John Brownlee - page 129

Apple sells an unlocked iPhone 4, so it stands to reason they’ll do the same for the iPhone 4S. Even so, we’ve yet to get any direct confirmation that Apple’s got an unlocked model planned, which is sort of a bummer, since an unlocked world phone iPhone is seriously tempting.

It does seem, though, that Apple may have an unlocked iPhone 4S in the pipeline, based on info found by selecting an iPhone 4 on the Apple Online Store and then clicking the link titled “About the unlocked iPhone.”

What’s weird is the text says the iPhone 4S won’t look on CDMA-based carriers, which is just bizarre, since the hardware should surely allow it. I’m guessing this is just hastily updated boilerplate that will be refined over time, but it’s still pretty strange.

[via MacTrast]

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHE6IYKhIUE&feature=player_embedded

After showing off the sequel to their elegiac App Store masterpiece, Epic Games has now released the first teaser trailer for Infinity Blade II… and it looks just as incredible as it ever did. You can expect to get your hands on the app on December 1st.

In the mean time, Epic and Chair have also released another free content update to Infinity Blade, as well as a new ebook.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that the iPhone 4S looks identical to the iPhone 4. Deciding which iPhone to buy this year is more complicated than it ever has been, and there’s a lot more variable to consider now than there ever have been in the past.

Should you buy an iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS? Should you get one in white or black? Should you get one with 8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage? Should you sign up with AT&T, Verizon or Sprint?

Those are big questions, and the answers will vary from person to person. Still, Cult of Mac has given this a lot of thought, and for most people, we recommend buying the 16GB Sprint iPhone 4S in White.

Below you’ll find our logic, but if you disagree, pipe up in the comments and explain why. We’re going to take the reader consensus and turn it into another post. We can’t wait to hear which iPhone the hive mind will choose.

While there’s a lot more to a camera’s quality than megapixels, Apple’s initial batch of images taken with the iPhone 4S’ backlit 8MP camera are impressive. Really impressive.

Here’s the caveat, though: these are all images taken by professionals using absolutely perfect light conditions, likely with tripods. The pictures you take with your iPhone 4S in a pitch black club after you’ve had one too many Snake Juices are likely to vary wildly.

Check out Apple’s incredible photos after the jump.

Apple has just emptied their magician’s hat onto the table, and out of that silk showman’s topper spilled the brand new iPhone 4S. For some of us, the revelation of “just” a faster iPhone 4 was a disappointment… but it was much more than a disappointment to hundreds of case makers who had bet millions of dollars between them on a radical redesign.

Ah, the mythical iPhone 5. A slimmer, tear dropped iPhone with a larger display and a lozenge shaped capacitive home button. What a chimera. It first emerged as a report over at This Is My Next from Joshua Topolsky, the ex-Engadget editor who was also wrong about whether or not the iPad 2 would have a Retina Display. But he’s not the only one who was wrong about the iPhone 5, and for the last six months, it’s been persistently murmured about by tech bloggers, journalists and analysts.

What the hell happened? How were people so wrong?

If you’re not sold on how incredible Apple’s new Siri technology is, and why it’s worth buying an iPhone 4S just to have access to it, check out the incredible Siri demo video Apple played at today’s event.

If this doesn’t make you think that we’re on the cusp of an entirely new era of the way we interact with our devices, well, let us know, we probably embedded a Dramatic Chipmunk video by mistake instead.

Leander Kahney: I’m excited about the iPhone 4S. The old iPhone 4 model is a great handset; probably the best smartphone on the market. It’s a great design: easy to pocket; tough as nails; and very functional. Why mess with success? I know many fans are disappointed by the lack of a bigger screen or new design. Bu tI think the internal upgrades look phenomenal. A better antenna, a much faster chip and graphics, plus a great-looking 8MP camera! The best smartphone is even better.

Siri looks astonishing — truly sci-fi stuff. If it works as advertised — and that’s a big if — it will certainly change the way we use our smartphones. I’m already a big fan of Google’s voice search, which is great while walking or in the car. But Siri greatly expands the things you can do. I’d love to be able to set alarms, reminders, send texts and emails with a few simple commands. And it’s likely that the number of capabilities will quickly expand into other areas.

