Jul 16

Apple Live Blog: The iPhone 4 Press Conference

Posted in: steve jobs, Today's Chili

iphone 4 apple.jpg

Well, we know there’s going to be a press conference tomorrow in Cupertino. And we know that PCMag’s news editor Mark Hachman is attending. Beyond that, your guess is as good as ours. But there’s not much doubt that the company will address the “death grip” issue with the iPhone 4. Will they offer rebates? (5 percent of you think so.) Free “bumper” cases? (37 percent of our readers believe that will happen.) Will a recall be announced? (Only 7 percent go for that scenario.) Will Apple explain exactly how iOS 4 resolves the bar issue? (Whoa–37 percent think that will happen.) Will Steve Jobs say, “Ur doin it rong!” and demonstrate the proper way to hold the phone? (OK, we didn’t ask that question in our poll.)

Join us for a live blog and find out what it’s all about when we do, tomorrow at 1 PM Eastern time, 10 AM Pacific.

Update: So now we know. Even though Steve thinks there’s really no problem, Apple’s offering free (Apple-only!) bumpers as well as rebates for those who already bought them and full refunds for the iPhone 4, if you don’t want to keep it. Our news story on PCMag.com has all the details.

Check out our full transcript of the press conference after the jump!

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Jul 16

Live from Apple’s iPhone 4 press conference

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, iPhone, live, LiveBlog, steve jobs, SteveJobs, Today's Chili

Digg this! The event is set to start at the times below — so get ready!

07:00AM – Hawaii
10:00AM – Pacific
11:00AM – Mountain
12:00PM – Central
01:00PM – Eastern
06:00PM – London
07:00PM – Paris
09:00PM – Moscow
02:00AM – Tokyo (July 17th)

Continue reading Live from Apple’s iPhone 4 press conference

Live from Apple’s iPhone 4 press conference originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 15

What Will Apple Announce at Tomorrows iPhone 4 Press Conference?

Posted in: Today's Chili

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for iphone 4 apple.jpg

We discovered just yesterday that Apple would be holding a press conference tomorrow, Friday, July 16th, at its Cupertino headquarters. The conference is said to be centered on the iPhone 4. As you have no doubt heard, Apple has been somewhat beleaguered lately
because of the so-called “death grip”
antenna problem with the newest iPhone.

What more do we know for sure? Not much. But of course, that stops no one from speculating as to what the company might discuss.

Lance Ulanoff, PCMag’s editor-in-chief, is taking a poll to find out what our readers think might happen tomorrow–and we want you to weigh in, here. Feel free to leave speculative comments below, as well!

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Jul 13

Colorware douses iPhone 4 in double rainbow, might just solve your reception issues

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, iPhone, mod, on sale, OnSale, smartphone, Today's Chili, video

Given just how much that white iPhone 4 bumper is about to cost you on eBay, it seems as if a Colorware’d alternative has never been a better bargain. The master of gadget coloration is back once more, this time promising to dress Apple’s latest problem child up with just about any combination of hues that you choose. Consumers can splash paint on the frame, back, button, SIM card tray and earbuds, with the minimum price set at $250 for a sent-in device. There’s no guarantee that a coat of Colorware will serve to remedy those awfully annoying reception issues, but at least you can pocket a beautiful reminder of just how happy a pair of colorful bands can make the average vacationer. And that, friends, is priceless.

Gallery: Colorware paints Apple iPhone 4

Continue reading Colorware douses iPhone 4 in double rainbow, might just solve your reception issues

Colorware douses iPhone 4 in double rainbow, might just solve your reception issues originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 13

Exolife iPhone 4 Case Adds Lots of Battery in a Slim Package

Posted in: iPhone, Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili

Exolife - Battery CaseIf you have an iPhone 4 and you wish you got a bit more juice from the battery, or you’re one of the people experiencing the now-infamous “death grip” problem, the Exolife rechargeable iPhone 4 battery case may be able to solve both of those problems. Exolife’s external battery case mounts to the back of your iPhone 4 without adding a ton of extra bulk. It completely covers the sides and back, and it has openings cut out for the power button, headphone jack, and volume buttons on the side. There’s also an opening in the back for the camera and flash.

According to Exolife, the case will virtually doubles your iPhone’s battery life with its 1500mAh Lithium-Ion polymer rechargeable battery. The case is designed not to interfere with the signal from your iPhone 4 (although since it covers the sides, it’ll probably help with the iPhone 4’s reported signal issues). The Exolife battery case also turns off automatically when power from the case is not needed, so the extra charge is ready when you need it.

