iPhone - page 416

The light at the end of the tunnel seems to be glowing ever brighter for iPhone 3G owners running iOS 4.  In addition to Steve Jobs’ recently publicized email claiming a software update coming soon to fix the problems, the Blogosphere and Twitter are also carrying reports of big performance improvements with recent betas:

Tests with a beta version of Apple’s iOS 4.1 on a well-used 3G suggest that the new OS has increased the phone’s responsiveness. Indeed, apps load much more quickly, text entry is much smoother and the phone no longer slows down beyond the point of usability when more than one browser window is open. [The Next Web]

These have been among the most widely reported problems.

On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that a Dallas man, Vincent Hunter, who was visiting relatives in Hartford, Conn. watched the in-progress burglary of his home after receiving an alert from his iCam app (iTunes link) running on his iPhone.

The app warned him that motion had been detected in the house. It turned out that two burglars were attempting to get into the man’s home and eventually made entry into the home by throwing a brick through a glass door.

He immediately called the police and officers were immediately dispatched to his home. The app alerted him to the arrival of the officers and as he watched via webcam they made entry into the home with guns drawn.

The story wasn’t clear about whether or not anything was stolen, but the combination of iCam, some webcams, and the iPhone certainly did their job — advising the home owner of the in-progress burglary.

Longing for the gaming arcade but stuck at your desk?  Well, the Pinball Magic [app]cessory from New Potato won’t fool you into thinking you’re at the real thing, but it looks like a cute way to kill both time and disposable income.  Slide your handheld iDevice into the mini pinball machine and Tilt Away:

Get ready for iPhone and iPod touch entertainment that’s in a class by itself! The Pinball Magic [app]cessory creates realistic and engaging gameplay, bringing classic pinball machine cabinet design and fun to iPhone and iPod touch. Pinball Magic, just like the classic cabinets (only smaller), works with the free Pinball Magic app to create a portable arcade experience, complete with flipper buttons and ball-launching plunger.

Perfect for entertaining miniature coworkers or family members.  Available soon at Best Buy for $40.

[via TUAW] [Chip Chick]

Blogger Brian Sweet of Gumball Tech claims to have beaten the world text-messaging record using the onscreen keyboard of his iPhone 4.

The record was recently set by a U.K. woman using a Samsung Galaxy S running the SWYPE keyboard. Melissa Thompson, 27, managed to swipe out the phrase: “the razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human,” in just under 26 seconds. (Her feat is still being verified by Guinness).

Sweet claims to have thumbed out the same phrase in less than 22 seconds, besting the record by 4 seconds. “It’s not official,” says Sweet, “but it’s definitely better than what that woman recently achieved.”

If genuine, Sweet’s feat disproves the notion that the iPhone’s onscreen keyboard is slow. Typing on the iPhone has typically been characterized as slow compared to a physical keyboards, such as those on Blackberry devices.

See for yourself. Here’s a YouTube video of Sweet typing out the phrase. Watch those thumbs fly!

Tain’t the heat, t’is the humidity… at least when it comes to iPhone moisture sensors in Hong Kong.

According to the South China Morning Post, numerous Hong Kong iPhone users are having a hard time getting their handsets covered under warranty because the moisture sensors — the small little stickers inside every iPhone that discolor when they get wet, indicating user error — max out at 95% humidity.

The problem? Hong Kong and other Asian countries regularly excess 95% humidity, with some areas seeing greater-than-95% humidity for 73 days between June 1st and August 16th. For an iPhone, this is the equivalent of spending two and a half months in a sauna.

For some users like Justin Hayward, this has resulted in it being impossible to get an iPhone fixed under warranty, and instead being dinged a massive charge for a replacement phone.

“I’ve never used it in the bath, gone swimming or anything like that,” Hayward said. “Let’s face it; many people do break the rules. But a significant number of people are making these kind of report. If the limitation is over 95 per cent humidity, they ought not to be selling the product here. I find it quite unbelievable – a real piece of corporate greed or a great oversight.”