And being able to dictate everything rather than typing will make a big difference to me. I suck at typing. I can see my iPhone becoming my primary input device for writing and email, rather than my iPad or iMac.

Of course, we’ll see how it works in real life. Talking to my iPhone will undoubtedly feel strange and unnatural. I’m in no hurry to look like Scotty in Star Trek talking into the mouse. But I’ sure I won’t be the only one.

A couple years ago, the European Union looked at all of the hundreds of proprietary gadget chargers out there and said, “Enough. Let’s just agree on a standard so if I forget my charger, I can use one of my friends’ instead.”

A good idea, right? The EU decided upon the Micro USB standard as the one that all mobile manufacturers should use. But here’s where it all gets sort of goofy, because the EU then said that companies could still use proprietary chargers, as long as they sold adapters for the Micro USB standard.

Which is what explains Apple’s latest iPhone accessory, The iPhone Micro USB Adapter, which costs just eight quid over at Apple’s UK online store. Apple gets to play nice with EU regulators while still maintaining its closed, multi-billion dollar ecosystem of accessories that depend on an Apple Dock Connector.

9to5Mac points us towards the 5% dip in share price of AAPL stock since the iPhone 4S was debuted. Sure, it’ll probably rebound, but investors aren’t happy about having to wait 16 months for a mere speedbump of a phone. What about you?

Wondering how the iPhone 4S stacks up stats-wise against the iPhone 4? How much of a speedbump is it really? This Is My Next is already on the case with a breakdown table, and what it comes down to is it’s a much faster and more capable device with better battery life, at the expense of just three grams additional weight. Wow.

The rumors are true. Apple is introducing a Siri-based voice control functionality to iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S, called Siri, not Assistant, as reported.

As we’ve previously detailed, Siri will intelligently help you get things done just by asking.

For example, on stage, Apple asks his iPhone “What is the weather alike today?” Siri then responds with “Here is the weather for today” along with a screen showing the weather.

To show off the graphic capabilities of the new iPhone 4S, Epic Games came by to show off Infinity Blade 2, the sequel to one of our favorite games on the App Store. Here are some screenshots, after the jump.

So here’s the deal with the iPod line.

For the iPod touch, nothing’s changing, except it will now come in white and black and start at $199, down from $229. No 128GB iPod touch, as we thought was a definite lock: the device still maxes out at 64GB.

We’ve already discussed the new iPod nanos, which are the beefiest updates. The iPod classic appears to have been killed off, but the iPod shuffle is still inexplicably around, starting at just $49. That seems redundant to us, how about you?

Overall, this is more or less a software and color update of the existing line, and not really new devices.

As everyone suspected, Apple’s giving us a new iPod nano to play with.

Although the same form factor, Apple’s changed the interface to be easier to navigate, mostly by making each icon take up the entire screen: you swipe between them.

The fitness experience has been improved. Out of the box, you can now track your walks and runs without adding any extra sensors or devices. Just go for a run, come back, plug it in, and your data will automatically be tracked on Nike+’s website.

Also? New clock faces have been added for people who want to use the Nano as a watch. “Why not do it right?” There’s a Mickey Mouse watch, an LED watch, and more.

The iPod nano will come in seven colors. Prices start at $129 for 8GB and $149 for 16GB.

The nano is available to buy now.

Apple has just announced a new iCloud app called Find My Friends.

The idea is this: a way to quickly locate your friends around you. You can easily locate friends and family, as long as they have an iPhone.

You don’t always need to share your location using Find My Friends. Simple privacy controls allow you to easily and temporarily share your location just long enough for a buddy to, say, find you at the local coffee shop.

Coming soon!

Free download, available on October 12th for free for iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4, iPad, iPad 2, iPod touch 3rd Gen and above.

This basically confirms October 14th iPhone 4S launch.

Apple says the iOS 5 GM will be dropping later today for developers.

