iPhone - page 391

Now that Google owns a handset maker, will the $12.5 billion deal end Motorola’s patent-infringement complaints against Apple? Not likely, says the Android creator.

Apple has told its handset suppliers to expect a boatload of iPhone orders for the second half of 2011, reportedly increasing the initial number to 56 million from 50 million units. Half of those handsets are for the much-anticipated iPhone 5, according to a Monday report.

Samsung’s not going to like this: Google has just purchased Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, finally placing the Android maker on equal footing as Apple when it comes to controlling both the hardware and software of their smartphone platform.

When I initially stumbled across Canopy’s Kapok ($70), it seemed like a groovy idea: A case that had dedicated buttons for shooting photos and video is exactly what the iPhone needs, I thought. Plus, other app developers would be able to use Canopy’s API to add functionality to their apps through the buttons. Brilliant.

But then came the iOS 5 unveiling, with the revelation the camera app would gain its own hard button (in the form of the iPhone’s volume up button), and no other app developers have taken advantage of the kapok’s hard buttons. So is it still as shiny a toy as I’d orginally thought? Here’s what some hands-on time revealed…

If you’ve got far-flung friends and family, Jumvo may be just the ticket for staying in touch.

The group messaging app, offered gratis in iTunes, is a handy way to contact lot of people via voice message with minimal effort.

We’re all aware of how popular Apple’s iPhone has become since it was launched in 2007. But did you know that over the past three years, it’s one of only two devices to maintain a spot in the top 20 mobile phones list produced by Millennial Media? Not only has it stayed firmly in the top 20 for three years running, but it has also stayed firmly in at number one.

Apple’s devices were designed work wonderfully without the need for a stylus, but sometimes they come in handy for certain things. But where do you keep them? There’s no room for a stylus in the iPad itself like those old touchscreen devices you no longer see, and if you clip it to the from of your Smart Cover it’s going to keep falling off. The JAVOedge Mini Stylus, however, fits neatly into your iPad’s dock connector.

If you own an iPhone, you’re more likely to get a quick answer from tech support compared to Android and BlackBerry users, which require much more hand-holding, a Friday report suggests.

Apple’s annual iPod media event traditionally happens during September, and we’re hoping that this year’s is going to be pretty spectacular. In addition to the final previews, and possibly the public release, of iOS 5, we’re hoping that elusive iPhone 5 finally shows its face.

While we’ve heard many, many rumors surrounding the fifth-generation device, and indeed the next-generation iPod touch, we’re yet to hear a specific date for their unveiling. Until now.

Having gotten used to carrying a task management app in my pocket for some time now, I’d struggle to get through the day without my trusty to-do list. But for a group of amnesia patients in Ontario, Canada, apps are doing a lot more than just reminding them to buy milk. They use Apple’s iPod touch as a “memory substitute.”

After a hard day’s work, I like to sit in front of the TV and stick my feet up my a hot cup of tea and a copy of the day’s paper. Other Brits feel the need for something a little more exciting, such as looting electrical stores for anything they can sell on the black market and torching whatever’s left.

Thankfully, Apple’s iconic glass-fronted retail stores should come to no harm, as some reports suggest Apple is granted “special treatment” from the U.K. police force.

Now that both Verizon and AT&T are in the iPhone game, are you confused about your carrier options? Apple’s working on a new feature that will make things a whole lot easier.

Even in the dark years when they were caught off guard by the momentum of the Sony PlayStation, Nintendo has kept their characters in-house, exclusive to Nintendo brand hardware. They learned their lesson from the dark days of the CD-i.

Now, though, investors within Nintendo are pressuring the beleaguered gaming giant to bring their most well-known properties like Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda and Pokemon to other platforms… specifically, the App Store.

The engineer who helped created the first IBM PC 30 years ago Friday, marked the upcoming anniversary by announcing his “primary computer is a tablet.” Mark Dean, now IBM’s Chief Technology Officer for the Middle East and Africa, writes PCs are going the way of the vacuum tube and typewriter.

Smartphones have become a huge target for unscrupulous looters that have used the riots originating in London as an excuse to break into stores in cities around the U.K. and steal anything that might be of any value.

That’s why thousands of stolen iPhones have flooded the black market in the wake of the riots. But caveat emptor! Within 48 hours, that iPhone you picked up for a song will be worthless.

Verizon has followed AT&T’s lead and taken measures to block customers from tethering their iPhone’s data connections illegally. Customers have long been using jailbreak apps to avoid their carrier’s additional monthly fee for tethering, but this method may no longer work if you’re signed up to AT&T or Verizon.

If you thought Apple was already doing well, think again. The tech giant, already challenging the likes of Exxon-Mobile, is on track to double or even triple its market share, according to one Wall Street analyst.

Sometimes, you can’t get a break. That could be the thinking at Android handset maker HTC, which now faces another trade complaint by Apple. Tuesday, the U.S. International Trade Commission announced it launched an investigation into whether five Apple patents were violated.

Tony Bongiovi (yes, if the name sounds oddly familiar, it’s because you’re probably thinking of his cousin, Jon Bon Jovi) should know a thing or two about sound, hopefully; he’s had a hand in producing albums from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, and of course, his famous cousin.

Father Paolo Padrini is the Italian priest who developed iBrevary, an app that puts morning prayer, evening prayer and night prayers on the iPhone.  It was the first iPhone application sanctioned by the Holy Roman Church, Padrini also works with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
Cult of Mac talked to him about what’s next app-wise and what place religious apps have in iTunes.

Apple already has around 20 stores in Canada, the latest will open Aug. 13 in Waterloo, Ontario hometown of beleaguered BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. As RIM’s fortunes decline and Apple’s ascends, the store becomes a metaphor for the long-running battle between the smartphone foes.

First, Apple kicked Nokia out of New York, then European operations were curtailed, now comes word Apple will likely attack the cell phone pioneer in China, the hottest market for smartphone makers. A “drastic realignment” in that Asian giant’s mobile marketplace is expected later this year.

Imagine playing from your iPhone against anyone with an Android phone. That epic battle between Mac and PC types will be a more common option if an Austin startup is successful.

Anyone who has ever looked after a kid has probably had one of those moments where you turn around and the the spritely tyke has disappeared.

A new app from the Federal Bureau of Investigation hopes to lessen those moments of panic.

Many thought the first trading day after Standard & Poor’s downgraded the U.S. creditworthiness to AA+ would elicit some reaction from Wall Street. However, Monday has been crazy on the big board, with Apple leading other shares for wild swings.