iPhone 4 gets upgraded for NFC payments the hard way

Softbank customers in Japan can simply get an NFC sticker to add some contact-less payments to their iPhone 4, but most folks don’t have it quite so easy just yet. There are some alternatives while you wait for Apple to hop on the NFC bandwagon, however, like this solution from Unplggd‘s Vivian Kim. It uses one of the smaller NFC-equipped credit cards now available from some banks, which is apparently just small enough to fit under the back cover of an iPhone 4 (a clear one, in this case, to show off your cleverness). And, yes, it apparently still works just fine under there — even if you add a case on top of it.

iPhone 4 gets upgraded for NFC payments the hard way originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keepin’ it real fake: the iPhone 4 has a fan in China (video)

Keepin' it real fake: the iPhone 4 has a fan in China

With competition like the Samsung Galaxy S II showing us just how thin a phone can be, the iPhone 4 isn’t quite looking as svelte as it once did. How’s an Apple-loving gadget fiend supposed to stay faithful in a time like this? Why, by holding their handset next to something much, much thicker. Enter the “iPhone 4,” which actually isn’t a phone, rather a powered fan that serves to keep you cool, not connected. As you can see after the break, the Home button won’t kick you out of an app, instead kicking that ducted air-mover into high gear, and while you won’t find it in your local Apple Store, stumble across one of these plastic bricks in Shenzhen and it’ll only cost you $10 or so to take it home. Small price to keep your handset feeling good about itself — until September, anyway.

Update: Jasper wrote in with a link of where you can buy one for yourself, if you’re still suffering from a heat wave.

[Thanks, Chris]

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake: the iPhone 4 has a fan in China (video)

Keepin’ it real fake: the iPhone 4 has a fan in China (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MIDI Mobilizer II stores your musical stylings, plays nice with CoreMIDI apps

Much music making progress has been made since we first saw Line 6’s MIDI Mobilizer — namely, Apple put MIDI APIs in iOS and iPads started slinging super funky synthesized songs on the regular. In order to embrace the Cupertino-curated CoreMIDI standard, Line 6 has unveiled the MIDI Mobilizer II dongle. It looks like the original and uses the same MIDI Memo Recorder app to store and dispense your sonic musings, but this $70 piece of kit only works with the 3rd and 4th gen iPod touch, the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, and the iPad and iPad 2. Most importantly, the MIDI Mobilizer is compatible with GarageBand and all the latest CoreMIDI apps the kids are crazy about. Still not sold on the device’s ability to help you make a dope digital ditty? Peep the PR and video after the break to learn more.

Continue reading MIDI Mobilizer II stores your musical stylings, plays nice with CoreMIDI apps

MIDI Mobilizer II stores your musical stylings, plays nice with CoreMIDI apps originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 07:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple releases iOS 4.3.5, inches towards iOS 5

Less than ten days after iOS 4.3.4 parachuted in to fix that nasty PDF exploit, Apple’s gone and dropped another. So what’ll Cupertino’s latest fix today? Build 8L1 — or 8E600 on 4.2.10 if you’re rocking CDMA — apparently nixes a vulnerability with “certificate validation,” or you know, Apple’s just really fond of keeping all you hackers on your toes. Either way, time to fire up iTunes, unless of course, you’re already living in the future.

Update: Turns out you can still (tether) jailbreak with redSn0w. Peep the more coverage link below.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Apple releases iOS 4.3.5, inches towards iOS 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Personal Audio sues Apple again, targets iPhone 4, iPad 2 and newer iPods

Thought the Personal Audio / Apple brouhaha was over? Think again, because everyone’s favorite patent licensing company is back, hitting Cupertino with another suit. You’ll recall an earlier ruling by a federal jury in Eastern Texas found the CE maker guilty of infringing upon PA’s playlist-related IP with an assortment of older iPods. This new filing alleges that newer Apple devices, like the iPhone 4, iPad 2 and modern day iPods — which weren’t part of the original 2009 case — also violate that same IP, in a move we’d surmise serves to pad Personal Audio’s coffers. Not like Apple’s apt to feel the pinch should Personal Audio snag another victory, but hey….

