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iOS Devices

9,871 'iOS Devices' stories May 2007 - January 2010
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The devices that run the world’s most advanced mobile operating system

Check out our top stories on iOS Devices:

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.

Apple enters the advertising business, acquires Quattro Wireless for $275 million

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Jan 4 2010 - 9:49 pm PT
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According to All Things D, Apple has acquired a mobile advertising firm called Quattro Wireless for $275 million.  Quattro is a competitor to Admob which Google outbid Apple in purchasing for $750 million just months ago.  Google-Admob still has to meet FCC qualifications before the deal is complete.

If the Quattro deal is completed, Apple will have entered the mobile advertising world (a big departure for Cupertino), where its iPhone continually outpaces other smartphones in advertising revenues earned. 

Although we aren’t fans of the idea, Apple has filed patents for mandatory advertising within its MacOS.

 

Waltham, Mass.-based Quattro has raised close to $30 million from two main venture investors

Tablet might have two different finishes – WSJ

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Jan 4 2010 - 5:32 pm PT
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http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/main.swf

It looks like ‘people familiar with the matter’ are intent on spoiling CES.  Apple’s tablet rumors are coming fast and furious today with the Wall Street Journal reporting that Apple is working on two different finishes for the tablet.  The device will also ‘redefine the way consumers interact with a variety of content’ .

They also concur with other reports that the tablet will be announced later this month but won’t ship until at least March, will have a 10 to 11 inch screen and will cost upwards of $1000.

One of the people briefed on the matter added that Apple was working on two different material finishes for the tablet, though it was unclear whether the Cupertino, Calif., company was just testing them or planning to come out with multiple versions of the device at different prices.

They also (mistakenly?)quote analysts as saying that the tablet will be available with a subscription to a nationwide Wifi service?  Whether they meant Boingo, Mifi, WiMAX, 3G, some Apple/AT&T service or what isn’t certain.

Analysts currently believe an Apple tablet will be priced at about $1,000, possibly including a subscription to a nationwide Wi-Fi wireless service. The tablet is expected to be a multimedia device that will let people watch movies and television shows, play games, surf the Internet and read electronic books and newspapers. People briefed by Apple also say that the company believes it could redefine the way consumers interact with a variety of content. Textbooks and newspapers, for example, could be presented differently through color screens, a touch interface, and the integration of live up-to-the-minute information from multiple sources.

OK, Hearst's eReader is pretty cool

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Jan 4 2010 - 2:05 pm PT
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We know that with or without ?, 2010 is going to be the year of the Tablet.  This might be the most interesting one to hit before January 27th.  Hearst’s Skiff is a 1200×1600 monster of a flexible tablet (yet the screen measures only 11 inches diagonally) which yields a 174 ppi screen.  More pictures below.

 

PHYSICAL SPECS DISPLAY POWER CONNECTIVITY STORAGE & AUDIO
Device Dimensions:

9 inches (228.6 mm) by
11 inches (279.4 mm) by
0.268 inches (6.8 mm)

Weight:

17-9/16 oz (498 grams)

Magnesium housing
Display Size:

11.5 inches (292.1 mm)
measured diagonally

Display Resolution:

1200 x 1600 pixels

174 ppi

Display Technology:

Silicon thin-film-transistors (TFT) on flexible stainless-steel substrateRugged Metal-Foil e-Paper Display

Shatter-proof, crack-proof

Full Touchscreen:

Supports both finger and stylus operation
Battery Life (approx):

One week of average life (thousands of page turns with periodic wireless use)

Rechargeable high-capacity Lithium Ion battery

Recharging Time:

2-3 hrs
Long-range wireless:

3G-enabled

Short-range wireless:

WiFi-enabled

Wired (for sideloading content):

USB 2.0 over standard mini-USB port
Internal Memory:

4 GB (with 3+ GB available for content)

External (Add-On) Memory:

SDHC 2.0 standard compliant SD-card slot

Audio:

Built-in speaker

3.5 mm standard audio jack

 

via Engadget

iPhone SDK 4, Tablet Simulator to be revealed at the January event?

