iOS Devices

Sprint Nextel CFO Joe Euteneuer, speaking at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Entertainment & Communications conference (webcast) as recorded by Fierce Wireless:

“Steve [Elfman, president of Sprint’s network operations and wholesale,] and his team have been relentless on watching the existing network to make sure that we are spending the capital we need and to make sure we don’t create a bad user experience–irrespective of all the rumors,” In terms of the demand and network usage generated by selling the iPhone, Euteneuer said “we’re going to stay ahead of it.”

Sprint is getting the iPhone….and the iPad.  The takeaway from this webcast is that it is going to try to do it without data caps.  
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Tkj8SIHMU&start=277]

There is nothing that you can do on the iPhone or iPad that I can’t do.

AnilDash via TNW
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iPhone 5 mockup, first published by TechVulture

China Mobile’s chairman Wang Jianzhou went on the record (again) to sort of confirm that an iPhone version for their fourth-generation TD-LTE network is coming. Bloomberg has the quote:

China Mobile and Apple hope to find a solution for close collaboration. We discussed this issue with Apple. We hope Apple will produce a new iPhone with TD-LTE. We have already got a positive answer from Apple.

You may recall China Mobile recently all but confirmed TD-LTE dealings with Apple. Back in January, their boss said in no vague terms that Apple will support TD-LTE. 4G TD-LTE is not to be confused with 4G LTE. The two radio technologies are incompatible and TD-LTE is mostly used in Asia. China Mobile’s third-generation TD-SCDMA network also doesn’t support current iPhones as this radio technology is incompatible with CDMA used by Verizon Wireless in the United States.

Regardless, China Mobile counts a cool 8.5 million iPhone users who surf the web on its second-generation data network or wireless hotspots, Wang confirmed. That’s an impressive number, especially in the light of one million iPhone users on T-Mobile’s USA network as of June. The issue of iPhone in China is dominating the headlines lately. For example…

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Kensington has just announced two new security products for iPad and iPhone including the SecureBack lock mechanism and the BungeeAir integrated alarm case for iPhone. We had some hands on time at Pepcom last night with working demos.

The BungeeAir tech ($99) is packed into a typical looking iPhone case (above), a key fob, and the BungeeAir app. Simply attach the fob to your keys or any other always handy location and configure your preferences from within the app. Now, when you are separated from your device (based on your preferred settings) you will receive a buzz and/or beep notification to the key fob. The device will also go into Password protect mode if it was left open. You can even locate your lost keys or fob itself by activating the key fob from within the app.

The case also integrates a built-in back up 1500 mAh battery and the ability to prop up the device in landscape or portrait view.

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A manager for Samsung has admitted in court to passing Apple’s trade secrets to Mountain View-based Primary Global Research’s executive James Fleishman and an unnamed fund manager, after being granted immunity from prosecution by U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff. Bloomberg describes how Suk-Joo Hwang, a long-time Samsung veteran, had passed information involving shipments of Samsung’s LCD displays to Apple before the original iPad debuted. He recalled one case of sharing trade secrets with Fleischman over lunch at a California restaurant:

One particular thing I remember vividly was that I talked about the shipment numbers of Apple, it was about iPad. This is in December 2009, before it came out with the tablet PC, they didn’t know the name then, so I talked to them about the tablet shipment estimates in that meeting.

Hwang told Judge that a visitor was intensely staring at their table, which led him to suspect that the person might have been an Apple employee. Shortly thereafter, Hwang learned that Samsung had lost a supply contract with Apple. “I thought, ‘Oh that guy was an Apple guy and they found out,’” Hwang said, adding he was “scared”.

And what did Fleishman do with this information?

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Epson has just introduced their new ‘MegaPlex’ line up of light-weight, portable projectors specially designed for iOS devices.

Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch sits and charges on a built-in dock, allowing you to project photos, movies, and presentations from your iOS device to a big screen. Both of the two models in the series can spit out an image up to 12 times larger than a 40-inch screen, and include built in stereo sound with two 10-watt speakers.

The Megaplex MG-850HD ($800) is the more expensive of the two models on offer and sports HD 720p resolution and 2800 lumens color, and a built-in mic. The MG-50 model is pretty much the same only without the 720p resolution and costing a hundred less at $700.

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Apple and Sprint have completed work on a version of the iPad for Sprint’s data network. This Sprint compatible iPad appears to be ready for public consumption and will join the family of GSM (AT&T) and Verizon capable Apple tablets before the holidays. With Apple soon launching a Sprint version of the iPhone – which we independently confirmed in June – we suspect that the Sprint iPad will come alongside or soon after that release. The iPhone 5 release is still scheduled for October 7th according to our source (and others), but changes/delays are always possible.