Apple just announced an all new app that they are working on, called Careds.

On the surface, it looks like just a silly postcards app, but the idea is that Apple will allow you to create cards and letters on your iPhone or iPad, and then they’ll physically mail out to you.

A card will send $2.99 to mail nationally, and $4.99 to mail anywhere in the world.

Cards will be a free app available on October 12th, directly from the App Store.

Check it out here. Note the iPhone 4S reference (and broken image) at bottom left. I guess we know what is coming in 30.

Thanks for the tip, TK!

Update: Reference to iPhone 4S now seems to be gone, but as you can see in the image above, it was there just a few minutes ago.

Update 2: And the Ginza Retail site leaked these images of the iPhone 4S, which look identical to the iPhone 4

Update 3: And there’s a launch date! 8AM on October 14th. Crazy.

The Apple Store is down, for pretty obvious reasons. When it goes back up, expect to see the iPhone 4S there, at the very least. Could we see new products on top of those, though? In an hour, we’ll know all.

Okay, we all know the next iPhone is going to be announced in a little under three hours… but which one? The iPhone 4S or the iPhone 5?

Claiming they have been “briefed” on today’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” event by “sources familiar with Apple’s plans, the guys over at The Next Web say they’ve confirmed the iPhone 4S, which will have the same form factor, an A5 processor, 1GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera with “improved optics” and more. Don’t expect the iPhone 5.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmClQnmtE9Q&feature=player_embedded

It’s incredible what Apple can manage to keep secret about its most anticipated devices, right up until zero hour. For example, even after months of consolidating rumors, this is the first time that we’ve heard that not only will the next iPhone have artificial intelligence thanks to Assistant, but can be hurled in a boomerang attack, expand into a working lightsaber, perform nanosurgery and even double as a tasty chocolate bar.

Incredible reporting by Jimmy Kimmel’s technology correspondent, Guillermo Diaz. Now that’s a scoop.

Editor’s Note: We first posted this yesterday, but for readers who didn’t see it, we’re bumping it to the top of the page so people know what’s coming in just about three hours.

Hey, we know: after sixteen months of rumors, figuring out exactly what to expect from Apple’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” event tomorrow can be confusing. Well, let us break it all down for you. Here’s everything we know (or think we know) about what Apple’s going to announce tomorrow. It’s going to be a hell of a show.

We’ve got just under three and a half hours to go until Apple’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” event kicks off (which of course we’ll be covering live). In the mean time, here’s your chance to sound off: what do you expect to see Apple announce today? If you don’t see our answer on your poll, hit the comments and fill us in with your best predictions.

Six weeks before it officially goes on sale, Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire is shaping up to be the biggest tablet launch ever… and Cult of Android has the numbers to prove it.

A verified source within the Seattle based online retail giant has provided Cult of Android with exclusive screenshots of Amazon’s internal inventory management system Alaska (Availability Lookup and SKU Aggregator).

These leaked shoots show that orders for Amazon’s Android-based tablet are racking up at an average rate of over 2,000 units per hour, or over 50,000 per day.

In the five days since Amazon put the Kindle Fire up on their official site, over 250,000 tablets have been preordered. If this level of consumer demand for the Kindle Fire continues, Amazon will have 2.5 million preorders for the device before it officially goes on sale on November 15th.

Those numbers make the Kindle Fire’s launch likely to be the biggest tablet launch in history, beating both the iPad and iPad 2 in first month sales.

Read the rest of this post at Cult Of Android

So the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sprint was so desperate to get the iPhone now that AT&T’s exclusivity deal is up, they actually bet the future of their company on it: they’ve placed an order for over $20 billion in iPhone sales over the next four years. Sprint won’t break even on the deal until 2014, and if the iPhone suddenly becomes less popular (yeah, right), the deal could sink the company.

That’s a big story. It seems almost unbelievable, in fact, that Sprint would bet the future of its company on just one device, but that’s exactly what they appear to have done.

Want to know something even more unbelievable, though? According to a follow up report… Sprint’s ballsy deal secured them exclusive rights to the iPhone 5.