iOS devices refer to any of Apple’s hardware that runs the iOS mobile operating system which include iPhones, iPads, and iPods. Historically, Apple releases a new iOS version once a year, the current version is iOS 10. Here is the complete list of iOS 10 compatible devices.
If you’re still trying to get your hands on the Sprint iPhone 4S, you’ve now got another outlet. According to internal documents we’ve obtained, RadioShack will be adding Apple’s latest handset to their Sprint lineup this weekend. Some stores should have stock now and many more will be getting it over the coming days. Unfortunately, if you want the 32 or 64 GB models, you may be out of luck, at least for now. According the documents we’ve seen, there is no indication that those models will be available at this time at Radio Shack.
The 16 GB model will be available in both black and white, and will be available at all stores that currently carry the iPhone, and stores that don’t typically carry the iPhone should be able to order it in. RadioShack has carried the iPhone 4 on Sprint since they started selling the 4S on Verizon and AT&T last month with a note that the Sprint 4S would be available at a later date, due to inventory issues.
The first Ice Cream Sandwich handset, the Galaxy Nexus, hit the UK this week (US launch coming soon) and AnandTechhas benchmarked the ICS/Galaxy Nexus combo vs. the iPhone 4S/iOS 5 combo. The Galaxy Nexus processor/GPU isn’t groundbreaking by any means, but the new software inside is certainly packing a punch beating iOS in a few key areas. As seen in the graph to the right, the Galaxy Nexus has a slightly faster tested browser than the iPhone 4S — a crucial day-to-day necessity for users.
The Galaxy Nexus also comes up with the win in JavaScript loading, bringing faster load times than the Droid RAZR and iPhone 4S. Don’t think the Galaxy Nexus is going to come away with everything, however. Both Apple’s iPhone 4S and iPad 2 outperform the Galaxy Nexus in GPU loading — which is limited by its slower SGX 540 underneath. That’s an important consideration for gaming.
The Galaxy Nexus’s hardware has been dubbed very smooth compared to older versions of Android. Google is activating 550,000 Android devices a day and is still behind iOS in total Activations at 200 million total. Head after the break for more graphs.
Update: This only works until the TMSI is refreshed which means it won’t last very long
Michael Capozzi (via Chronic)has apparently discovered how to unlock the iPhone 4S (reportedly AT&T version only) without any software or hardware tweaking. The unlock will assist you in using your iPhone 4S on T-Mobile’s network as long as you have a T-Mobile SIM card. Before you get started, go ahead and cut down your T-Mobile SIM card to match your AT&T SIM card’s size. Go ahead and give the following directions a try:
Insert original carrier AT&T SIM card
Dial 611 for AT&T customer service hotline and drop the call
Turn on Airplane Mode
Take out AT&T SIM card
Insert T-Mobile SIM card
Update:the unlock also works with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, and will need to be done again if you reset your device. Continue after the break..
Qualcomm has just issued a press release announcing the commercial availability of their Gobi 4000 chips for 4G LTE and HSPA+ capable devices, a variant of which could very well ship in a next-generation LTE-capable iPad. In August we discovered Apple had possibly begun field testing a next-gen LTE iPads with LTE code floating around the iOS builds, and it’s likely Apple would go with Qualcomm’s chip, as almost every 3G iOS device since the Verizon iPhone has used their Gobi platform, the exception being the the AT&T iPad which uses an older Infineon chip.
“The Gobi 4000 platform allows customers to offer both LTE/HSPA+ and LTE/EV-DO designs to meet the growing demand for embedded 3G/4G connectivity in mobile devices worldwide… System designers now have the flexibility to choose an embedded Gobi 4000 platform for high-speed 4G LTE support, or an embedded Gobi 3000 platform for worldwide 3G connectivity.”