The first week of October date for the new iPhone’s availability fits nicely with our report about AT&T’s major early October changes: data throttling and a new insurance plan for $199 devices.

The Sprint version of the iPad is completely separate from the CDMA Verizon model.  We can’t confirm that this new iPad will run on Sprint’s powerful 4G WiMAX network, but the question begs to be asked: Why would Apple build a new iPad for Sprint and not use the CDMA iPad that Verizon already carries?  A report yesterday from TUAW seemed to imply that a 4G iPad from Sprint would be happening at some point.

What’s perhaps most enticing about the Sprint iPad (besides the possibility of 4G) is that Sprint is a lot more generous with its data plans, perhaps offering iPad users once again a truly unlimited data option.

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UPDATE [Friday, September 16, 2011 at 7:50am ET]: RIM just reported quarterly earnings. They shipped 200,000 PlayBooks, barely half the figure analysts projected. That means that sales ratio to iPad is 1:46, not 1:19. Shares slumped 20 percent on the news, Financial Times reports.

We’ve suspected Research In Motion’s seven-inch BlackBerry PlayBook tablet may have been met with muted response from the iPad-maddened fans of technology. Bloomberg polled a group of analysts and concluded that RIM during last quarter may have shipped just one PlayBook for every nineteen iPads. Apple during the June quarter shipped 9.25 million iPad. iPad sales surged following the somewhat subdued shipments of 4.69 million units in the March quarter, when the company had begun winding down production of the original iPad ahead of the iPad 2 launch.

As for the PlayBook, RIM is set to report quarterly earnings tomorrow so Bloomberg’s comparison is a bit unfair because it draws conclusions from analysts’ estimates, who we know often miss the mark. There’s also that crucial difference between shipping and actually selling something to end users. Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley forecasts 1.5 million PlayBooks in this calendar year versus 39.2 million iPads and seven million Samsung tablets.

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The Brazilian Minister of Science and Technology, Aloizio Mercadante, has confirmed that iPads made in Brazil will hit the market by December, according to a local report in UOL Technologia (via MacStories):

At first many doubted, but it will be the first time that the company will produce iPads outside Chinese territory. We are taking a big step for digital inclusion in the country.

The device will be manufactured at Foxconn’s new plant in Jundiaí, outside of São Paulo. The news confirms previous assertions calling for the beginning of iPad production in the country around late August or early September. Apple’s contract manufacturer Foxconn will benefit from a substantial 40 percent reduction because the government won’t levy taxes on domestically produced products.

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iPhone 5 concept render that briefly appeared on the website of Danish carrier 3.dk.

After we learned that Deutsche Telekom in Germany began accepting early reservations for Apple’s next iPhone model, a carrier in China is pulling a similar maneuver. According to a local report by Southern Metropolis Daily (via The Next Web and CapitalVue), China Telecom set aside 1.5 billion yuan (about $234.5 million) in marketing expenses for iPhone 5 launch. They refer to this as a ‘Dragon Plan’ and local branches are already preparing for the handset’s arrival with staff training and in-store advertising. For example, one local office already installed a LED screen advertising iPhone 5.

The story has it that China Telecom will take orders from end of September. Official sales will begin in October, sources claim. Foxconn, Apple’s contract manufacturer, is said to have increased iPhone 5 output to 150,000 units, enough to flood the market with 5-6 million iPhone 5s in September. Shares of China Telecom climbed 0.41 percent today on the news. Reuters previously claimed that iPhone is arriving to China Telecom and officials confirmed they had approached Apple with the idea of bringing a CDMA version of the iconic handset to its customers. 9to5Mac previously learned from sources that Apple will take pre-orders for its next iPhone beginning September 30 in the United States.

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Another sign of an imminent product refresh in Cupertino, California: Contract manufacturer Foxconn has shipped fewer iPhone 4s during the month of August as Apple is gearing up to launch a new model. DigiTimes has the story:

Industry observers said Foxconn’s shipments of iPhone 4 may have decreased in August because of inventory adjustments ahead of the launch of the new iPhone model.

9to5Mac heard from sources, too, that iPhone 4 supplies are becoming constrained globally. Surprisingly, iPod touch supplies show no sign of dwindling. You probably know that somewhere in China there are stacks of finished iPhone 5s, waiting for that iOS 5 Golden Master to be preloaded in a matter of week or two.

