Apple

AT&T introduces new data plans for tablets: 250MB for $5/day, 1GB for $25 per 3 months

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Today, at GigaOM’s Mobilize conference and ahead of Apple's iPad event next Tuesday, AT&T cunningly announced a pair of new data-only cellular plans beginning with the basic tier that will set you back five bucks per day, which buys you 250MB of 3G or high-speed 4G LTE cellular data. It's a nice option for those who only occasionally use their iPad while out and about, without Wi-Fi nearby.

Charlie Penrose, AT&T’s Senior Vice President of Emerging Devices, said at the conference that his company hopes the new tablet-only data offering will give customers yet another reason to consider cellular devices instead of overwhelmingly opting for Wi-Fi-only tablets. Jump past the fold to read about AT&T's other tier...

Researchers claim Apple has the ability to access encrypted iMessages

Cody Lee ∙ October 17, 2013

Following the June report claiming that several tech companies were actively participating in the NSA's PRISM data mining program, Apple issued a statement regarding government information requests and user privacy.

In the statement, the company suggested it was unable to access or decrypt iMessage messages, alleviating fears that Apple could monitor those conversations. But according to a team of researchers, that may not be the case...

Banners go up at Yerba Buena Center ahead of Tuesday’s iPad event

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2013

With less than a week until Apple's big reveal next Tuesday, October 22, banners are now going up the Yerba Buena Center for Arts building downtown in San Francisco, California.

Banner design calls for a bunch of colorful leaves we saw on Apple's invitation, possibly mimicking the iOS 7 color scheme or suggesting colorful iPads.

Check out the images after the break and let us know what you think down in the comments section...

Real Steel: World Robot Boxing hits iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2013

Time to fight some larger-than-life robots! I'm not sure why exactly Real Steel hasn't done so well at the box office, but I've had a great time watching the movie (twice) and thought Huge Jackman fit the role perfectly. If you haven't seen it, Real Steel is based on the 1956 short story Steel by Richard Matheson and follows former boxed Charlie Kenton who owns the aging robot Ambush.

It's year 2020 and human boxers have been replaced by robots so cash-strapped Kenton makes a living by sending Ambush to fight other robots in tournaments across the country. The animatronics, stunts, special effects and acting are all very smooth.

DreamWorks, whose movie-making arm released the movie, has released a new tie-in, Real Steel: World Robot Boxing, for the iPhone and iPad as a free to play download on worldwide App Stores (the game previously soft-launched on the New Zealand App Store only)...

First iPhone 5s ad: ‘your finger is the password’

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2013

Since announcing a pair of new iPhones on September 10, Apple has not aired a single television commercial or published a newspaper ad to promote the flagship iPhone 5s.

Instead, all of Apple's advertising activities to date have centered around the colorful iPhone 5c, ostensibly because the company is having lots of issues fulfilling iPhone 5s demand.

But as Tim Cook & Co. expand the new iPhones into new markets - an additional 50+ countries will get the handsets by November 1 in addition to eleven launch countries - the first print ad for the iPhone 5s has just been spotted in The New Yorker magazine. It looks nice and I've included it for your viewing pleasure right after the jump...

Apple gets federal babysitter to watch over iBooks sales

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 17, 2013

Apple's federal e-book babysitter was named Wednesday. New York Judge Denise Cote assigned former Department of Just Inspector General Michael Bromwich to monitor Apple's compliance with antitrust laws concerning e-book sales. In July, Apple agreed to an independent monitor after being found guilt of conspiring with five publishers to fix prices.

Although Apple has called such a monitor unnecessary, DoJ prosecutors demanded the step as part of the final court remedy. Judge Cote, however, threw Apple a bone, reducing Bromwich's monitoring duty to just two years, less than half of the five years the Justice Department had originally wanted...

JD Power: Apple leads in satisfaction on AT&T/Verizon, Samsung on Sprint/T-Mobile

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

When it comes to smartphone satisfaction, carriers are key. That's the central finding of J.D. Power, which Thursday released its latest study indicating Apple and Samsung lead in satisfaction across all four major U.S. providers.

When it comes to the iPhone, customers of long-time Apple partners Verizon and AT&T love the Cupertino, Cupertino, company's smartphone lineup, more than any other smartphone brand.

As for South Korean Samsung, Sprint customers report are most satisfied by the Galaxy family of smartphones. Which U.S. carriers do the best job supporting smartphones? According to the study, AT&T and Sprint report the greatest satisfaction, followed by T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless...

Pandora: we do streaming radio better than anyone – including Apple

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 17, 2013

When iTunes Radio was only a rumor, the idea of Apple offering streaming music was instantly dubbed a Pandora-killer. Now that iTunes Radio has launched alongside iOS 7 last month, Pandora's finance chief is speaking out, saying their service outperforms even a giant-killer, no matter how fat the bank account.

In an interview, Pandora CFO Mike Herring describes Apple's service as a "credible" threat, but the Internet radio startup continues to feel it still is "better than anybody else"...

AT&T offers more LTE in random places

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2013

U.S. wireless carrier AT&T today announced that its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network is rolling out to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, as part of its ongoing rollout across the market which began with 4G LTE launch in Jefferson City in April.

Customers located in parts of Camdenton, Eldon, Gravois Mills, Lake Ozark, Laurie, Linn Creek, Osage Beach, Sunrise Beach and Versailles should now start seeing LTE logos on their devices such as Apple's iPhones, after upgrading to AT&T's speedy service.

Last week, AT&T's LTE expanded in a bunch of new markets in the United States and I have a quick breakdown for you waiting just below the fold...

Verizon activates 3.9M iPhones, representing 51% of its Q3 smartphone activations

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

The leading wireless telco in the United States, Verizon Wireless, this morning released its third quarter results revealing 3.9 million iPhone activations (which is different than the actual unit sales).

It's the same as its previous quarter and 26 percent up from 3.1 million iPhone activations in Q3 of 2012.

Apple's share of total smartphone activations at the Big Red carrier, however, has jumped from 43 percent in the second quarter of 2013 to as much as 51 percent of the 7.6 million total smartphone activations in the third quarter.

Due to iPhone supply constraints, there will be some carryover in sales to the fourth quarter, Verizon cautioned. Year-over-year smartphone activations at the carrier were up by 26 percent and revenue improved 4.4 percent to $30.28 billion, CFO Fran Shammo said in an earnings call with investors. More tidbits after the break...

Anki Drive iPhone-controlled cars launching October 23 for $199

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

During Apple's WWDC keynote this summer, Tim Cook called a couple of guys from Anki up on stage to show off their new iOS accessory/game called 'Anki Drive.'

Anki Drive is essentially a set of self-controlled, iOS-connected vehicles that race around a vinyl race track. The company describes it as a "video game in the real world."

Although the demo failed initially, folks were impressed by the Anki Drive cars. And many will be happy to hear that they'll finally be available for purchase next week...