the “OK” signal, you can probe further with “Net Worth” which basically gives carte blanche for being a nosy-parker and gives you juicy tidbits about the date’s home , his/her worth etc. Then if you are worried about any lurking ex-girlfriend, “Living Situation” gives you the scoop on who else inhabits the same address. You could choose to let all spontaneity slip away and get the date’s horoscope, the social networking sites he/she frequents etc. While you might be well used to goggling your potential dates, imagine all the impromptu possibilities this app opens up! You could say yes immediately to the cute guy who asks you out at the grocery store after just one quick trip to the restroom and getting the green signal from your DateCheck.

“Letting a stranger into your life is a huge risk, and in the age of Internet anonymity, a simple online search isn’t enough to tell you everything you need to know,” said Intelius co-founder John Arnold. “The Date Check mobile application removes some of the guesswork and gives you the confidence to decide on the spot if continuing the conversation is worth your time.”

Date Check can be found in the iPhone app store. The Android and Blackberry versions comes out next month. You pay $19.95 for a criminal check, and $14.95 for a property and neighborhood report. Social networking profiles cost $9.95, and people search reports $1.95. The whole enchilada would be $39.95. As the company puts it “ Look up before you hook up!”

Sirius XM Skydock for the iPhone and the iPod Touch

colleen — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:14:27 +0000

The word is out: yesterday morning, Sirius had a private, invitation-only party in New York City to announce the release of its newest product, the Sirius XM Skydock for the iPhone and the iPod touch. Nicknamed the “Skydock” with a market price of $119.99, the product will be able to turn the iPhone or iPod touch into a working satellite radio and adapt to your own playlists, too. It will work in tandem with the Sirius/XM iPhone app and will have the ability to tag songs for download from iTunes as you hear them on the radio. It also gives users access to the all XM and “the Best of SIRIUS” channel. No exact release date has been set, but the official Sirius press release promises the product in stores in fall 2009 () .

For more information, visit xmradio.com.

Source: digitaldaily.allthingsd.com

Play Poker with the New iPhone App

colleen — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:36:51 +0000

As if the iPhone culture did not have enough paraphernalia, now you can take your iPhone from 3-D to 2-D with a set of playing cards that looks like the iPhone deck display. You can buy the apps to play Solitaire, even maybe invest in the app to hook up and Poker and Blackjack with your friends. But did you ever think you would want to degenerate from your gaming status, and take iPhones back to the time of paper and card-based entertainment? Consider it a vintage throwback that everyone from your grandmother to your baby cousin will appreciate.

If the idea of paper-formed iPhone cards disgusts you, take this at heart: the illusion of the iPhone on the cards is so good, I was convinced that the product was suggesting you buy 52 iPhones and display 1 card face on each one, and play cards with real iPhones. Sounds excessive: about $5,200 too excessive.

Breathe a sigh of relief: these playing card, super illusionistic iPhone cards are only $25.00 at Meninos.us.
Grab ‘em before they’re gone! Maybe you can practice the touch screen card-swindling technique for when you can actually afford a real iPhone.

Shop for iPhone accessories at Smarter.com.

Banned Apple App: Apple Takes Down Baby Shaker

nick — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:33:59 +0000

Apparently Apple, for a very brief moment in time, did not like crying babies.

Apple approved a controversial iPhone application, “Baby Shaker,” then immediately had to take it down, due to outrage and protest from child protection groups.

The app does just what it says. It puts a baby on the screen. It begins to cry. And then you see how long you can take the annoyance before you shake the crap out of your phone.

“On a plane, on the bus, in a theater. Babies are everywhere you don’t want them to be! They’re always distracting you from preparing for that big presentation at work with their incessant crying. Before Baby Shaker there was nothing you could do about it.

“Now, Baby Shaker gives you a charming drawing of a baby sure to make those with a less than iron will fawn. True to life, it begins to annoy you immediately. See how long you can endure his or her adorable cries before you just have to find a way to quiet the baby down!”

Very interesting, and yes, a cruel attempt at fun and humor.

I’m sure Michael Vick for a brief moment in time was thinking of how to create an app for fighting pitbulls to help him earn his millions back.

Source.

Video Chatting: Next Gen iPhone to Have Video Chatting

nick — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:10:31 +0000

I love how Apple keeps trying to keep the iPhone.

The latest Apple patent shows how Steve Jobs and the boys have applied for a patent for a type of video chatting. There are looking to create a front-facing video camera for chatting for the next generation iPhone. Also included in the patent is a morphing interface that will adapt to the motion of the user. Meaning, if you’re shaking like crazy, the elements on the screen will get bigger so you can punch them with your stubby digits.

Now, will they just figure out a way to send picture messages through text messaging. Is that to much to ask Mr. Jobs!?

Source.

New iPhone Coming Out in June?

nick — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:21:12 +0000

Yep. That’s the new word on the street.

And a part of me believes it too. Only because as of recently, I just bought my second iPhone in year because I broke my screen and Mr. Jobs won’t allow me to just replace the screen. Oh no. I had to buy the whole unit.

Well done Steve. Well done.

Anyways, not sure how much truth there is to this rumor or what is going to be so new about the new iPhone. Check back often and we’ll update you.

To read more about it, click here.