Month: September 2012

Nokia pre-empts iPhone 5 with new Lumias rocking Windows Phone 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2017

Software giant Microsoft and former cell phone champion Nokia held a press conference earlier today in a very wet New York City. Nokia is attempting to re-boot its ailing smartphone biz with some sleek new Lumia handsets, with a little help from its pal Microsoft and its new Windows Phone 8 operating system. It pays to keep tabs on what competition is doing and it's always exciting watching good ol' Windows maker playing a catch up in mobile.

With that in mind, the presser was basically a pre-emptive tease against the massive iPhone 5 launch due next Wednesday. Interestingly, Nokia hasn't shied away from criticizing Samsung for failing to deliver a working Windows Phone 8 phone. Conspicuously enough, Nokia itself did not announce price points or shipping dates for the new Lumias.

Perhaps it would have been better to hold this event a month from now? Be that as it may, Microsoft will hopefully play its cards right and over time establish Windows Phone as a third viable platform. I'm all for it: some balance to the force is needed as it's been disrupted lately by Android's relentless march. Here's what's new from the Microkia camp...

iPhone 5 reportedly leaks out of Foxconn plant, gets caught on video

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 25, 2016

As we approach the big event next Wednesday, leaks related to Apple's next iPhone are multiplying with each passing day. Just a few minutes ago, a new report went online claiming that someone in China has been able to get their hands on an actual iPhone 5 unit. They made quite a believable video to prove it and it looks legit.

Best of all, the clip shows a white device with a taller display booting next to an iPhone 4S, giving us a good indication of the increased speed of the iPhone 5, courtesy of its rehashed, low-power dual-core variant of the A5 chip, souped up with 1GB of RAM. Have a look, the clip is right after the break..

iOS 6 may bring iBooks to Apple TV

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Until now, Apple TV seemed to assume the role of livingroom entertainment center. However, the device may soon find a new home: the classroom. The latest beta of iOS 6 suggests Apple could display digital textbooks on large in-class screens, vastly updating how schools teach.

The clue came in an error displayed when AppleInsider downloaded an e-book from Apple's iBookstore. Since the Apple TV unit shared the same iTunes account, a message appeared that an automatic download of the book failed because the device did not have the needed software. The iBooks software already exists for the iPhone and iPad...

Shocker: iPhone 5 almost identical in design to your iPhone 4/4S

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 5, 2012

There's been a lot of hoopla in the weeks building up to the next Wednesday's massive event that Apple's next iPhone won't be radically different to the existing iPhone 4/4S form factor, much to the delight of fans the world over (or horror, depending on where you're standing).

Our own little poll suggested that people continue to be torn over the issue of the iPhone 5 design. Nearly 55 percent of respondents voted for the leaked design featuring an all-metal backplate with plastic bands at the top and bottom for wireless and cellular antenna, in addition to the relocated headphone jack and a miniaturized dock connector. The remaining 45 percent said the design looked fugly as hell.

If you've been keeping your fingers crossed for a last-minute surprise from Apple, here comes a shocker: a new credible report reaffirms claims that the next iPhone won't look a whole lot different to the iPhone 4/4S form factor, sans a couple cosmetic changes and the two-tone thing on the back...

T-Mobile launches unlimited “4G” data plan

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

T-Mobile USA, the nation's fourth-largest wireless company and the sole major U.S. carrier without the iPhone, today announced new unlimited "4G" data plan, as promised last month. The new plan will set you back $20 a month if you're on T-Mobile's Value plan or $30 a month for those on the Classic voice and text plan.

The new plans do away with speed limits or bandwidth throttling, the carrier said. Though T-Mobile continues with its dubious practice of advertising its network and these new plans under the "4G" moniker, in the carrier's terminology this really means iPhone-compatible high-speed 3G HSPA+ as T-Mobile is way overdue with 4G LTE deployment...

Check out this interactive 3D model of iPad mini

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 26, 2016

Ahead of the next week's iPhone 5 presser and a rumored mini iPad introduction in October, an interesting three-dimensional interactive model of Apple's rumored inexpensive, smaller iPad has hit the web this morning, based on leaked parts and several notable pieces of information that have been floating around the blogosphere.

All the rumors appear to point to a relocated headphone jack located next to the dock connector which, as you know, should be much smaller to allow for thinner designs, just like on the next iPhone. Based on this information, 3D artists created a highly-detailed 3D interactive model of the rumored mini iPad...

Alleged iPhone 5 cases pop up in AT&T’s internal accessory systems

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 5, 2012

Right on time, the first batch of cases modeled after the leaked two-tone iPhone 5 design are beginning to make an appearance at a major U.S. carrier. We wouldn't normally report on this, but this is AT&T, originally Apple's first and exclusive iPhone carrier in the United States.

Company of this size surely wouldn't screw customers by putting cases on store shelves that may not fit the final iPhone 5 design. With just a week until Apple's iPhone 5 presser, this is yet another indication that the two-tone design is in fact the real deal...

China Unicom rumored to get next-gen iPhone by year’s end

Cody Lee ∙ September 5, 2012

Since previous reports seemingly nailed the next-gen iPhone event date, it's safe to assume the predicted launch date is also accurate. Apple's next smartphone is expected to go on sale in the US on September 21st. When the handset will launch elsewhere, however, is still unknown.

Last year, the iPhone 4S launched Stateside in October, but it didn't hit some major markets like China until a good three months later. But according to a new report, that won't be the case this year. Industry insiders say that China Unicom will have the handset by December...

Apple expands Volume Purchase Program to 9 new countries

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Last night, Apple posted a public notice to its dev center regarding the addition of 9 new countries to its Volume Purchase Program. The additions include France, Germany and the UK.

The Program, which was previously only available in the US, allows businesses and educational institutions to purchase and distribute apps and iBooks in bulk, at a significant discount...

T-Mobile to reportedly install unlocked iPhone displays in stores

Cody Lee ∙ September 4, 2012

By all accounts, T-Mobile isn't getting the iPhone this year. The carrier will once again be put on the sidelines this month as the other three major US operators prepare for Apple's massive handset launch.

But that hasn't kept T-Mobile from trying to get in on the action. Yesterday, it started distributing iPhone-friendly nano SIM kits to retailers. And according to a new report, it's also prepping in-store iPhone displays...

Poll: will Apple launch refreshed iPods alongside the iPhone 5?

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 4, 2012

With invites for Apple's long-rumored September 12 media event sent out earlier today, all eyes are on the next iPhone, as subtly hinted by a "5" lurking in the shadow on the invite graphics. A separate media event is also believed to be in the works around October for a mini iPad. This leaves us with the obvious question: how does a third iPod-related presser fit between these two?

Per conventional wisdom, Apple could refresh iPods alongside the iPhone at the September 12 event. On the other hand, such a high-profile iPhone introduction - perhaps the most important product launch in Apple's history - deserves an exclusive media event of its own. We've put together a quick poll to let us know about your expectations come next Wednesday (it ain't a YES/NO poll)...

More images of next-gen iPhone battery surface

Cody Lee ∙ September 4, 2012

Now that Apple has made the new iPhone event official, we expect the rumor mill to pick up even more steam. Which is kind of hard to believe, considering it's already been out of control for months.

Today, a new image of an iPhone 5 battery surfaced on the web. Now, we've already seen a handful of photos of the purported battery, but this one is sitting perfectly in the handset's rear shell...