The new chips, now shipping to OEMs with modules available through Novatel Wireless and Sierra Wireless, are based on Qualcomm’s MDM9600 and MDM 9200 3G/4G wireless modems, and as the company notes, have been specially designed for deployment in devices utilizing Snapdragon dual-core and quad-core processors. In addition to HSPA+, dual-carrier HSPA+, and LTE support, the Gobi 4000 platform is also backwards compatible with HSPA and EV-DO. On top of a possible variant of the chip coming to a future 4G LTE iPad, the Gobi 4000 platform will also be included in Lenovo’s ThinkPad laptops, and Dell’s Latitude E6420 laptops, in addition to other Windows and Android powered mobile devices.
Qualcomm’s senior vice president of produdct management for CDMA Technologies, Cristiano Amon, had this to say about the announcement: Expand Expanding Close
Computerworld/IDGreports that wireless industry pioneer John Stanton (founder of of Western Wireless, VoiceStream wireless and former CTIA chairman) worked with Steve Jobs prior to the launch of the iPhone on becoming a carrier using unlicensed spectrum…
Stanton, chairman of venture capital firm Trilogy Partners, said he spent a fair amount of time with Jobs between 2005 and 2007. “He wanted to replace carriers,” Stanton said of Jobs, the Apple founder and CEO who died Oct. 5 after a battle with cancer. “He and I spent a lot of time talking about whether synthetically you could create a carrier using Wi-Fi spectrum. That was part of his vision.”
Today is the last day you can purchase AppleCare+ for your iPhone 4S or iPhone 4, if you purchased it on October 14th or after. AppleCare+ was announced along with the iPhone 4S, and is available for $99 (two years). The plan not only gives you phone and genius bar support coverage, but also accidental damage coverage with a $49 service charge. The plan covers up to two accidents. $99 is a pretty solid insurance policy (Square Trade offers the same).
However, for new iPhone 4S purchases, the AppleCare+ protection plan can be purchased with the device on that day. Today was just the end of the grace period Apple instated for pre-orders. Thanks for the reminder Marco!
The developers over at Applidium are claiming they have cracked Siri’s security protocol, which could enable the speech recognition technology on any device. The possibilities of devices range from iPhone 4, to iPad, to Mac, to even Android.
Last month we showed you Siri running on an iPhone 4 (seen above), but today the possibilities look beyond that. With the crack, developers could even work to implement Siri inside of their own apps. Of course, Apple could push a fix for this sparking another cat and mouse game.
When it comes to this crack you actually need a UDID of an iPhone 4S to get this working. At any time Apple could block the UDID if they see something suspicious.
Applidium has released a set of tools for developers to begin cracking, and says it will be fairly easy to obtain a UDID with them. Check out their post for all of the details.
If you head on over to the Apple Support Forum you’ll find a very long list of issues people are having. The most prominent complaint is still the battery life. “The recent iOS software update addressed many of the battery issues that some customers experienced on their iOS 5 devices,” Apple said in a statement to All Things Digital. “We continue to investigate a few remaining issues.”
Among the Wi-Fi, microphone, and cellular issues, the other big bug in iOS 5.0.1 has to do with Contacts.app (via CNet). All of the names and numbers associate together inside of Contacts.app, but when making a phone call or sending a text through iMessage, 5.0.1 can’t seem to associate the name with the number as usual.
Typically when you walk up to the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store, you will be met with multiple Apple Geniuses with MacBook Pros in front of them. These MacBook Pros have been utilized to facilitate repairs, look up customer information, and order new parts. Starting early next week, in at least some Apple retail markets, the MacBook Pros will disappear in favor of… iPads. These iPads will vastly improve the customer experience and the overall flow of the Apple Retail Store. Read all about it after the break:
Apple has informed beta users of the iTunes Match cloud library service that current libraries will be wiped once again ahead of the service’s launch. The wiping will occur tomorrow, November 12th at 10 AM Pacific time.
As we prepare for the launch of iTunes Match, we will be deleting all current iCloud libraries on Saturday, November 12th at 10 AM PST.
