Month: April 2013

14 new markets receive AT&T’s LTE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCb6pz0G_gE

Last time we checked, AT&T’s fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology covered 288 million people in the United States. Today, the telco is flipping the switch on LTE in fourteen new markets as part of its ongoing network expansion, so that number is bound to go up in the following days.

Unfortunately, AT&T (for now) shows no sign of updating its sales policies to match T-Mobile's new installment payment offering which entices people to buy the iPhone 5 separate of their wireless service for $99 down plus $20 per month over 24 months...

Let’s Talk Jailbreak – 04: Someone broke into the car

In our fourth episode of Let's Talk Jailbreak, Sebastien and I discuss p0sixninja's potential exploits for iOS7, being scared to install tweaks that might force a restore, biteSMS and iRealSMS, Sebastien's trial run with f.lux, one of Jeff's favorite sleeper jailbreak tweaks, finding a new iOS 6.1.2 device, and much, much more. You don't want to miss this...

iOS 7 rumored to be running behind due to major UI refresh

While we've heard plenty of chatter regarding the next-generation iPhone, we've heard next to nothing about the next version of iOS. Until today, that is. New information concerning iOS 7 popped up this afternoon in an interesting Branch thread.

The conversation consisted of several well-known Apple Insiders, including iMore's Rene Ritchie and Daring Fireball's John Gruber. And according to their sources, iOS is set to receive a system-wide UI overhaul this year, if it ever gets finished...

Pod2g confirms evad3rs are not working on 6.1.3 jailbreak

It's been nearly two weeks now since Apple released iOS 6.1.3 that effectively killed the evasi0n jailbreak. It had a good run though, lasting  for nearly 6 weeks, through 2 iOS software updates, and jailbroke close to 20 million devices.

And it looks like that's it for jailbreaks for a while. We had an inkling there wouldn't be a 6.1.3 jailbreak released—it doesn't make sense to burn exploits before iOS 7— and the evad3rs' pod2g just confirmed our suspicion on Twitter...

WSJ: Apple ramping up production for new iPhone this quarter

We've heard an unusual amount of chatter regarding the next generation iPhone over the past few months. Especially since the iPhone 5 just launched 6 months ago. But folks seem pretty certain that Apple's next smartphone isn't too far off.

And a new report out this morning echoes that sentiment. Citing "people familiar with the device's production," The Wall Street Journal claims that Apple is ramping up production of its new iPhone this quarter ahead of a likely summer launch...

Preview BlackBerry 10 on your iPhone now

It looks as if BlackBerry, formerly know as Research in Motion, has managed to generate some respectable buzz around its brand new mobile operating system called BlackBerry 10. The Canadian mobile manufacturer has sold one million of its all-new BlackBerry Z10 smartphones which run the latest software and reported a fourth quarter profit of $98 million, the first positive earnings in quite a while.

I wouldn't write off BlackBerry yet and if you've been wondering what all the fuss is about, the company has written a nice web app which lets you preview some of the key features of BlackBerry 10 right on your iPhone or Android device. Just fire up Safari on your iPhone and go to BlackBerry.com/glimpse for, well, a glimpse of BlackBerry 10...

Eyeing the world’s #1 telco crown, AT&T signs up Verizon for joint Vodafone bid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HCRnC8fLA4

AT&T and Verizon, the two leading U.S. wireless carriers by subscribers and revenue, have reportedly joined forces in a massive bid to acquire London-headquartered Vodafone, a multinational telco which operates networks in over 30 countries and has partner networks in over 40 additional countries. The transaction would easily dwarf the monumental AOL/Time Warner merger as Vodafone already is a huge corporation: it's the world's second-largest wireless carrier after China Mobile and commands 403 million subscribers worldwide.

This compares to AT&T's 107 million subscribers, Verizon's 116 million customers and China Mobile's 703 million subscribers. What's really interesting is Vodafone's existing U.S. partnership with Verizon Wireless: the nation's leading telco is actually a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone where the former holds 55 percent ownership and the latter controls the remaining 45 percent ownership of the joint venture.

As Europe has traditionally been Vodafone's stronghold, the deal would give AT&T a long-rumored entree into the European market while Verizon would get to control its own destiny without oversight from Vodafone...

T-Mobile will update your unlocked iPhone 5 with LTE and Visual Voicemail on April 5

This is quite noteworthy. Following a jailbreak hack which purports to make your unlocked AT&T iPhone 5 (model A1428) work on T-Mobile’s LTE by way of loading a custom carrier firmware, a new report claims the Deutsche Telekom-owned wireless carrier itself will be sending out a carrier update designed to officially enable T-Mobile's LTE and Visual Voicemail, among other features, on unlocked GSM devices.

The update is scheduled for delivery beginning April 5, a week ahead of T-Mobile's official April 12 roll-out of its LTE-ready iPhone 5. The patch is good news for AT&T customers looking to jump ship as they won't be required to buy a newly tweaked iPhone 5 model from T-Mobile in order to enjoy T-Mobile's 4G LTE speeds. There's more to know so go past the fold for full details...

Wacom introduces new 1.85-inch Bamboo Stylus Mini

Who holds the title for the best iPad stylus is still up for debate. There are dozens to choose from, and it seems like everyone has their favorites. But there are a few frontrunners in the pack, and one of them is Wacom's Bamboo Stylus.

The Verge says the Bamboo is "the best stylus you can buy for your iPad," and FiftyThree, the creators of paper, endorse it on their website. And today, Wacom has released a new version of the popular stylus: the Bamboo Mini...

‘Pinnacle’ lets you easily navigate the Settings app menu structure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unSQMgdkpRs

Pinnacle is a new jailbreak tweak designed to peruse the menu structure of the Settings app using a simple tap and hold gesture. The tweak contains an option that allows you to immediately go back to the root of the Settings menu, or to select from a list of sub-menus. To use Pinnacle, simply tap and hold on the current menu's back button.

Obviously, a tweak like this is best suited for deep menu structures like you'll find in the Settings app, but Pinnacle also works with any app that uses iOS' stock chrome menu interface for navigation. I look at it as a different take on Ryan Petrich's SwipeBack tweak.

Apple hired ex-Segway robotics whiz to possibly work on a ‘fantastic’ moonshot project

It's understandable a company of Apple's stature is constantly on the lookout for the brightest minds in the industry. It also goes without saying that Apple, the world's leading technology brand by both valuation and reputation, is constantly hiring all sorts of talented experts and scientists in various fields of expertise.

But why on Earth would the iPhone maker hire a former robotics expert who helped invent the Segway personal transporter, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak's favorite means of transportation?

Bloomberg Businessweek in an eyebrow-raising article entitled "Apple and the Mysterious Case of the Missing Moonshot" suggests that John Morrell may have left his post at Yale University and joined Apple last year to participate in a "pretty fantastic" project...

Apple reportedly partnering with Barclays on Apple Store $99 T-Mobile iPhone 5

Apple's been experimenting with installment payments in emerging markets for some time now. For example, installment payments coupled with increased marketing helped quadruple Apple's single-digit iPhone market share in India. And in China, the online Apple Store offers 1, 3, 6 and 12 payment installment options with no interest, thanks to Apple's partnership with China Merchants Bank.

That being said, in what appears to be another effort to improve its standing in the US market, Apple has reportedly partnered with Barclay's to offer a no-interest option on T-Mobile iPhone 5 sales at Apple Stores...