By now, you've likely heard of the recent change in DMCA policy that makes the act of unlocking newer cell phones illegal. And even though the EFF clarified some things for us earlier today, it still sounds like we're getting screwed.
In fact, some folks feel so strongly about the new law that they've started a White House petition calling for the Obama administration to either rescind the decision, or create a new bill making unlocking permanently legal...
In the ongoing speculation surrounding Apple's intention to sell a low-cost iPhone, the word of the day is 'plastic'. Yes, the rumor is that the company will wrap iPhone 5 components and iPod design features in a plastic body. The report by iLounge is the second in two weeks suggesting an inexpensive iPhone may use plastic to keep costs down.
The blog cites only "reliable sources" to claim a low-cost iPhone would offer a four-inch Retina Display protected by the latest Gorilla Glass (see how strong it really is), among other features borrowed from the Apple smartphone, the fifth-gen iPod touch and the iPod classic.
Along with including the firm's new Lightning connector, the remainder of the device's features would follow the iPod touch design. The device's outer shape would appear like an iPod classic, the body composed of plastic...
T-Mobile will officially sell the iconic iPhone in three to four months and when it does, the Deutsche Telekom-owned wireless carrier, the fourth-largest in the United States, will be offering Apple's handset on monthly installments. The struggling telco won't have to bet the farm by spending billions in upfront iPhone subsidy to Apple and would-be customers will get more bang for their buck in terms of voice and data.
It should be a win-win. Matter of fact, T-Mobile USA's strategy is "very intriguing" to Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam and AT&T boss Randall Stephenson applauds the idea and says that's something his company is "going to be watching" going forward.
Should the T-Mobile experiment pays off, it's entirely conceivable that the US market could finally catch up with the rest of the world by offering non-subsidized hardware and instead focus on more affordable wireless services...
So roughly two out of each three respondents in our poll say the new 128GB iPad 4 is going to be a tough sell when it arrives on February 5.
Some folks say there's no point in shelling out $929 for a top-of-the-line 128GB cellular iPad when a $70 more buys you an 11-inch MacBook Air.
And even though the entry-level Air has only half as much storage as the new 128GB iPad, it's a real computer, critics argue.
Comparing apples to oranges doesn't make sense, but what does is how Microsoft admitted - and on the day Apple announced the new 128GB iPad 4 offering, of all days - that the 128GB Surface Pro has only 83 gigabytes of free storage out of the box.
It ain't just a serious rounding error: a whopping 45GB is consumed by the Surface OS and bundled apps, Microsoft confirms...
Microsoft is at last getting into game, offering its well-known Office suite of products for consumers increasingly turning to the cloud. Office 365 Home Premium provides all the familiar Office applications - including Word, Excel and PowerPoint - along with online storage and a free hour of Skype each month. At $99 per year ($80 for students and educators) the cloud-based application suite will work on up to 5 Macs, PCs and Windows tablets. Five years after Google launched rival Google Docs (now Google Drive), Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer proclaims Office 365 a key component in a "fundamental shift" for the company.
After making billions as a software company, Ballmer is rebranding Microsoft as a devices and services firm, a move some may view as too little and too late for Redmond...
THX, the company behind the high-fidelity audio/visual reproduction standard for movie theaters and consumer products, has released a new iOS application today called THX tune-up.
The app is built to help consumers calibrate, or 'get the most out of,' their HDTVs and home theater setups. And with the Super Bowl less than a week away, its timing couldn't be better...
Sprint, the nation's third-largest wireless carrier, wasted no time following Apple's quiet announcement of the 128GB iPad 4 earlier this morning, with multiple blogs confirming the telco will be carrying the newly announced gizmo.
Sprint's been selling iPhones and iPads since last year and today its SVP confirmed plans to sell the fourth-generation iPad with LTE, Retina display and 128 gigabytes of storage - likely beginning February 5, when it's scheduled to hit the Apple online and retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers...
Remember the strikingly remarkable Epic Citadel demo? It knocked our panties off with jaw-dropping graphics! Not sure about you, but I'd never thought such detailed visuals would have been possible on mobile devices that early in the game. You can thank Epic's Unreal Engine 3 for that, actually. Arguably the best game engine, it powers some of the best iOS games, including Epic's own Infinity Blade series.
Today, the team has updated the free Epic Citadel iOS demo with nice Retina graphics on fifth-gen iPhone and iPod touch devices and iPad 4. There's also a brand new benchmarking mode and, for the first time, the demo is now available on Android smartphones and tablets, indicating future cross-platform releases.
Go past the fold for more tidbits, including a nice trailer for an upcoming iOS/Android game built on Epic's engine...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrN-SV_ZLoM
To say that I'm a big weather buff is an understatement. I think I need help because virtually every new weather app finds its way to my home screen, from free offerings like Solar and Sun to paid ones like WTHR. Weather.com, The Weather Channel and AccuWeather? So last century. It goes without saying I'd check out this latest entrant to the the crowded weather app category on the App Store.
Nooly sets itself apart from the crops of other weather apps by trying to predict the minute rain starts, the time light rain turns into thunderstorm, exactly when snow starts and at what time light rain turns to heavy rain - all tailored to your current geographical location and with each prediction accurate down to an area of 0.4 square miles, or approximately one square kilometer...
Good news this morning for all of you 500px users. After getting pulled by Apple last week due to nude photo controversy, the photography service's iOS client has made its way back into the App Store.
The app returns today with multiple bug fixes, and a new 'Report This Photo' feature that allows users to report a photo they believe to be inappropriate. We have the full change log after the fold...
Do you have lots of contacts in Twitter, but aren't crazy about limiting your tweets to 140 characters? Do you you use tweet expander services and URL shorteners, and find they're more hassle than they're worth?
TweetAmplius is a jailbreak tweak that takes your plus-sized tweets and automatically runs them through Pastie, Instapaper, and the URL shortener 'is.gd'. The tweak plugs into the official Twitter app, as well as Tweetbot, if you prefer. TweetAmplius provides a seamless long tweet experience in iOS...
If you own a business and spend time and money promoting it on the web, you should definitelly check out Foursquare's brand new iOS app. Released Tuesday morning, Foursquare for Business is a handy sidekick that promises to help you get more customers walking through the door. The app can be used to post photo updates as your business, activate and deactivate specials, view customer tips, access analytics and more...