I’m not going to blame this on corporate greed, but Hayward has a point: if the mechanism Apple uses to detect moisture in iPhones doesn’t work in real-world locations, they shouldn’t be denying warranty service on those devices when they fail with triggered moisture sensors.

This isn’t even a problem limited to the Far East: a California woman sued Apple earlier this year over the same problem, and faultily triggered moisture sensors is a rampant problem in the tropics. If Apple’s not going to honor service based upon a moisture detection mechanism that verifiably fails in real-world conditions, they should reconsider selling devices where you can cut the air with a knife.

And here’s Percolator, today’s Best Thing Ever for people who love their iPhone photography.

What does it do? It re-renders photos in glorious approximation, creating gorgeous mosaics out of roundels of color.

Pixels At An Exhibition, an online gallery of iPhone photography,  launched a new Remix feature with a stunning series of nudes.

As per the site’s house rules, all photos are edited on an iPhone, this time other artists were invited to re-interpret a photo series.

There are two Remix galleries of the Sarah nude series in what will become an ongoing feature; the originals are by photographer Christian Peacock.

(Here in the luxurious and well-appointed Cult of Mac offices, one could get a good gander at these pics without recrimination, but we erred on the side of caution, including the ones chosen for this post.)

Déjà vu. A likeable geek whose job is largely dedicated to testing mobile phones leaves his precious new iPhone in a bar… except this time, that affable geek wasn’t Gray Powell. Instead, it was Gizmodo editorial director Brian Lam… the same guy who helped okay the purchase of the lost/stolen iPhone 4 prototype months before its official debut.

According to Lam’s Twitter account, the Gizmodo chief lost his iPhone at a restaurant while having lunch, but a random bystander sitting at a nearby table held onto it for him until he returned. Seemingly without a dose of sarcasm, Lam then tagged his tweet with the Twitter #karma tag.

Perhaps it should have been tagged with #dramatic-irony instead. If anything, the whole misadventure underlines how different things could have gone for Apple and Gizmodo if someone with some scruples had found the iPhone 4 prototype and tried to return it to Powell, as they did for Lam, instead of almost immediately rushing to the highest bidder.

The most surprising detail of this story is that since the tweet, Lam has Brian Lam has locked down his Twitter account so people can’t read his tweets, presumably in response to the Twitter taunts of people on whom the irony was not lost. What a weirdly defensive move, especially from a guy like Lam, who certainly realizes that his job at the largest gadget blog on the Internet makes him a public figure.

Look, Gizmodo, at the end of the day, you landed the biggest tech scoop basically ever, but at the cost of some of your journalist’s ethics. That’s cool, but you’ve got to be ready to take your lumps when people loudly laugh at the irony.

[via Daring Fireball]

Once the most profitable cell phone company in the world, and still the largest, Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia has seemed so utterly unprepared for combating the game-changing iPhone that their corporate confusion could only be matched by someone flipping the gravity switch to the off position in the middle of a basketball game.

It’s no wonder that Nokia is trying to copy Apple’s success, but as these recently leaked shots of their upcoming N9 prestige phone is anything to go by, their strategy seems to be to petulantly ignore Apple’s revolutionary advances in the smartphone arena while rather lamely aping the brushed aluminum and black chiclet aesthetic of the MacBook line.

The result is a confused mishmash: a smartphone that wants to be a MacBook when what Nokia needs is a handset that makes the iPhone want to be more of a Nokia. Come on, Nokia: once upon a time, you made the best phones on Earth. You can do better than this.

Desperate for a real keyboard on your iPhone?  Indian industrial designer Altamash Jiwani was too, and created a prototype of a snap-on sliding QWERTY keyboard for the iPhone 4:

[The] keyboard offers a QWERTY slider tactile keyboard and a stylish impact case to protect your Iphone from bumps and bruises along with access to all the switches and jacks on your Iphone. Just fit your Iphone in the case while connecting the QWERTY keyboard’s port to the dock connector of your Iphone.