Industry estimates call for 5-6 million iPhone 5 units during the month of September. Total iPhone 5 shipments in the holiday quarter are expected to reach 22+ million units, supply chain sources claim. That figure easily beats the 20+ million iPhones (which includes all models) that Apple moved during the June quarter of this year. If ChangeWave Research is to be believed, Apple will face “unprecedented” global demand for the fifth-generation iPhone. Also of note…

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Bentley used the Frankfurt Motor Show this week to unveil a new concept for their flagship Mulsanne luxury vehicle that integrates two iPads, two Apple wireless keyboards, one Mac mini, and an iPod touch as the heart of its entertainment system.

As you can see from the gorgeous images of the hand-crafted cabin, the Mulsanne concept packs in two retractable iPad workstations (equipped with full internet access) for rear passengers, with a wireless Apple bluetooth keyboard enclosed in a custom housing.

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Well, what do you know, the Federal Trade Commission is putting acne-curing apps out of business with the announcement that developers will stop promoting them under FTC settlements. Jon Leibowitz, the chairman of the FTC, summed it up nicely:

When it comes to curing acne, there’s no app for that.

Computerworld explains that the FTC’s action was the first-ever against overblown health claims by mobile apps not supported by scientific evidence. Apps which claim to treat acne were found on both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Android Marketplace. The ruling puts programs such as AcneApp for iPhone and Acne Pwner for Android out of business as App Store and Android Marketplace comprise the biggest chunk of mobile app downloads. Said programs, the agency explained, “both claimed to be able to treat acne with colored lights emitted from smartphones or mobile devices”. The apps would have you hold the display next to the area of skin to be treated for few minutes daily. The ruling won’t affect apps that educate on acne treatment, such as this one.

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Cable television channel TNT, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner, has released an iPad app which gives you complete access to full-length television shows and movies aired by the network. As you’ve come to expect from similar apps, TNT for iPad lets you access behind-the-scenes videos, check out program guides and schedule reminders. It also integrates with GetGlue, Facebook and Twitter so you can pollute your friends’ social stream with the seemingly unimportant “I’m watching…” status updates.

Important caveat: Watching full episodes of television shows such as The Closer, Falling Skies and Rizzoli & Isles requires authenticating through your television provider. The TNT for iPad app is a free download from the App Store. Go past the fold for three additional screenshots of the TNT for iPad app.

NBC has also updated its iPad app with the same content found on the NBC.com web site. Yes, you can finally stream The Office to your iPad! Also, their TBS for iPad program does the same for Turner’s other shows, including episodes of Conan, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, available free on your tablet.

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The ailing computer maker, Hewlett-Packard, announced a brand new iOS app with remote management and printing capabilities. In addition to the usual assortment of features ranging from automatic printer discovery and setup, printer status notification, remote ink/printer status and troubleshooting cartridge identification, HP Printer Control turns your printer into a two-way communications device with scan to Facebook, scan to Google Docs and scan to email capabilities.

The app works with most ePrint-enabled Photosmart, Officejet and LaserJet printers released in 2011 and is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch running iOS 4.2 or later. The app wasn’t on the App Store at the time of this writing. HP also supports Apple’s AirPrint technology on select printers and has recently rolled out AirPrint compatibility to eight new LaserJets.

By the way, don’t try opening the official PDF document in Safari or Preview – it appears garbled. Chrome renders it properly, though. Kinda makes you wonder what was HP thinking here, even with the bigger worries on their mind. Official release notes after the break.

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Developers get downloading! Apple has just begun seeding iTunes 10.5 beta 8 (Mac only) and iWork for iOS beta 3 to developers, on the Developer Center. According to the release notes after the break, iTunes 10.5 beta 8 brings several bug fixes and performance updates for subscribers using iTunes Match beta. The new iTunes beta also brings the ability to back up to iCloud from inside of iTunes. We assume iWork for iOS beta 3 brings bug fixes, too.

Thanks, Hurdle!

If you find anything let us know; tips@9to5mac.com.

Release notes after the break:

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Bloomberg (adds to the) reports that Sprint will differentiate itself from AT&T and Verizon iPhone offers by offering a truly unlimited plan.

Sprint, the third-largest U.S. wireless carrier, plans to begin selling the device in mid-October under a deal with Apple for the next model, the iPhone 5, said the people, who wouldn’t be identified because the plans aren’t public. Becoming the country’s only operator to offer the device with unlimited data service for a flat fee may help Sprint draw customers from AT&T and Verizon Wireless, which already carry the phone, they said.

