Month: September 2012

The Verizon iPhone 5 is GSM unlocked, tested with AT&T

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 21, 2012

I can confirm that the Verizon iPhone 5 is indeed GSM unlocked. Even though I bought an iPhone 5 from Verizon under contract, I was able to cut down my AT&T Micro SIM, and use it in my Verizon iPhone 5 to pick up an AT&T signal. By doing so, I was able to hop onto AT&T's HPSA+ network, or "4G" as they so ridiculously name it.

AT&T's so-called 4G speeds are nothing like true LTE speeds, but they are a bit better than typical 3G speeds. But the big news here isn't about speed. The big news here is that we have confirmed that you can use a Verizon iPhone 5 on AT&T or T-Mobile, freely, even if you're a brand new customer under contract.

Starbucks to update its iOS app for Passbook by month’s end

Oliver Haslam ∙ September 21, 2012

Been wondering when you would be able to take your shiny new iPhone into a Starbucks and use Passbook to pay for your grande skinny vanilla latte? Well, wonder no more.

We've just spied a Twitter update from the company itself in which we learn that an iOS 6 compatible version of the app, complete with Passbook support, will be with us by the end of the month!

What's more, Starbucks even added a little bit of geekery to proceedings by signing off with a spot of binary code, just for the lolz...

Limited manpower blamed for crappy Apple Maps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

In case you haven't already known this yet, the Apple-designed iOS 6 Maps app is off to a slow start amid reports of inaccurate data sets, missing or incorrect places, lack of built-in transit data and lacking navigational features in general. Simply put, Apple Maps have a long way to go before taking Google Maps head on.

According to one cartography expert, much of the woes with Apple Maps could be traced back to Apple's lack of qualified engineers and spatial data teams. The company should also look into acquiring major mapping data providers and be more active in crowdsourcing via a dedicated service to allow people to more easily improve the quality of data, akin to TomTom's MapShare service...

NYPD: Register your iPhone and we’ll track it down faster

Oliver Haslam ∙ September 21, 2012

There is nothing worse than having your property stolen, whether that be an iPhone, an iPad or anything else. Getting it back may not repair all the damage, but it certainly goes some way to helping.

If you went to New York's 5th Avenue flagship Apple Store, then you may have seen some of the cities finest, the NYPD, suggesting that new iPhone owners register their latest purchases with them. The reason? To help get hardware back to the rightful owners should the need arise.

In a day and age where Find My iPhone has already proven to be hugely popular in helping to retrieve stolen property, there's no reason not to add another string to your iPhone-retrieving bow...

Thanks to unibody design, the iPhone 5 is likely the most durable iPhone yet

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 21, 2012

Just hours after the iPhone 5 went on sale, electronics wizard have pry opened Apple's brand spanking new phone and analyzed its innards. It's now time for a drop test. As evident in a clip by iFixYouri, the iPhone 5 has significantly more scratch resistant front glass. Matter of fact, you could say that the iPhone 5 is one durable phone as it outperformed all other previous phones...

The Lightning connector is really, really tiny

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 21, 2012

Until you get it in your hands, it's hard to imagine just how tiny Apple's new Lightning connector really is. You might be thinking it's on USB Mini levels, but it's even smaller than that.

The press shots usually show an up close photo of the Lightning connector, which is just enough to skew perceptions of its size. In this video inside, I compare the Lightning connector to a plethora of other connectors and items we're all familiar with: USB, USB Micro, USB Mini, Thunderbolt, 30-pin connector, a penny, and more.

If you're at all interested in Apple's new connector, then you don't want to miss this...

O2 employee hunted over $240,000 worth of stolen iPhone 5

Oliver Haslam ∙ September 21, 2012

Today may be the big day for many awaiting Apple's iPhone 5, but buyers at one of UK carrier's O2 stores were left disappointed after £150,000 (around $240,000) worth of iPhone 5 were stolen before they could be handed out to eager purchasers.

The O2 store, located in London, had 252 brand new iPhone 5 handsets go missing around 1:30am, with the authorities hunting a man in connection with the theft.

A 23 year-old O2 worker is believed to be the man behind the disappearing iPhones, with cash from the store's safe also missing, according to reports...

Sprint nearly sold out of the iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 21, 2012

Oh my! The iPhone 5 has officially gone on sale this morning at 8am in the United States and eight oversea markets and already U.S. carrier Sprint has burned through its initial allotment of devices. The company just reported it sold out of the iPhone 5 at many of its retail stores on East Coast, just hours after the device went on sale. The stores will remain "seriously constrained" until Sprint receives additional devices from Apple...

Black iPhone 5 susceptible to ugly scratches?

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 21, 2012

"Is that a scratch on your iPhone", a friend of mine asked, much to my horror and surprise. I'd only had this iPhone 3GS for a couple hours and already pesky scratches were beginning to show on its shiny plastic back. The glass back on my iPhone 4/4S has proved far less prone to wear and tear, perhaps partially due to past experiences which taught me to handle my pricey devices with utmost care.

You'd be pressed to think there was no difference in how black & slate and white & silver iPhone 5 models withstood wear and tear stemming from daily use. That said, you're in for a surprise as some folks apparently have discovered that both the anodized aluminum back and the chamfered edges of the black iPhone 5 are conspicuously more prone to wear versus its white counterpart...

Best Buy can’t keep up with iPhone 5 preorders, report says

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

So, you pre-ordered your iPhone 5 the minute it was announced. Turns out, you may have better luck landing an iPhone by standing in line. The latest victim of the iPhone's own success: electronics giant Best Buy. The company now says it may not have enough of the highly-sought handsets to meet demand, emailing some unlucky souls that they'll need to wait up to mid-October.

"Based on current inventory allocation, we understand we will not have enough iPhone 5 devices to fulfill all pre-orders this weekend," according to a Best Buy internal memo obtained by 9to5Mac.

iPhone 5 user guide

Cody Lee ∙ September 21, 2012

After months and months of rumors, and waiting, the iPhone 5 is finally here. The handset, which Apple unveiled last week, is now on sale here in the US and around the world.

While the new iPhone might share some design elements with its predecessors, there's no question that it's a completely different beast. So if you just purchased the phone, or want to learn more about it, we recommend checking out the official iPhone 5 user guide...

iPhone 5 boot test vs iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 21, 2012

We know the iPhone 5 is about two times faster than its predecessor, but how does it stack up toe the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S in a side-by-side-by-side bootup speed test?

Point and laugh at me as I struggle to turn all three devices on at the same time, and be surprised with how fast the iPhone 4S still is. The iPhone 4 is much slower, but the 4S is still no slouch, don't you agree?