Please turn off iTunes Match on all of your computers and iOS devices. On your computer, choose Store > Turn off iTunes Match. On your iOS device, tap Settings > Music, then turn off iTunes Match. On your Apple TV, please choose Music > Turn off iTunes Match.
The songs on your computer should not be affected. As always, please backup regularly and do not delete the music you add to iCloud from your computer.
Apple missed the planned launch of iTunes Match by the end of October, and is yet to announce a new launch date. With wiping occurring tomorrow, and Apple’s wording in their note to developers, the launch does not seem that far off.
Apart from a press of the home button to initiate Siri, this prototype Siri hack first spotted by IntoMobile is completely thought-controlled. The guys behind Project Black Mirror have recorded brain wave activity with ECG pads, matched the incoming patterns to pre-saved digital patterns saved on a MacBook, then fed the matched commands to a speech synthesizer chip that translates the command to Siri. The video above shows the developers initiating a call, but they say they’ve linked approximately twenty-five brain wave patterns to various Siri-controlled functions, and hope to bypass having to physically press the home button with a fully automated solution in the future. IntoMobile breaks down the intricacies: Expand Expanding Close
There has been no shortage of Apple patent applications published by the US Patent & Trademark Office today (via PatentlyApple). Three of the most interesting with potential to be implemented in upcoming products include a dual OLED backlighting system for future iPads, integrated speaker clip for iPod nano, and new hold and swipe gestures for iOS devices.
First up we have a patent application that backs up a report from DigiTimes claiming Apple is considering alternative backlighting systems with a dual-LED light bar design for iPad 3. PatentlyAppleoutlines the application which details use of multiple OLED backlights not only in a future iPad, but also potentially in a next-gen iPhone, Cinema Display, MacBook, and iMac.
The report also claims Apple mentions “television in passing” within the application, while quoting an announcement from DuPont regarding new AMOLED processing technology, PatentlyApple says that tech is already being supplied to Asian AMOLED manufacturers. Apple’s alternative backlight solutions could also lead to an overall thinner design:
“The bonding of the OLED backlight in the LCD may also increase the mechanical rigidity of the LCD, which may enable the use of thinner glass substrates and possibly reduce the thickness of the overall device. Further, an OLED backlight may generally be thinner than a typical LED backlight, and may also provide improved light uniformity without the use of light guides or additional brightness enhancing films.”
Details on iPod nano speaker patent and swipe and hold iOS gestures below the fold.
Apple just released iOS 5.0.1 build number 9A405, a minor update to its mobile operating system fixing (hopefully) the iPhone 4S battery woes. The software arrives just a day following the iOS 5.0.1 release to certain end-users for testing and a week following a developers-only version.
In addition to battery fixes, iOS 5.0.1 also enables multitasking gestures on the original iPad (go to Settings > General > Multitasking Gestures), fixes the Smart Cover security flaw, resolves bugs with Documents in the Cloud and improves voice recognition for Australian users using dictation.
You can update by connecting to iTunes and hitting the Check for Updates button in the Info pane or download an over-the-air update directly on the device (Settings > General > Software Update). Note that OTA update may not be available for everyone right away. If not, wait a little as these things take some time to propagate.
Full release notes and direct download links right below:
According to Localytics, AT&T continues to be the dominant iPhone carrier in the US, even with the Verizon entering the market strongly last year, grabbing 40% of the users in half the time.
As the 4S was launched on Sprint as well with truly unlimited data plans, one would have thought more of AT&T’s marketshare would have been diminished. However, it appears that sprint is taking more away from Verizon.
Sprint’s share of the 4S market now stands at 12% according to the figures. AT&T, though coverage is spotty in urban areas like New York and San Francisco, does have a significant speed advantage over Sprint and Verizon’s 3G as well as the ability to talk and use data at the same time.
Looking at iPhone 4 distribution as a comparison, Sprint seems to have eroded more of Verizon’s market share than AT&T’s – of the previous-generation handset, 60% are on AT&T versus 40% on Verizon.