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Jan 4 2010 - 1:42 pm PT
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Mac4ever (translated) is reporting that the January event isn’t just going to be a Tablet show and tell.  They indicate that Apple will unveil a beta SDK for the fourth generation of the iPhone.  This SDK will also conveniently have a tablet simulator for developers who want to build or port their apps to the tablet.

They also note that the next version of the iPhone will likely have more pixels to play with like recent Android and Windows Mobile phones have had. 

We also learned that in French “sont

Control/view a drone helicopter from accelerometer movement on your iPhone/iPod touch

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Jan 4 2010 - 1:03 pm PT
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OK, this is cool.   Imagine controlling a drone quadricopter with your iPhone.   It gets better.  The controls are linked to the accelerometer movements in your iPhone so you can control the device naturally by tipping your iPhone the way you want the copter to move.

It gets better.  The device has a camera which sends video back to the user right on the iPhone – live over wifi.   So, technically you can fly it like the military flys drones to the bad guys’ houses.  It gets better.  Using the two cameras, you can play augmented reality games with other players.  Santa?  You listening to this?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ejh–_56ic&w=600&h=385]

Watch more videos here.

'Tablet Tuesday' moved to Wednesday January 27th?

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Jan 4 2010 - 12:54 pm PT
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All Things D’s John Paczkowski, has word that Apple’s late January special event islater than originally anticipated.  His sources tell him…

Sources in a position to know tell me Apple (AAPL) is indeed planning a media event later this month at which it will announce a major new product. The gathering is to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, a space Apple often uses for media events like these. According to other sources, it will occur on Wednesday Jan. 27, not Tuesday Jan. 26, as had been rumored.

We noticed that the three day opening that was available at the Yerba Buena center ended on Wednesday but we figured they needed a day to clean up the confetti.

When/will Apple update the iPhone 3GS's Wifi to 802.11N?

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Jan 3 2010 - 12:00 pm PT
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Gizmodo and UberGizmo are both reporting that an Apple Job description is alluding to 802.11N wireless in the next iPhone.  

The ideal candidate should possess excellent understanding and working knowledge of 802.11 implementations on embedded (preferably mobile) platforms. Relevant experiences include but are not limited to the following:

…Implementation of 802.11 a/b/g/n & related specifications….

The posting isn’t particularly telling but it alludes to an iPhone software engineer needing 802.11N experience.  The two gadget sites think this relates to the iPhone 4G having Wireless N capability.

It’d better have 802.11N capability!  The iPhone 3GS already has the Broadcom hardware to connect to 802.11N Networks.…along with FM Radios which we’ve heard is en route via an app.  The services just haven’t been activated by the iPhone’s software/firmware yet.

So the real question isn’t whether or not the iPhone 4G will have N wireless networking hardware.  It will.  

The real question is: When will Apple turn on the N Networking on my 3GS so that I can switch off B/G compatibility on my Airport?  And how about that FM radio.app?  Maybe at this January event.  Or perhaps this new software engineer hire can hook us up.

Control your MP3 player with muscles from your forearm?

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Jan 1 2010 - 5:02 pm PT
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We know this is coming out of Microsoft but it is a pretty interesting demo of of non-traditional human-machine input methods.  It isn’t hard to imagine using this technology for important accessibility tasks and also gaming (think Project Natal).  

There’s also been talk of talk of non-traditional input methods on Apple’s tablet, though speech recognition seems to be more realistic approach. 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1agrUM4KYs&w=600&h=385]

FoxNews confirms "Mobility" Apple event for January

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 30 2009 - 2:41 pm PT
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Clayton Morris at FoxNews is going on record saying that Apple is indeed holding an event in January as the Financial Times mentioned last week. He goes a step further saying that the event will focus on “Mobility”.  This event would likely follow a Google January 5th event that will showcase the Google Phone or Nexus one.

