Hasta La Gadget!

Now that the iPhone 5 is officially out of the bag, it’s time to talk software. Apple hasn’t exactly kept its cards close to its chest in regards to iOS 6: Cupertino teased the software at WWDC, letting us in on the direct Facebook integration, the new Maps application, Passbook and “Do Not Disturb” in the process. Today the OS gets official, and Scott Forstall demoed the software on the iPhone 5.

Not too much new here, but the software is out of its beta phase and ready to ship. One of the most hyped additions to iOS 6 has been the Maps application, which includes Siri navigation, 3D building view and satellite imagery. In Safari, there’s now a full-screen mode and you’ll be able to share tabs from your desktop with your phone (dubbed iCloud Tabs). We’re also seeing Passbook in action once again, bringing up a plane ticket at the lockscreen when you get to the airport, for example. One new thing here: Delta is confirmed as a partner for this digital ticket service.

As we’ve already known, on the Siri front you can bring up sports ranking and Rotten Tomatoes movie ratings via the voice assistant. And, of course, one of the most welcome new features is FaceTime over cellular — no mention of whether that will be supported on all carriers, but it certainly looks that way. iOS 6 will be available on September 19th (also when the iPhone 5 will go on sale), and it’s coming to the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, new iPad, iPad 2 and iPod touch.

Check out all the coverage at our iPhone 2012 event hub!

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

iOS 6 gets official debut on the iPhone 5: Maps, Passbook, iCloud Tabs and more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple may be notoriously secretive and tight lipped, but the company appears to be getting worse and worse at actually keeping things under wraps. The iPhone 5 appears to be the most leaked handset in existence. Thankfully, the suspense is over, the next-gen iPhone is finally here and it does, in fact, go by the numerical title of 5. Just like the parts that have been circulating on the web, this is a glass and aluminum two-tone affair and, at 7.6mm it’s a full 18 percent thinner than the 4S (though, contrary to what Tim Cook said on stage, one slide has the iPhone 5 at 8mm even). It’s even 20 percent lighter at 112 grams, which is even less than the mostly plastic Galaxy S III. It’s all those “magical” things and it packs a larger 4-inch in-cell display. The new version of Apple’s Retina panel is 1136 x 640, which clocks in at a more than respectable 326ppi. It also sports better color saturation with full sRGB rendering. That new longer screen allows for an extra set of icons to be displayed on the home screen, and first party apps have already been tweaked to take advantage of the additional real estate. The iWork suite, Garage Band and iMovie have all been updated. Older apps will still work too, though they’ll be displayed in a letterbox format until an update is issued. The tweaked ratio puts the iPhone 5 display closer to 16:9, but it’s not quite there.

Check out our liveblog of Apple’s event to get the latest news as it happens!

Continue reading iPhone 5 officially announced with 4-inch display, A6 CPU and LTE for $199 on September 21st

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

iPhone 5 officially announced with 4-inch display, A6 CPU and LTE for $199 on September 21st originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 13:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ready or not, it’s just about iPhone time. Darren and Tim are ready to get their liveblog on, but not before giving some insight into precisely what to expect. We’ll be starting the show at 10:30AM ET. Hit play on the video below to get in on the Apple pregame tailgating party.

Psst… after we go offline, you’ll be able to watch repeats right here. Also, our liveblog (sans video, of course) will commence at 10:00AM PT, and you can follow along right here.

Continue reading Engadget’s iPhone 5 pre-event broadcast: live from San Francisco!

Engadget’s iPhone 5 pre-event broadcast: live from San Francisco! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not uncommon for executives of smaller companies to jump ship within a few years of the business selling to a larger firm, whether it’s out of entrepreneurial restlessness or unhappiness with the corporate status quo. We don’t know which of the two (if any) is a factor with Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer, but tipsters for AllThingsD and Bloomberg still say that he left Apple in June to “pursue other projects.” The reported departure follows that of Dag Kittlaus, who quit Apple a year earlier, and should leave the Siri team without the brunt of its early leadership two years after Apple bought the company. Although the impact is uncertain, this doesn’t necessarily mean Apple’s version of Siri is at risk: along with holding on to any remaining Siri staff, Cupertino will have had a long time to familiarize itself with the code. We’d also take it all with a grain of salt. Apple has declined to comment, and Cheyer’s LinkedIn profile still shows him as an Apple employee. Whatever’s the truth, the rumor’s sources don’t have the best timing.

[Image credit: Araya Diaz for TechCrunch, Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets

Insiders claim Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer has left Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 21:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Finally. A bit of closure. AT&T has confirmed the long-lived speculation of its policy to unlock in-contract iPhones for our military men and women deployed overseas. To qualify for the complimentary service, active military members must have an account in good standing and provide the carrier with deployment verification — that’s it, no other hoops to jump through.

The revelation was made today as part AT&T’s new Device Unlock Portal, which allows off-contract iPhone owners to apply online to have their handsets unlocked. Previously, this unlock service was available only through the carrier’s retail outlets, online chat support or by dialing 611. As a quick rehash of the non-military policy, all users — either current or former AT&T subscribers — must have completed their contractual obligations to AT&T, and the phone cannot be flagged as lost or stolen. All those eligible should certainly apply for the service, as an unlocked iPhone is infinitely more useful when traveling abroad — a reality that deployed military members know all too well.

[Military photo via Shutterstock]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Confirmed: AT&T offers complimentary unlock of in-contract iPhones for deployed military personnel originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 21:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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