Design also incorporates a finger rest at the lower end bottom of the case to get a comfortable hold while typing. If you don’t open the slider, you still have access to whole Iphone screen and the QWERTY keyboard for quickly typing something.

Jiwani put significant thought into choosing among three possible form factors: a flip keyboard, an elongated iPhone frame, or a sliding keyboard.  He documented the design process on his blog.

We all hate chores. Whether it’s taking out the trash, washing the dishes or any other number of horrifyingly dull tasks. Game developer Rexbox aims to inject some fun into these mundane tasks with the release of EpicWin for iPhone, which turns your to-do list into a game.

If you’ve ever hit Craigslist or eBay looking for an iPhone, you’re probably used to seeing ads for new, unlocked iPhones from mystery dealers. You might see less of them for the time being, though: London detectives have arrested nine members of an international iPhone resale ring.

The suspects in question are alleged to have taken advantage of the UK’s extremely subsidized iPhone rates to purchase thousands of new handsets through a middleman boasting a fraudulent credit card or identity. They would then sell those iPhones internationally for a healthy profit, sticking local British iPhone carriers with the tab.

That’s not all: the same criminals stole over £1.2 million in July from wireless carrier O2 by hooking up SIM cards to automated dialers to call premium phone lines in their control which charged ten pounds a minute. They then simply abandoned the contracts by disappearing without a trace.

It was that latter crime that actually prompted the City of London detectives’ month-long investigation, which ultimately netted them nine collars. At one home, they also confiscated over £15,000-worth of iPhones still in their boxes.

[via Apple Insider]

OPlayer, from olimsoft, is an iOS application for both iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad, that claims to boost your device’s media capabilities by allowing playback of a huge list of audio and video file formats.

The list of supported formats is pretty impressive, and will save you a great deal of effort if you often find yourself having to convert movies to watch on your device while you’re on the move. A fairly big video file can take a while to convert and it’s not the most exciting of tasks. But with OPlayer conversion isn’t needed – simply transfer your media to your device.

The full list of supported formats includes MP3, WMA, RM, AAC, WMV, AVI, MKV, RMVB, XVID, MP4, MOV, 3GP and MPG.

You can transfer files to your device using the File Sharing feature within iTunes or you can download them using the built-in browser from your computer, from the internet or from an FTP server. It’s also possible to stream media to your device over Wi-Fi and 3G.

The release of OPlayer, and of CineXPlayer last week, in to the App Store certainly suggests that Apple is relaxing some of its restrictions on app approvals, most likely in a bid to discourage users from jailbreaking their devices. Will this open the doors for other third-party media players?

Get OPlayer for your iPhone & iPod Touch from the App Store here, or get the HD version for your iPad here.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bulLBD18uI8&feature=player_embedded

Recently vacated Mac avatar and sloe-eyed hipster hunk Justin Long popped up on Jimmy Kimmel Live the other night, and let’s just say he’s probably glad his “Get A Mac” gig has ended, because otherwise he might have gotten into some serious trouble pulling out that jailbroken iPhone.

But that’s not really the most interesting thing about his appearance. I got to tell you, I love this clip: I’ve always despised Justin Long, but this anecdote is funny enough that I’m seriously starting to think I just hated him because he was beautiful. And a lackluster thespianr, but whatever. Who knew he was so funny?

[via 9to5Mac]

Apple will build future iPhone and other gadgets from Liquidmetal, says a former top researcher at Liquidmetal Technologies, whose technology Apple is licensing.

“I think they’re going to make the iPhone out of it,” said Dr. Jan Schroers, the former director of research at Liquidmetal Technologies, the first company to commercially develop the space-age technology. “It’s quite obvious from what Liquidmetal has done in the past and what the technology is capable of.”

Apple has signed an exclusive agreement to use the Liquidmetal Technologies’ IP in consumer electronic products. Liquidmetal is a high-strength metal that can be processed like plastic. NASA has says it is “poised to redefine materials science as we know it in the 21st century.”

