Verizon iPhone Could Appear by Mid-Feb – Report

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Nothing too exciting here–just the latest in a long line of unconfirmed reports that a Verizon iPhone is “coming soon.” According to a new story by Business Week, the long-awaiting handset could be arriving “maybe by Valentine’s Day.”

The phone, according to an unnamed source, will drop after CES in Las Vegas–which, remember, is next week. Oh course, we wouldn’t put it past Apple to flex its industry muscle during the country’s biggest consumer electronics show.

After all, Google took plenty of wind out of CES’s sails last year, with the introduction of the Nexus (though that, of course, proved to be a lot of smoke and not a heck of a lot of fire).

iPhone 3Gs $50 at Radio Shack

iPhone 3G

Radio Shack is extending its iPhone sale until Friday December 31st, thanks to a number of store sellouts. The retailer is offering up the 16GB iPhone 4 for $148.99 through the end of the year. The 8GB version of its predecessor, the iPhone 3Gs, is priced at $48.99. Both models are marked down $51 from their suggested retail price.

The company is also offering some sweet deals on refurbished iPhones, with the 16GB and 32GB versions of the iPhone 4 running $124 and $224, respectively. A refurbed 3Gs, meanwhile, will cost you nothing with a new contract (or $24 with a contract upgrade).

Radio Shack is calling the deal its “Lowest Price Ever on iPhone.” Actually finding a store with some in stock may prove a bit tricky, however.

Angry Birds Exec: Apple Will Be No. 1 For a Long Time for Developers

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Rovio may have introduced its wildly successful game Angry Birds to the Android platform, but make no mistake which operating system the company prefers to develop for. In a recent interview with the site Tech Marketing, Rovio executive Peter Vesterbacka let it be known that Apple’s iOS is still the top dog in his eyes.

“Apple will be the number one platform for a long time from a developer perspective, they have gotten so many things right,” he told the site. “And they know what they are doing and they call the shots. Android is growing, but it’s also growing complexity at the same time.”

Android also has a fragmentation problem, according to Vesterbacka. “Device fragmentation not the issue, but rather the fragmentation of the ecosystem,” he explained. “So many different shops, so many different models. The carriers messing with the experience again. Open but not really open, a very Google centric ecosystem. And paid content just doesn’t work on Android.”

Not that he’s saying that Apple is, you know, better, or anything. It’s just that, in the mobile world, fragmentation is sort of a way of life,

That doesn’t mean that model is superior, it’s just important to understand that Apple is Apple and Google is Google. Different. And developers need to understand that. Different business models for different ecosystems. And wouldn’t forget about Nokia and MeeGo either, new leadership always tends to shake things up and create opportunity. And HP-Palm. And RIM. And even Microsoft. It’s a fragmented world.

Rovio’s Angry Birds was the number one paid app for the iPhone in 2010.

Just got an iPhone? The best apps, accessories, and tips

Someone must really like you — otherwise, how did you end up with an iPhone this holiday season? Yeah, we know, iPads don’t really fit into stockings. Besides, your parent or significant other got you an arguably better gift in the cheaper (with two-year contract, of course), more compact, and more recently updated iPhone 4. We’ve given you some app suggestions before when the device first launched, but that was six months ago, and in technology time, that’s like seven years. Want a run-down of the best apps, our favorite accessories, and the essential tips and tricks? Just follow along after the break!

Hey Android friends, we got you covered, too! Did you get an iPad? Check out our guide here!

Continue reading Just got an iPhone? The best apps, accessories, and tips

Just got an iPhone? The best apps, accessories, and tips originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 11:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010’s Weirdest Tech Stories: Part Two

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As we let on in the first part of this roundup, 2010 has been a banner year for weird tech news. When I sent out a note to our staff, asking for the top odd news of the year, I got far more responses than we could fit in a single story.

After the jump, we’ve got a look back at the weird year that was, including lost iPhones, sex robots, time-traveling wireless customers, and exploding cell phones.