Sprint, probably because it has to, offers reasonable plans without data capping or tiers.  Its subsidiary Virgin Mobile would be even better with its $35-$55 unlimited plans.

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Bluetooth headset maker extraordinaire Jawbone revealed earlier this year that they plan to bring a health aware electronic bracelet called Jawbone Up to the market later this year. Details on the interesting product have been very scarce, with just a handful of tidbits and press shots emerging since the product’s announcement in July. Now, we’ve secured the product’s full promotional video (right below) and all of the details… including a launch date.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92ijVSLb7b8]

We’ve posted all of the internal documents after the break, but here’s the summary:

• The Jawbone Up uses sophisticated hardware and software to track user’s steps, distance traveled, pace, intensity level of movement, and calories burned throughout a day. In addition, the system intelligently breaks down a person’s active time versus inactive time. Perhaps the coolest feature within the device’s “Move” functionality is the ability to remind users when it’s time to get up and be active. This little bracelet can actually vibrate as an alert for the user to become active. Of course, a user reads all of the above information categories from their iPhone or Android device with a special Jawbone-built application.
• Another focal point of the Jawbone Up’s iPhone integration is a very neat feature in their “Eat” category. The bracelet – along with the app – can learn what food is best for a user’s metabolism – and can create a custom diet setup for each user. As you can see in the promotional video above, a user can just snap a photo of each and every meal in order to get the “Eat” system rolling. In all, this “Eat” function promises to track your meals, measure eating responses, and improve your personal metabolism: all with the help of a comparatively (to gadgets) good looking bracelet and an iPhone app.
• The third cornerstone of the Jawbone Up has to do with sleep. These sleep features are perhaps the Up’s most instrumental capabilities. The Up basically tracks everything about a user’s sleeping habits: hours slept, time to fall asleep, sleep phases/patterns, waking moments, and overall sleep quality. Within this sleep category, the most important and intutive feature is the “Silent Wakeup Alarm” mechanism. In order to allow a user to wakeup refreshed, the bracelet will send gradual vibrates to the user. Based on your natural sleep cycle, the feature will fully wake you up.

Jawbone said the Up would launch later this year, and the company is currently shooting for a September 25th launch of their intuitive and feature packed health-bracelet. We’ve also got the official sizing chart for the product (which may work with BlackBerry also) thanks to reader C.

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Linea-Pro from Infinite Peripherals

Lowe’s has purchased 42,000 iPhones to begin using a similar payment system that you see in Apple Store’s, as reported by Bloomberg (via The Next Web). We’ve all had the pleasurable event of purchasing an Apple product, where the checkout doesn’t take place at a cash register. Rather, the Apple retail employee whips out a EasyPay iPod touch to take your money. Each Lowe’s store will receive 25 iPhones to process payments and answer customers’ questions.

Along with the purchase of the phones, Lowe’s will roll out a web app called MyLowe’s that will allow customers to look up information regarding products, warranties, etc. Presumably, the device features a credit card scanner added on (as seen above on an iPod touch). Lowe’s isn’t first to hop on this bandwagon, as Old Navy and Home Depot have been doing similar with portable devices.

Update: We have screenshots of the app after the break:

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Radio Shack promised they would begin selling Verizon devices in mid-September, and now they have picked a great device to kickoff their Verizon Wireless partnership: the Verizon iPhone 4. Radio Shack will begin carrying the 16GB and 32GB (some locations) models (possibly only in black) of the Verizon iPhone 4 on September 15th, just a couple of weeks before the launch of the iPhone 5. Some Radio Shack locations will also get the Verizon iPad 2.

To us, the timing seems a bit odd. When Apple released the 8GB version of the iPhone 3GS alongside the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 4, they immediately removed the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 3GS models from the iPhone lineup. If Radio Shack landing the 16GB and 32GB Verizon iPhone 4 has anything to do with Apple’s future iPhone plans – which may seem unlikely to some – we’re not too sure what to think about the 8GB iPhone 4 rumor.

For those interested in Android, we’ve posted the rest of Radio Shack’s initial Verizon device lineup at 9to5Google.com

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Google has just released a HTML 5 optimized Music Beta player for iOS 4, announced via Twitter. Upon first launching the webpage, Google asks for the allowance of 25mb to be stored on your device. After, you are presented with a full run down of all of the artists you uploaded to the service. Once you have selected a preferred song, you are taken to a “Now Playing” page. Yes, if you haven’t realized already it works a lot like the music.app. This feels so sleek! 

Check it out in the video below:

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