Dr. Schroers is the second high-level executive from Liquidmetal to say Apple has ambitious plans for the revolutionary material. Last week, the alloy’s co-inventor, Atakan Peker, predicted that Apple may use Liquidmetal for a new antenna to replace the problematic part in the iPhone 4.

Speaking exclusively to CultofMac.com, Schroers said Apple could create very intricate and beautiful gadget cases by blow-molding melted alloy like glass. Schroers has created one-piece perfume jars from Liquidmetal using a blow mold (see the picture below).

The technology could also create permanent holographic logos that are etched right into the metal, or elaborate patterns that generate color effects.

“You can really do some novel things with metal that previously were impossible,” he said. “In two years, you could see something the world has never seen in metal.”

There’s a lot of money in iPhone accessories, but one midlevel Apple manager may have taken things too far after he managed to make over $1 million in kickbacks for supplying Asian suppliers and manufacturers insider information about new products and other internal decisions.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Paul Shin Devine — a global supply chain manager within Apple — used an elaborate network of national and foreign bank accounts as well as a front company to receive payments for his information. He has since been arrested and named in a 23-count federal grand jury indictment for wire fraud and money laundering. The Asian accessory manufacturers with whom Devine did business have not been named.

Needless to say, Apple’s none too happy about this:

“Apple is committed to the highest ethical standards in the way we do business,” Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said in a statement. “We have zero tolerance for dishonest behavior inside or outside the company.”

In fact, Apple has so little tolerance for these sorts of shady ethics that they have filed a separate civil lawsuit against Devine. Even if he escapes prison, Devine is going to be sued into a gelatin slurry by his former employers.

Somehow, I’m guessing Devine didn’t quite think this through all the way.

Near Field Communication, or NFC, is a short range wireless technology that allows you to use your mobile phone for mobile payments. In other words, walk into a cafe, wave your phone over a NFC-sensitive plate and you could automatically buy yourself a cup of coffee, no cash required. Or wave your handset in front of a parking meter to fill it up with a couple hours without digging through your change purse.

Last month, we reported that AT&T was looking to use NFC to allow their smartphones to work as the equivalent of debit cards, but it looks like Apple’s getting serious about NFC too… they’ve just hired Benjamin Vigier, an expert on NFC technogloy, as its new product manager for mobile commerce.

Just you wait: in a couple years time, you’ll be leaving your credit card at home and doing all of your payments with your iPhone.

[via Mac Rumors]

With hundreds of thousands of applications and games already in the App Store, and more and more added daily, it’s often hard to notice some of the great apps that are available for your iOS device. That’s where Cult of Mac’s weekly must-have shortlist comes in: we’ll compile a list at the end of each week to showcase a few of our favorites and pick out the best of the bunch. Check out this week’s after the break!

The first video sex chat service to use FaceTime on the iPhone 4 has just launched.

The service — iP4play.com — claims to offer “the hottest Video Chat models from the sexy girl next door to Penthouse’s finest.”

Interactive video sex chat is nothing new, but FaceTime offers portability and convenience. Who knows when the need for sex chat will strike? It’s also somewhat more discreet that a 27-inch iMac screen.

FaceTime is an iPhone 4-only videonferencing service that works over Wi-Fi. Both parties must have an iPhone 4 for it work. FaceTime calls are free, and it’s unclear how iP4play.com will charge for calls. It looks as though the company will charge the user’s credit card for a pre-set time with the performer, who will hang up when the time runs out.

UPDATE: iP4play.com says calls will start at $4.00/minute. 5-7 models will be online simultaneously to start.

As soon as Apple launched FaceTime, the porn industry recognized its potential for interactive sex services, which can command premium payments from clients. The industry started advertising for performers on Craigslist last month.

According to iP4play.com, here’s how it works:

Geoff Teehan of Teehan+Lax writes to say that his company has just released a Photoshop file with all the iPhone GUI elements at Retina Display resolution. It allows designers to create App designs in Photoshop rather than the Xcode programming tool.

Thought I’d reach out and let you know that we just released a fully rebuilt version of the iPhone GUI PSD at Retina display resolution. I think many designers and devs will find it useful.