A likely driver for these differences is the fact that AT&T can mine its existing base of iPhone users. Because all Verizon iPhone users are in the first year of their wireless contract, the cost of upgrading will be high. However, many longer-term AT&T users, especially those holding iPhone 3GS and earlier devices, are off-contract or nearing the end of their contract. AT&T has been aggressively leveraging the iPhone 4S to sign these customers to new two-year contracts, and the data in this study suggests that tactic may be working.
That data strongly lines up with our poll which we’ve been tracking since before the iPhone 4S launch…
Yesterday, iOS hackers Conrad and Chpwnexposed the upcoming panorama mode in the iOS camera app that we previously revealed. While you can enable it a little easier by using the jailbreak tweak available on Cydia, for those of us who don’t jailbreak, Funky Space Monkeyshows us how to do it. We followed the steps, and it works just fine!
3. Open iBackupBot and find the backup, then load it.
4. Find Library/Preferences/com.apple.mobileslideshow.plist and open the file. (if your software isn’t registered you’ll have to press cancel and then it will open)
Apple is beginning to prepare for the upcoming holiday shopping season by putting the final touches on several retail locations and reinventing the way their visitors buy Apple gear. Most notable is opening up a flagship store in New York’s iconic Grand Central Station. Why is Grand Central such a big deal, especially when there are already Apple Stores in New York in affluent neighborhoods? Here are some quick facts on Grand Central:
750,000 people pass through Grand Central daily and over 1,000,000 people during the holidays
Mean household income for Grand Central Terminal commuters is $95,800; 50% of household incomes are over $100,000, and 20% are over $200,000.
The captive shopping population of more than 326,000 neighborhood office workers earn a combined $11.3 billion a year.
An average 7,500 people an hour pass the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, making it one of the busiest intersections in the city.
21.6 million out-of-town tourists, with a mean income of $62,000, visit Grand Central each year.
Grand Central is served by Metro-North commuter trains, 31 commuter and 15 city bus routes, 7 subway lines, buses to and from the area’s three airports, and two million taxis a year.
Grand Central Terminal subway station is the busiest stop in the New York City subway system.
The future Grand Central Station Apple Store is progressing towards an end of November opening. Future employees for the store have been going through their “Core” training for the past several weeks at a hotel in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan… Expand Expanding Close
Panorama photograph taken with an iPhone running iOS 5
We previously reported that Apple was working on bringing a panorama camera mode to the iPhone, and now some jailbreakers have figured out how to enable it. The interface for the feature is not too fancy, but is certainly usable. The user simply turns on panorama mode by clicking the panorama button on the camera options popover, then moves their phone in their air as shown in the on-screen diagram. The final product will be what you see above, a sample taken with the iOS 5 panorama feature. Screenshots of the panorama interface are after the break! (Thanks Conrad, Chpwn)
Security expert Charlie Miller has found a flaw in code signing on iOS devices (via Forbes) that allows developers to sneak malware apps onto the App Store without Apple’s detection. The malware can then be used to read user’s contacts, make the phone vibrate or sound a ringtone, steal user’s photos, and more whenever the developer chooses. Sketchy!
To shed more light on the exploit Miller is giving a talk at the SysCan conference in Taiwan next week, but he does a good job in showing it off in the video above. Miller isn’t a novice to iOS and Mac security by any means. In 2008 Miller broke into the MacBook Air in two minutes through Safari and more.
Users would definitely be taken by surprise, seeing as we’re all pretty comfortable with how secure Apple keeps the App Store with the company’s review process. Sadly, it looks like any app could be used to harm users. For now, we suggest you keep away from lesser-known apps and developers until Apple issues a fix for the exploit.
Miller’s app has been both removed from the App Store and his developer account has been closed. At any rate, this was definitely a nice find.