I’ve spoken to a source inside Apple who confirmed a “big” event for January. While nothing official has been handed down from the notoriously tight-lipped company, my source took the Financial Times report one step further by saying this event will focus on the mobility space, meaning we’ll see something related to the iPhone/Touch product line.

Obviously this event screams tablet, but might we also see such things as iPod touches with cameras, new software or iPhone upgrades as well?

 

New OnLive Cloud gaming company levels playing field for games on PCs and Macs (and iPhones?)

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 30 2009 - 9:29 am PT
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Steve Perlman, a former Quicktime Guru at Apple, has a very interesting startup called OnLive. The idea is simple: Cloud gaming.

You play games over the Internet and your screen acts like a dummy terminal that operates hardcore Cloud gaming rigs (or virtualized rigs) like VNC operates remote desktops.  These GPU data centers are located throughout the US because, as you might expect, the latency of button pushing and seeing the result of the button pushing is what has held up these type of scenarios in the past.

http://www.viddler.com/player/751c3d65/

Perlman tells his (alma mater) Columbia University audience that Onlive has solved the latency issue.  The round trip is only 80 milliseconds if the data center is located within 250 miles of the gamer. According to Perlman, that is short enough time to fool the mind into thinking the action is instantaneous.

Of course this doesn’t just make sense for Macs and PCs. It scales to TVs and iPhones as you can see 20 minutes into the video. What is interesting about this technology is that it instantly levels the playing field for gaming devices.  Macs, PCs, TVs and iPhones all have access to the same titles and technologies.  As you can see in the video if you watch the whole 47 minutes (recommended!), there are so many other possibilities of social gaming and moving beyond gaming to live sporting events and such…as long as they can keep the latency to a minimum.  (Via JoyStiq)

China blocks Dalai Lama iPhone Apps from sale

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 30 2009 - 5:53 am PT
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Apple has seemingly bowed to Chinese government pressure, removing iPhone apps relating to the Dalai Lama and Rebiya Kadeer, the latter an exiled leader of China’s Uighur minority group, from sale through the Chinese version of the App Store.

“We continue to comply with local laws,” Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told IDG News Service when asked about the missing apps. “Not all apps are available in every country.”

A selection of Apps relating to both men are available in most countries

8GB iPhone 3GS rumors pick up again with German 'sighting'

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 29 2009 - 7:57 pm PT
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This wouldn’t be rocket science to fake but a German forum poster says he got ahold of an 8GB iPhone with a 3GS on the label.  While the iPhone insed was only a refurbished 3G, it would indicate that the label was made for an 8GB iPhone 3GS.  The obvious question is: Will Apple silently or otherwise replace current iPhone 3G models with faster 3GS?

Also, a German retailer seems to be advertising an 8GB iPhone 3GS.

Remember a series of reports earlier this year out of Rogers that had implied the same thing — that 8GB iPhone 3GS models were around the corner.  The move by Apple wouldn’t be surprising or unexpected given that AT&T sells refurbished 16GB iPhones for $49 – which is $100 less than it did earlier this year.

China Unicom starts gaining steam, now up to 300,000 iPhones sold

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Dec 29 2009 - 7:59 am PT
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According to Dan Butterfield at iPhonAsia, China Unicom has passed the 300,000 mark on iPhones in China.   The milestone is notable because just three weeks ago, Unicom had only sold 100,000 and that mark was reached in 40 days.  Even that was a significant increase over its dismal start on the mainland.

So why the sudden increase in iPhone purchases in China?  Unicom has put on a roadshow:

The 46-city tour kicked off in Beijing earlier this week and is designed to educate prospective buyers. China Unicom is renting out conference centers and they have trained up staff to deliver interactive demos of many fun and practical uses of iPhone. There will be six live presentation sessions covering different iPhone features/functions. One of the objectives of the roadshow campaign is to raise awareness of how much can be done via an iPhone and its virtually unlimited number of apps

The news that China Unicom is starting to pick up customers at a good clip is certainly refreshing for Apple, as they’ve had very high hopes for the country of 1.3 Billion.  Sales should also see an increase when Apple introduces Wifi-enabled models sometime in 2010.