Exolife is taking pre-orders for the black and white versions of the case now. Black versions will ship at the end of July, and white versions will ship at the end of September. Both versions cost $89.95 list. 

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Jul 13

iPhone 4 Doomed for Recall, Says PR Experts

Posted in: Apple, steve jobs, Today's Chili

Thumbnail image for Apple_iPhone_Pics.jpgAccording to PR experts who broke the news to Cult
of Mac today, the iPhone 4 is fated to be sent back to the drawing board. The Apple fan site claims that, according to experts, “Apple will be forced to recall the iPhone 4 following Consumer Reports tests proving the ‘Death Grip’ antenna issue is not software related.”

While it appears that Sascha Segan was right on the money in his estimation of the “Death Grip” issue, whether it’s grounds for a recall is ultimately up to Apple. However, some folks seem to be blowing this a wee bit out of proportion.

Expert on crisis communication Chris Lehane claims that Apple must recover from this “Toyota-style PR crisis,” according to Cult of Mac. Now, the iPhone 4 isn’t endangering (hopefully) too many lives with its shoddy reception, but for Apple’s seemingly pristine record, this is an image crisis nonetheless.

While I can’t help but agree with experts like Dr. Larry Barton who said that Apple’s response to the issue hasn’t exactly been stellar, to demand a “military-like response” from a corporation that designs gadgets might be a bit much.

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Jul 09

Report: iPhone 4 Catches Fire While Charging

Posted in: Today's Chili

iphone4firedamage.jpg

The iPhone 4 “death grip” was apparently the least of one AT&T customer’s problems. According to Boy Genius Report, a shocked Apple owner brought his iPhone back to an AT&T store after the thing “burst into flames” while hooked up to a computer via USB.

The fire, according to the story, was the result of a defective USB port, rather than user error. The USB port on the phone was melted, as was the cord. The user’s hand was also burned, thanks to an extremely hot phone bezel.

Boy Genius Report claims to have received the report directly from a “very close AT&T source.”

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Jul 07

AppleCare: Software Update Wont Fix iPhone 4 Reception

Posted in: Apple, Today's Chili

Thumbnail image for iphone 4 apple.jpgThe good news, I guess, is that AppleCare is acknowledging the iPhone 4’s “death grip” reception design flaw. The service is following the company’s line on the matter, telling users either to hold the thing differently (or, perhaps, “different”; only Steve Jobs knows the proper grammar on that one) or to shell out $30 for an Apple-designed rubber iPhone bumper.

The upcoming software update, however, will not resolve the problems, according to AppleCare. Rather, the update will make more accurate the way in which the phone displays signal reception.

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Jul 06

How Are We Using Our Smartphones?

Posted in: iPhone, Smartphones, Today's Chili

Complete.jpg

Marketing company Compete has just unveiled the results of its first-quarter Smartphone Intelligence Survey, and the data might surprise you (although probably not). The study looked at how people were using their iPhones, BlackBerrys, Android devices, and other smartphones.

Smartphone owners increasingly rely on their phones to search for retailers, with one-third calling or stopping into a local business after finding it by using a local search application. In Q1, nearly a third of Android and iPhone owners discovered at least two new businesses they weren’t aware of by using a local search app.

The study also found that mobile gaming is most popular with iPhone owners. In all, 51 percent of iPhone owners have five or more games on their phones. Contrast that to 46 percent of BlackBerry owners who have no games at all Sad.

Check out the Complete blog for more results.  

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Jul 05

Mongoose Studio’s dozen iPod cluster display is an expensive way to watch Tron (video)

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, iPhone, Japan, Today's Chili, video
Mongoose Studio's 12 iPhone cluster display is an expensive way to watch Tron (video)

Most of us would be happy to get a single video to play on our PMP without having to run it through some sort of transcoder first, but the folks at Mongoose Studio needed something more complex. They’ve released a video of a project that’s been in the works for some time, clustering 12 iPod touches into a sort of bezel-riffic widescreen display. All are controlled by a master, 13th iPod that can cause them to display a clock in the interest of verifying synchronization (which is far from perfect, as you’ll see in the embed below), or to trigger the playing of a movie. We’re guessing that the footage must be manually split into appropriate files for each device, and we’re also guessing that horrible things would happen should someone come along and re-shuffle them. But, if you have a lot of friends with iPhones and a lot of free time to prep the film, this could make for a rather interesting movie night — until someone gets a call, that is.

Continue reading Mongoose Studio’s dozen iPod cluster display is an expensive way to watch Tron (video)

Mongoose Studio’s dozen iPod cluster display is an expensive way to watch Tron (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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