Apple may not always sell more phones than the competition, but between its trend-setting handset designs and gargantuan fan base, it's easy to see why it's considered one of the most powerful companies in the wireless industry.
In fact, the folks over at FierceWireless just posted their annual list of the top 25 most powerful people in US wireless. And out of all of the carrier CEOs and heads of government agencies, they ranked Tim Cook number one...
The embattled handset maker Nokia introduced at today's press conference in San Francisco today some interesting news related to maps. In an attempt to beat Google and Apple to the mapping punch, Nokia tapped 20 years of location expertise and its data sets spanning 200 countries to map out a new strategy which involves a re-branding effort, cool new features and a good ol' acquisition. Nokia Maps is no more. Henceforth, the new mapping service shall be known as Here.
The new cloud-based map service works across multiple devices and operating systems, it does directions and location, lets people save favorite locations and supports crowd-sourcing by allowing users to report errors and make changes themselves.
The service is based on HTML5 and an iOS app is in the works, pending Apple's approval. The iOS app will have voice-guided walk navigation, public transport directions and will cache data for offline use. And taking page from Apple's book, Nokia spent an undisclosed sum to snap up California-based 3D mapping company Earthmine, with aim to use its technology to help index the world in 3D...
Dial is a brand new tweak that allows you to use a dialer to text or call your friends and family from the App Switcher, Siri interface, or from Spotlight. The tweak has options to outright replace both Siri and the App Switcher, or to be invoked in tandem with the two.
In principal this might sound like a good idea. Wait a minute...let's not kid ourselves, it sounds like a terrible idea, but I was hoping that the execution would surprise me and change my mind. It didn't. Even still, there may be some of you out there who will appreciate Dial for what it is. With that in mind, we've created a video walkthrough showing how the tweak works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98p_epP0TRQ
iHelicopters, the makers of iPhone-controlled vehicles are on a roll again. After creating a lineup of iPhone-controlled helicopters, RC cars and the rocket-launching Cobra copter, their latest offering is the iUFO. As the name suggests, it's a flying device that resembles an unidentified flying object. Its rotor system is maneuverable via your iPhone, iPad or iPod using a free app that talks to the unit via the transmitter which plugs in the headphone jack .
Its spherical design is aimed at protecting the rotors from hitting nearby objects and breaking. The manufacturer says the system even allows iUFOs to roll over the ground without crashing the rotors and says you don't have to worry about crashing the unit against the walls or ceiling...
During the September 12 iPad mini unveiling Apple vaguely indicated that the Wi-Fi + Cellular model would start shipping “a couple of weeks after the Wi-Fi models”. Then, when it started accepting pre-orders and announced opening weekend sales of three million iPads, the company reiterated that the cellular version of both the fourth-gen iPad and the smaller one will be available in the US on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon “in a few weeks”.
We’re now receiving reports that some customers who pre-ordered a Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad mini are receiving shipping notices from their courier service. Many are seeing delivery dates of this Friday, November 16, or the following Monday, with some deliveries reportedly set for as early as tomorrow, November 15...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3xk48GsPIg
Accessory maker Jawbone debuted its iPhone health bracelet called the Jawbone Up in September of last year. Despite strong initial sales, the promising gadget quickly proved a PR disaster amid a flood of complaints about poor build quality, imperfect water resistance and a number of other issues.
A year later, and just in time for the holidays, Jawbone is back at it with an improved version of the fitness band that the company says is free of teething problems which plagued early adopters. In fact, Jawbone is so confident in nailing quality control that it dedicated a significant portion of the above promo clip to highlighting detailed testing, design and manufacturing that went into creating the band...
With winter holidays upon us, Apple has now launched its official Holiday Gift Guide for this year. A special page on the company's web site is now live, highlighting a range of first and third-party gadgets and accessories that Apple hopes might be a nice guideline for those on the lookout for perfect holiday gift.
The main four sections group products according to Apple's major product lineups: iPad gifts, Mac gifts, iPhone gifts and iPod gifts. Fender's iOS-friendly Stratocaster guitar Cody told you about yesterday (an Apple Store exclusive) is among the listed products, as is the Nike+ FuelBand wrist band accessory, Parrot's AR Drone and many other gadgets...
Losing your wallet can be a pretty taxing event. In addition to the cash and other valuables you lose, you're forced to call and cancel your credit cards, and have to replace your drivers license, insurance cards and other items.
But what if there was a way you could be sure that you wouldn't ever lose your wallet again? That's the dream that the folks over at Phone Halo are selling with its new app-connected Bluetooth card known as Wallet TrackR...
Romo the robot first appeared last November as a Kickstarter project. It was essentially a fully motorized, acrylic robot that was both controlled and powered by an iOS device. And despite looking like a build-it-yourself hobby-bot, it collected well over $100,000 in pledges.
Well this year, Romo is back and better than ever. The robot has been redesigned from the circuit board up, and has been improved in almost every way imaginable. It looks better, goes faster, thinks smarter and is much easier to use...
Tim Cook has ushered in a number of changes to Apple in his first year as the CEO. He's instituted an employee donation program, and a few weeks ago he spearheaded one of the biggest management shakeups in the company's history.
And this afternoon, we can add another alteration to the list. According to a new report, Cook has signed off on a new program, code-named "Blue Sky," that gives select employees up to two weeks to work on special side projects...
Carriers let out a harmonious groan when Apple unveiled its new iMessage service last year. Not only was it a texting alternative, but it would automatically switch users over from texting to iMessaging if both parties were on iOS 5 devices.
Unsurprisingly, this has had a significant impact on the wireless industry and its subsequent text messaging business. According to a new report, the amount of text messages sent during Q3 this year declined for the first time ever...
If you're a developer, then you might be interested in jailbreaking the latest beta version of iOS — iOS 6.1 beta 2. The beta was just released today, and like we always do, we've created a video tutorial that shows how to successfully jailbreak it if you happen to be a developer.
Take a look inside as we walk you through the iOS 6.1 beta 2 jailbreak process step-by-step.