In tomorrow’s election, disabled voters in five counties across Oregon will now be able to vote from an iPad. Election officials will be equipped with an iPad to visit disabled voters in nursing homes, parks, and various other places so they can cast their votes easier. The preloaded app on the iPad will allow the user to tap the screen to select a candidate, and then the ballot will be printed out by an Election official.
For the disabled that can’t do it themselves, Election officials will touch the iPad for them. And for the voters with poor vision, the app allows them to change the font size and color to their satisfaction.
Apple has donated five iPads to Oregon to test out the program, but the Oregon state government had to spend $72,000 on the software that runs on the iPads. To deploy the iPad statewide, if the pilot program is successful, the state would need to buy 72 iPads (2 per county) for a total of $36,000. If successful, this program will most likely spread country wide. (via Yahoo/AP).
Following our exclusive looks at the Siri port to the iPhone 4, developer Ryan Petrich (with help from Steven Troughton-Smith and chpwn) has ported the Siri artificial-intelligence system to the iPhone 3GS. The port seems to work well based on the video, but we’ve been told that the microphone performance is significantly worse than the iPhone 4 microphone’s performance. If there is any significant ambient noise, the home button needs to be clicked to stop voice input.
The storyfloatingaround this morning is that Apple is testing Siri on the iPhone 4 and is looking to bring it to the iPhone 4 eventually. The first part is true, and the second part is not. Apple has long been testing Siri on the iPhone 4. In fact, Apple employees are currently running around with Siri on their iPhone 4. In addition, Apple has even left Siri references in the latest iOS 5.0.1 beta for the iPhone 4 – and even the iPad and iPod touch.
Siri runs just fine on the iPhone 4 in both our earlier and more recent testing. Using Siri on the iPhone 4 was incredibly smooth, just like the Siri experience on an iPhone 4S.
But just because Apple has tested Siri on the iPhone 4, and just because Siri files are in the iPhone 4 file system, and just because Siri runs great on the iPhone 4 does not mean Siri is coming to the iPhone 4.
Remember when Apple released the iPhone 3GS with the ability to capture video and people wondered why the original iPhone or 3G weren’t given rights to capture video, even though Jailbreak Apps showed it working fine? Same thing here. Apple is in the business of selling hardware. Don’t forget that.
Apple chose to make Siri an iPhone 4S exclusive for multiple reasons. One being for marketing purposes, take Apple’s newest phone and you get their new and fancy artificial intelligence system. Apple spent hundreds of millions of dollars on Siri’s development, and issuing the software as a free upgrade would not be beneficial to Apple.
The next reason is the iPhone 4S is a more closed control group for the Siri “beta” than if Apple were to open Siri to the tens of millions of iPhone 4 customers. Third is the future. We’ve been hearing a lot of whispers about the future of Siri from multiple sources, and the A4 single-core processor will simply not do. When Apple releases something in a certain way, they have good reason.
Moral of the story: your iPhone 4 will not be getting Siri (legally).
The first app to come out of Kevin Rose’s newly founded app development company Milk has hit the iTunes App Store for free. The app is called Oink and is available for both the iPhone and iPad and allows you to ‘rate and rank things around you’. The app takes a Foursquare check-in approach, but focuses on ranking a product inside of a business rather than checking into the actual business.
Oink has a social aspect to it allowing you to build “cred” as you check-in more. Your check-ins are sent out to all of your Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare friends.
What’s really cool about the app is that it will help users find not only the best places in town, but the best items in the places. Oink gives you the ability to rank those items. We’re checking it out right now. (via TechCrunch)
Update: Siri appears to be back online. Let us know in the comment below if it is working for you.
Many publications, including us, have found that Siri is experiencing its first extended outage across the United States. When users try to say a command or ask a question Siri responds back with,”there’s something wrong, and I can’t answer your questions right now. Please try again in a little while.”
Twitter users are weighing in experiencing the same issues for the better part of today. Siri does appear to be working in other countries, however. Apple has yet to comment, but we’ll keep you updated. Are you experiencing this too?