Man Turns Destroyed iPads, iPods, iPhones Into Art

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Exploded iPads, melted iPods, shattered iPhones. Tragedy incarnate for the gadget obsessed or works of art? Michael Taggert has made a fairly compelling argument for the latter, destroying a slew of Apple products (including the above image of an iPhone 3G shot with a handgun entitled “Targeting”) and getting his pal Paul Fairchild to take some graphic shots of the carnage.

The photos are now hanging at Palo Alto’s WhiteSpace Gallery, a hop, skip, and jump away from One Infinite Loop. And while Taggert clearly relishes the destruction, he’s an Apple lover who once actually built the products as a member of the company’s legendary design team.

Those who don’t share Taggert’s enthusiasm for the company’s products, however, will likely find a lot to like in the artistic mayhem. Check out some shots after the jump. More images are available over at CNET.

Robber Claims to Have Held Up Restaurant With an iPhone

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Man, is there anything the iPhone can’t do? Police arrested a man after holding up a Connecticut-area Indian restaurant, this week. Jerome Taylor, the 20-year would-be robber told restaurant workers that he had a gun. The cooks weren’t willing to hand over the cash so easily, grabbing knives and standing up to him.

Taylor apologized, adding that the robbery was a joke and he needed money to support his kids, quickly fleeing the scene. When the cops caught up with him, he confessed to the crime–everything but the iPhone part. According to Taylor, he was actually wielding an iPhone.

If Steve Jobs were present, I’m sure he’d let Taylor know that he was holding it wrong. Officers arrested Taylor, despite the restaurant’s insistence on not pressing charges.

GEAR4 UnityRemote Lets You Control Any TV with an iPhone

GEAR4 UnityRemote

If you’re not interested in dropping a ton of cash on a universal remote that can control all of the gadgets in your home entertainment system, and you’re not particularly interested in buying an Apple TV to connect to your TV, the new GEAR4 UnityRemote is a tiny cylinder with an IR transmitter in it that can be configured to pair with your television, game consoles, DVD or Blu-Ray player, and other devices. 
Once you have the UnityRemote paired with your gadgets, download the GEAR4 UnityRemote app for your iPhone or iPod Touch, and you instantly have a universal remote in the form of your iOS device. 
The UnityRemote is a unique take on turning a mobile phone into a universal remote. Instead of buying a bunch of gadgets to connect to your home entertainment system, you have one small wireless device that can sit anywhere in the room, even on the coffee table. Once it’s set up, your phone is your remote control. The UnityRemote is available now for $99 retail price.

Nuu MiniKey for iPhone 4 preview: yep, another (bulky) keyboard case

A number of iPhone keyboard cases have popped up lately, from the TK-421 flip-out case (which we reviewed) to the BoxWave Keyboard Buddy. We’ve spent the better part of 24 hours using an engineering sample of Nuu’s MiniKey QWERTY slider for iPhone 4 — expect “a few minor changes to be made” before actual launch — that the company was kind enough to send over. So, how’s it stack up?

Continue reading Nuu MiniKey for iPhone 4 preview: yep, another (bulky) keyboard case

Nuu MiniKey for iPhone 4 preview: yep, another (bulky) keyboard case originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 13:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Octopus iPhone Charger Has Suction Cups on the Back

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Most iPhone battery packs slide on to your phone, or serve double-duty as a case and a battery pack, but the Octopus Battery Charger takes a different approach: one that’s definitely more interesting, but is debatable if it’s better. 
The Octopus has a 30-pin dock connector on a flexible arm at the bottom of the charger. Plug in the charger to your iPhone or iPod Touch for some extra juice, and while you’re using it, attach the battery pack to the back of your device using the eight suction cups on the back of the battery pack. 
According to the manufacturers, your phone will be get about a half-charge from the Octopus in about 3 hours, less if you opt to use your phone while it’s charging. On the bright side, it’s clear the Octopus is designed for use when you need your phone and your battery is about to die, not as a permanent fixture on the back of your device. One can be yours now for $29.85 retail price.