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China Unicom surpasses 300,000 iPhone 5 pre-orders

Cody Lee ∙ December 11, 2012

The iPhone 5 doesn't officially launch in China until the 14th, but sales of the handset are believed to already be well past half a million. Two of the countries largest carriers have been taking pre-orders for weeks now, and there appears to be a lot of interest.

China Unicom, for example, just announced that it has fielded more than 300,000 iPhone 5 reservations during its first week of pre-sales. And China Telecom is said to have similar figures. So needless to say, experts are planning for a big launch this Friday...

T-Mobile’s iPhone-friendly HSPA+ goes live in Atlanta, Seattle and Minneapolis

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Not to be outdone by AT&T which today rolled out LTE in three new markets, Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile USA just flipped the switch on its iPhone-friendly HSPA+ network in Atlanta, Seattle and Minneapolis. With today's roll-out, T-Mobile's 3G HSPA+ service (incorrectly advertised as "4G") is available in a total of 18 metropolitan areas.

The German carrier is hoping that landing the iPhone next year would curb subscriber losses. As part of the incoming iPhone launch, T-Mobile is eliminating subsidies on high-end devices. Under the new rules, customers would pay for the full device price upfront in exchange for lower service fees. A good example are the carrier's unsubsidized Value Plans that offer significantly cheaper monthly rates for voice and, particularly, data services...

References to Office iOS apps spotted on Microsoft’s support site

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Microsoft's long-rumored Office suite for iOS and Android is like a unicorn: everybody's talking about it and yet no one but a rare few have seen it. The Redmond-based Windows maker may have just "inadvertently" (conspiracy theorists, rejoice!) leaked another solid proof that Excel, PowerPoint and Word apps are coming to both the iPhone and iPad.

It's interesting because previously we were wondering whether the mobile Office suite would only run on the iPad or target all form-factor iOS devices. This looks to be the case as Microsoft appears adamant to give Apple and its iWork productivity apps a good run for their money...

How to easily adjust brightness on iPhone and iPod touch with BrightVol

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

BrightVol is a new jailbreak tweak, which allows you to adjust the brightness settings of an iPhone or iPod touch using the device's hardware volume buttons.

While similar tweaks have been created in the past, none of them, to my knowledge, allows you to dynamically switch between brightness settings and traditional volume settings as easy. BrightVol allows you to do just that, and that's what really separates it from the rest of the pack. Take a look inside for our full video walkthrough...

Conceivable concept tidies up the Notification Center mess

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 10, 2012

Notification Center, a feature Apple borrowed from the jailbreak community, continues to be artists' favorite playground, if numerous concepts are anything to go by. I'm especially liking a new concept by Alex Saretzky, a designer who is proposing a better use of the screen real estate in Apple's implementation of the Notification Center.

The redesigned feature helps convey more information compared to Apple's version of the Notification Center. Specifically, Alex says Apple should drop the linen background (we're looking at you, Jony Ive) and re-think some of the design decision that clash with its own Human Interface Guidelines...

IDC: Samsung leads shipments, Apple rules smart device profits

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated July 12, 2017

Research firm IDC again crowned Samsung and Apple the leaders in smartphones and tablets. The two rivals are taking different paths to the top as the South Korean company leads in sheer numbers while the iPhone maker leads profit per device.

It recently said Samsung has 21 percent of the so-called smart connected device market comprised of a collection of PCs, tablets and smartphones, while Apple squeezed $34.1 billion out of its 15.1 percent market share during the third quarter of 2012...

Australian police issue warning regarding Apple Maps

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

Apple's Maps application has had nothing but problems since it was released to the public back in September. Users have complained that the company's in-house replacement for Google Maps has inaccurate location data and other bugs.

But if you thought Maps was bad before, wait until you hear this. Police in Victoria, Australia issued a warning this weekend regarding the mapping software after several travelers became lost and stranded due to receiving poor directions...

iDB 2012 holiday gift guide: Jim’s budget saver picks

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

As we barrel into the holiday season at an alarming rate, I am assuming that you, like I, have not finished purchasing gifts. As an iDB reader, you know that tech gifts are the best gifts and we are hoping to make choosing a little easier. When I was little, I always preferred something cool and new under the Christmas tree. Thanks to iOS devices, there are many new ways to pick up a new innovative or interactive gift for the kids or kids-at-heart.

My guide is split between age groups and all suggestions fall into the stocking-stuffer category, thanks to their sub $75 price tags. Why spend huge bucks when there are decent options for less? With the bargain shopper in mind, the following might not be the best toy or accessory money can buy, but they are great deals for the dollar...

T-Mobile bets the iPhone will curb subscriber churn

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 28, 2016

As you know, T-Mobile USA, the nation's fourth-largest carrier, will finally land Apple's iPhone next year. The Deutsche Telekom-owned telco is making no excuse for its failure to land the sough-after device earlier and, unsurprisingly, is looking to tap the popularity of the Apple smartphone to win back some of its subscribers lost to rivals AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint.

T-Mobile USA CEO John Legere told reporters on Friday that his company, which has 33 million customers in the United States, is hoping to steal would-be subscribers who are eyeing an iPhone on a rival network. Even more so, the German company acknowledges that having the iPhone is key to returning to growth in subscriptions by the end of 2013...

T-Mobile to eliminate handset subsidies ahead of iPhone launch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

On Thursday, Deutsche Telekom announced that T-Mobile USA had entered into an agreement with Apple to bring products to market next year. CEO John Legere confirmed the news while speaking at a conference this week, saying that T-Mobile will indeed be carrying the iPhone in 2013, and it will be offering it in a "different" way...

iPhone 5 now ‘in stock’ in many countries

Cody Lee ∙ December 7, 2012

Over the past few weeks, we've watched as iPhone 5 supply slowly leveled out with consumer demand. Shortly after launch, availability of the handset slipped to 3-4 weeks, and it has since improved to two weeks, one week, 2-4 days.

Then today, shoppers noticed that shipping estimates for the smartphone on Apple's web store have completely disappeared, meaning that it's in stock and available for immediate shipping for the first time since September...

USPTO preliminary invalidates key Steve Jobs iPhone patent

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 7, 2012

The ultimate smartphone patent which covers the intricacies of the iPhone's touch screen heuristics has been preliminary invalidated by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), reveals the FOSS Patents blog which covers intellectual property and litigation in the technology industry.

That's bad news as USPTO in October also invalidated the famous rubber banding patent, Apple's other prized iPhone invention. Now, all is not lost because many patent claims that are rejected at the early stage do ultimately survive, though the prospect of loosing the iconic multitouch patent is without any doubt a major concern for Apple, even with plenty of other multitouch-related patents the company now holds...