The giant 62.7MB file, which measures 4074×2986, can be found here.

Teehan+Lax made the file for themselves and are sharing to help others. If you find it useful, please pay whatcha’ like.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeXe_G0xmY0&feature=player_embedded

By all rights, id software’s John Carmack should be an engorged psychic brain floating in a tank somewhere: he talks like some kind of representative of a spatial robotic hive mind, and his ability to code next-gen graphics engines are often years ahead of their time.

Consider, for example, this demonstration Carmack gave at yesterday’s QuakCon 2010 keynote. What you see here is the id tech 5 engine, which will drive id software’s forthcoming next-generation post-apocalyptic shooter, Rage… except it’s running on the iPhone 4 at 60 frames per second , with Xbox or PlayStation 2 level graphics. That’s nothing to sneeze at… and Carmack promises it’ll

Sure, this isn’t an actual “game” yet, just a technology demonstration… but Carmack expects to see the iPhone version of Rage come to the App Store later this year as a smaller prequel game, with a more robust sequel to be released simultaneously with the console version next year.

Of course, where id software tends to fall over isn’t in the technology, but the actual gameplay, so who knows if Rage for iPhone will actually be worth playing. Either way, though, this is on track to be the best looking game on the App Store.

File this under “Whatever,” but DVICE is claiming that they have a source who has been testing the CMDA Verizon iPhone prototype, which they say will be very different indeed from the iPhone 4.

The suspect differences include a new internal antenna which they say might be made out of Apple’s new LiquidMetal acquisition, a larger 3.7-inch display and a 1.2GHz A4 processor.

Look, we’re just reporting it. If Verizon gets the iPhone in January, we seriously doubt it’s going to be significantly better than the iPhone 4: Apple’s not likely to offer different features for different iPhones, especially when a CDMA iPhone can’t really be rolled out internationally.

A Verizon iPhone would just be the foot in the door to a wider US market, not a major revision of the handset. After all, eventually Apple’s going to want to converge both the CDMA and GSM flavors of the iPhone into one device capable of running on any network under the sun… and they’re already looking at the Qualcomm chips capable of making that happen.

 Apple may be planning to use Liquidmetal for a new iPhone antenna, says the co-inventor of the sci-fi metal alloy.

Interviewed exclusively by CultofMac.com, Dr. Atakan Peker says Liquidmetal might be a good material for building a next-generation antenna to replace the problematic part in the iPhone 4.

“Let me state that this is very exciting for me,” he said. “I made the first and original alloy formulations… I am a big Mac fan and greatly admire Apple as a company. I have been using Mac exclusively my whole life, both at work and home. It is a pleasant surprise for me to see both get together.” As Apple explores innovative materials, it could also be working towards an apple folding phone with a cutting-edge Liquidmetal hinge. Learn more about it here.

As Apple explores innovative materials, it could also be working towards an apple folding phone with a cutting-edge Liquidmetal hinge. Learn more about it here.

Liquidmetal is already used to build the antenna for the Verizon USB727 wireless modem, which got great reviews for its reception.

I like to keep my todo list nice and simple, so for a while now it has been a plain text file that sits inside Dropbox.

That still meant that remote edits of the file using my iPhone were tricky and fiddly. They won’t be any more, though, because I’ve just spent a dollar on Nebulous Notes, a new text editor for iOS devices that’s designed for dealing with documents stored in the cloud.

Specifically in this case, documents stored inside Dropbox. You have to tell Nebulous Notes your Dropbox sign-in credentials, and it offers to remember them for you (with added protection of a four-digit PIN for security’s sake).

The editor itself offers a choice of a handful of fonts and colors (including green-on-black for you green-on-black text editor fans).

There are a few other basic Dropbox-level functions, too: the app can create new folders and text files, as well as delete stuff you’ve already got in your Dropbox. It is strictly limited to displaying and editing plain text, though: it can’t handle rich texts, and it won’t display images or PDFs. But if – like me – the main thing that matters is the words, that’s not going to be a problem.