T-Mobile is set to hold a press conference tomorrow about its new, contract-free wireless plans, and it so happens that the carrier recently entered an agreement with Apple to officially sell the iPhone in 2013. Since the iPhone 5 hasn’t been made available on the network yet, T-Mobile has been waiting for the right time to showcase the device.
According to a new report, the iPhone will be front and center at T-Mobile’s press event tomorrow.
As Apple has become more successful over the last few years, Hon Hai Precision Industry’s (Foxconn) financial fortunes have been more tightly bound to Apple’s than ever before.
If things are going well for Foxconn, then Apple’s probably doing pretty well too, so investors were happy to hear that Foxconn just posted its most profitable quarter ever thanks to improved production efficiency of the iPad and iPhone 5.
It’s pretty much a forgone conclusion that any time we review a bag or case by Waterfield Designs, we’re going to love them. The San Francisco based company is such a maestro at stripping a cow to its bones then stitching the tanned hide up into a premier laptop or tablet case that dishing out an enthusiastic review of yet another one is starting to feel like a matter of course.
So it’s with a profound sense of relief that I can report that Waterfield Design’s CitySlicker MacBook case is the worst thing anyone’s ever made, ever. That includes the Fred series of movies. Scotch-taped together from what appears to be a beef jerky flavored Fruit Roll-Up, the City Slicker….
*snicker*
Sorry, I couldn’t keep a straight face. Just kidding! The CitySlicker is an awesomely stylish protective case for your MacBook Air that can double as a very streamlined laptop bag or attache case. Oh, and it also makes a pretty awesome lap desk. It’s just as good a product as any that Waterfield has ever made. But it’s definitely not for everyone.
If you don’t live near an Apple Store but can’t wait a few days for an iPhone to be shipped to you, then we have some great news. Apple has started a promotion that will offer customers free next day shipping on all online iPhone orders.
We’ve known that T-Mobile was doing away with two-year phone contracts for quite some time, but exact details haven’t been revealed until today. Unlike the other big U.S. carriers (AT&T, Verizon and Sprint), T-Mobile isn’t doing subsidized, two-year contracts for smartphones anymore. Instead, you pay as you go—and the monthly rates look very good.
Kicking off this week’s must-have apps roundup is EverClip for iPad, a terrific tool that lets you “clip” almost anything to Evernote, so that you can’t forget them. We also have a wonderful new music player for the iPad, the new Star Wars Pinball game, and more.
We learned this week that Google, Samsung and LG are all planning smartwatches.
Sony, Pebble, Cookoo, I’m Smart, MetaWatch and Martian already have pretty sophisticated smartwatches available, all of which interoperate with the iPhone.
You can be sure that 100 Chinese companies will make inexpensive smartwatches that support either the iPhone or Android or both.
And, of course, Apple is rumored to be working on a curved-glass “iWatch.”
Here’s why I believe Apple’s smartwatch will have a market advantage.
Counter-intuitive though it may seem, taking a light source and putting it right up close to your subject’s face – as close as you can without getting it in frame – makes for softer light. Why? Because it makes the light bigger in relation to the subject. If that subject is a face, a bigger light can “wrap around” its contours and fill in its own shadows.
And the Photojojo Pocket Spotlight is a big light source for your iPhone.
According to some (questionable) reports, Apple will finally offer the iPhone in various different colors later this year. But rather than waiting to see whether or not that actually happens, why not take matters into your own hands. A number of third-party iPhone 5 replacement parts are now available to purchase, and they come in all sorts of pretty colors.
There aren’t many good docks out there for Apple devices with the new Lightning connector, especially the fourth-gen iPad and iPad mini. While you’re on the hunt for a viable docking solution, check out this neat iPad dock made entirely of Legos. It’s from the same people who made the iPhone 5 Lightning Lego dock we showed you last year.
It’s a pretty cheap dock alternative that appeals to the kid in all of us. You assemble the kit yourself, and it works with any iPad that uses a Lightning connector.
