Hasta La Gadget!

Developers, start your engines: the GM (Golden Master) seed of iOS 6 is now available and ready for download on Apple’s Developer page. Essentially, the GM seed is the final version of the OS sent out to developers — as an opportunity to fully test their apps — before the rest of the general public, which will take place on September 19th. The Xcode 4.5 GM seed is now available as well. Head to the link below, log into your developer account, and venture over to the iOS Dev Center to find the download links.

Update: it looks like it’s fully working now. Hop to it!

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software, Mobile

iOS 6 GM seed now available for developers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As the plethora of recent posts attest, Apple has indeed launched the iPhone 5, the next generation in its five-year-old iPhone family tree. But is it the best smartphone money can buy? For kicks and giggles, we’ve pitted the specs of Tim Cook’s darling against those found in the top Android and Windows Phone devices (as a disclaimer, the Nokia Lumia 920 has yet to be officially released, but we have received nearly all of the essential stats). So how does the iPhone 5 hold up against some of its most vicious competitors? Follow along after the break as we analyze the best of the best.

Note: We’re still waiting to get final word on a few of the specs, but we’ll update the post as those details come to light.

Continue reading iPhone 5 vs the competition: fight!

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

iPhone 5 vs the competition: fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alongside an avalanche of new hardware, Apple also offered up a new adapter to ease the transition to its new Lightning connector for the iPhone 5 and new iPods. The adapter will let users charge and sync their device using existing 30-pin dock connector cables, and will also help stave off the Dockpocalypse for a while longer.

The Lightning to 30-pin Adapter retails for $29 or $39 if you want one with a small cable attached, and is available now on the site but doesn’t ship until October. It’s compatible with the iPhone 5, the iPod touch 5th gen, and the iPod nano 7th gen.

Update: As commenter Brett Nolan points out, these adapters don’t appear to support video or audio out. Right on the product page, the following limitations are listed:

“Video and iPod Out not supported.”

That’s a bummer.

It’s obvious that the iPhone 5 is the star of today’s show, but Apple’s not letting its iPod line go untouched. The newest iPod touch takes a note from the newfangled display on its cellular sibling, bringing a vaster panel (the same 4-inch, 1,136 x 640 one found on the new iPhone). At 88 grams and just 6.1mm thick, it’s also shockingly thin and light — of course, the anodized aluminum backing makes it feel like a premium piece of kit. Premium, as in, right up there with the iPhone. In a world where Apple’s seeing its iPod sales sink quarter after quarter due to self-cannibalization from the iPad and iPhone, it’s interesting (but appreciated) to see so much effort placed on the new iPod touch.

The introduction of the dual-core A5 chip (that’s dual-core on the CPU and the graphics side) is a huge boon for the touch. Apple’s claiming a 7x improvement in graphics, and given that this thing is claiming such a huge swath of the mobile gaming market, it’s pretty much a necessity. Indeed, our interactions with the device were notably faster than on the prior touch. We didn’t exactly have 40 hours here to test the audio playback claims (in fact, we didn’t even have eight to test the claims on video), but you can bet that’ll be a huge selling point.

Continue reading 5th-generation iPod touch hands-on!

Filed under: Handhelds

5th-generation iPod touch hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple redesigned its signature headphones today, with a new geometry that’s made to better fit the ear. They don’t seal like in-ear phones, however, and have three ports designed to maximize air flow through the design.

A port in the back is aimed at delivering better mid-tones, and there’s one in the stem and the primary one for delivering sound to the inside of your ear. It’s all aimed at delivering the best sound possible.

These ship today on their own, and are included with new iPods and iPhone. They’ve gotta be better than the existing ones, but I’ll reserve judgement about how much better until I get actual ears-on experience.