Hasta La Gadget!

Well, iOS 6.1 is still pretty young, but 6.1.1 is already hitting the airwaves. At least for some iPhone 4S owners that is. We’ve been able to confirm availability of the upgrade on multiple 4S handsets, but have not seen it yet on an iPod touch or any other iPhone model. The notification screen does specifically call out the update as fixing issues relating to “cellular performance and reliability” on the iPhone 4S, so it’s quite likely the update will be for that device only. While better signal reliability would be a welcome upgrade, the bug we’ve heard the most complaints about is the seriously diminished battery life under 6.1. Unfortunately the pseudo-changelog that appears alongside the update make no mention of improved longevity. Other tweaks rumored to be landing with this version, including better Maps support in Japan, will have to wait for a future release like 6.2.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Apple

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Source: @viticci (Twitter), Apple Support

When it comes to the business segment, it would seem that no company has more to lose than BlackBerry – as proven this week by stock prices falling at news the Home Depot will soon be switching to iPhone. The yet-unofficial announcement that Home Depot would be dropping their company-wide use of BlackBerry devices for Apple’s mobile phone option will have the company formerly known as RIM servicing around 100,000 devices fewer once the full switch is made. It would seem that stocks of BlackBerry dipped down as far as 6 percent in early trading today while the stock appears to be a bit more on the rebound as noon arrives.

The big switch will affect Home Depot store managers and corporate employees on the whole, while the general store employee population are not currently smartphone-carrying members, so to speak. When you work at Home Depot ranked any member Store Manager or above, a corporate smartphone plan goes into effect. With the brand new reveal and release of the BlackBerry 10 mobile OS, it would appear that the home repair and construction supply company is not suitably impressed.

Employees that work on the floor – those that you the customer would interact with on the daily, behind the counter and helping you load up planks of wood into your odd carts – will continue to use Motorola smartphones. According to inside sources speaking with Apple Insider, the iPhone switch will not affect the some 60,000 employees working with the “rugged” Motorola phones currently in use by floor employees.

This is not the first company to have tossed BlackBerry aside over the past few months, but given that Home Depot is the fifth largest retailer in the entire modern world, it’s certainly a significant one. Keep your eyes on the prize, BlackBerry, and make sure you prove yourselves to the enterprise universe real quick! Have a peek at the timeline below to see other recent BlackBerry happenings to keep track of the magic!

[Image via Martin Hajek]

Home Depot says no to BlackBerry 10: iPhone a go is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

With the iPhone 5 more than a week old (more than several weeks, believe it or not), the iPhone 5S rumors are running hot – but the one you’re about to see is a falsehood. The images included here come from a website by the name of SJBBS.ZOL and have been circulating today as alleged iPhone 5S part leaks. Instead what you’re seeing is a rather cheap knock-off of the iPhone 5 – the proof is in the pudding.

As it’s also pointed out on MacRumors, several elements in basically every single one of the leaked photos shows the fake-phone’s true form. This device has a microSD card slot, an off-brand low-cost battery that’s smaller than the iPhone 5, and there’s no Lightning connector port. Instead you’ve got an amalgamation of bits and pieces you’ll be able to purchase for a few bucks in a corner store – or at rip-off prices on the web.

That said and as Steve Hemmerstoffer’s photo makes clear, the iPhone 5S this device is certainly not. Instead you’ll have to rely on the few iPhone 5S rumors and tips we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks. There you’ll find a mental picture painted of an iPhone 5S that’s roughly the same size and shape as the iPhone 5 but with upgraded innards – surprises in store!

Have a peek at the iPhone 5S / iPhone 6 timeline below to find out the real deal truth! And be sure to note that unless Apple lets it be known, it’s not confirmed – and don’t let anyone tell you any different!

iPhone 5S leak debunked: that’s a clone! is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We hear a lot of Apple rumors on a daily, if not weekly basis, many of which never turn into a real product or feature for an upcoming product. This weekend, though, one rumor we covered this past December seems to have resurfaced as two big publications reporting Apple is currently working on a smartwatch.

Both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have confirmed with sources familiar with Apple’s plans they have begun developing a smartwatch that runs on iOS. The smartwatch is said to be made of a curved glass and Apple is currently experimenting a number of ways consumers would wear the device, although at this point, no details regarding the smartwatch’s design or even if it will be made available to the public in the near future.

It’s curious to see Apple start developing its own smartwatch shortly after Pebble announced its own smartwatch, which recently started shipping out to consumers. The Pebble hasn’t been out long enough for analysts to predict whether the device is a hit or miss, but if Apple is indeed developing a smartwatch, then they must see something in the technology.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iCalc Bluetooth Calculator Keypad Magnetically Works With An Apple Wireless Keyboard, Fender announces new Squier Strat guitar with USB and iOS connectivity,

Look, we loved what Hasbro did with Lazer Tag last year. But, let’s be honest, that thing was pure testosterone. We’re not saying the ladies couldn’t get down, but the alien-blasting AR solo games weren’t exactly designed with little girls in mind. Rebelle ditches the lasers for NERF arrows and slaps a supposedly female-friendly coat of purple and pink paint on the whole thing. While the blasters still operate without the optional Mission Central App cradle ($15), it’s once you get the whole kit together that things really start to fall into place. The attachment lets you drop in an iPhone (4, 4S or 5) and fire up the free companion app. (And don’t worry Google fans, an Android version of the app along with a universal mount are also in the works.) Rather than focus on solo games and individual competition, the Rebelle Mission Central app encourages kids to form squads and compete not just for supremacy over their friends but also for in-game perks, like accessories for their avatars. Those virtual personas can be completely customized, allowing girls to fully embrace their secret agent fantasies.Of course, you can also document your foam-arrow battles and share them.

The blasters themselves are pretty standard NERF fare and all some basic variation on a crossbow design. The rotating barrel Crossbow ($25) has a pump-action and a rail for installing the cradle, a feature that’s not on some of the smaller models like the pocketable, single-shot Sneak Attackers. The other model currently slated for cradle compatibility is the Heartbreaker Bow ($20), which sticks with a more traditional bow and arrow design and has a dash more wickedness to the design than some of the other blasters. The whole Rebelle line is expected to hit shelves in the fall — so little brothers beware.

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

Filed under: Software, Mobile

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