Personal Audio sues Apple again, targets iPhone 4, iPad 2 and newer iPods originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jul 2011 01:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile hawks Micro SIMs for ‘free’, hopes your iPhone likes EDGE data

Been wanting to stick it to Ma Bell, but have found yourself shackled by those pesky micro SIMs and your inexplicable fear of all things pointy? If you’re wielding an unlocked device with a diminutive slot, T-Mobile’s giving away the pint-sized cards gratis — provided you’re also willing to sign your precious life away on contract. It’s a shameless play for Cupertino’s sweetheart, sure, and this isn’t the first time we’ve seen the carrier try to ship us some teensy SIMs. Making the plunge? Enjoy your rebellious ways while they last — we hear Little Magenta’s assimilation by the borg isn’t too far off.

T-Mobile hawks Micro SIMs for ‘free’, hopes your iPhone likes EDGE data originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s Q3 earnings exceed estimates: $28.57 billion revenue, $7.31 billion profit, 20 million iPhones sold


If you’ve been waiting for Apple’s earnings to come in shy of analyst estimates, you’re about to be disappointed yet again. Cupertino just reported its best quarter ever, with earnings of $7.79 per share, revenue totaling $28.57 billion, and a net profit of $7.31 billion. We know you’re probably more interested in sales figures, however, and as you might expect, Apple’s continued to ship iPhones and iPads at a steady pace, with 20.34 million smartphones and 9.25 million tablets sold last quarter. It’s also shipped 3.95 million Macs — a 14 percent jump over Q3 2010’s numbers. Fewer iPods made it out the door this quarter, however, totaling 7.54 million compared to the 9.41 million Apple sold in Q3 2010. As always, the company seems to be mum on future product announcements, though we wouldn’t be surprised to see new MacBook Air and Lion sales figures factoring into next quarter’s results. Meanwhile, rumors are stirring in Silicon Valley that Apple’s board has begun looking for possible replacements for CEO Steve Jobs, following a Wall Street Journal article by Yukari Iwatani Kane, who has a history of being eerily accurate with Apple rumors. This news hasn’t had an effect on Apple’s stock price, however, which topped $400 per share during after-hours trading today.

Continue reading Apple’s Q3 earnings exceed estimates: $28.57 billion revenue, $7.31 billion profit, 20 million iPhones sold

Apple’s Q3 earnings exceed estimates: $28.57 billion revenue, $7.31 billion profit, 20 million iPhones sold originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crowdflow tracks 880 iPhones across Europe, wants to put you on the map



Do you have dreams of becoming a digital firefly, flitting back and forth across Europe? The folks at Crowdflow can help with that — all you need to do is use your iPhone, and adopt a share-alike attitude. Using location data collected from 880 iPhones, the team has created a video showing iPhone movement through Europe for the month of April, 2011. This glowing digital ballet is just a start, however — Crowdflow is asking iPhone users to extract and submit their own location logs to help build a visual map of how cellular networks are distributed throughout the world. If you’re not afraid of lending your geodata to an open database, hit up the source link for your own chance to join in Crowdflow’s eerie cellular glow.

Crowdflow tracks 880 iPhones across Europe, wants to put you on the map originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gresso flaunts $30,000 white iPhone 4, holds more ice than a skating rink

Sure, you probably waited longer than you should have to get the elusive white iPhone 4. But, you know what’s better than a boring regular model? One with diamonds, crystals and pearls… of course! Known for its ridiculous custom mobile devices, Gresso may force you to refinance your house and hock a kidney to afford its latest creation, the Lady Blanche. A solid diamond-coated mineral glass backing, three independent Swiss clocks and pearl dials replace the usual body on this iced-out iPhone. If the $30k diamond model is a bit out of your price range, the much more affordable Swarovski crystal version will only set you back 7,000 bones. Release details are unclear at this point, but when they drop you better act fast — only 150 of these gems will be available. Heck, if you have that kind of cash lying around, just get the salesman to throw in one of these for your iPad, too.

Gresso flaunts $30,000 white iPhone 4, holds more ice than a skating rink originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Surc combination iPhone 4 case and IR remote now shipping for $75

Mashed Pixel’s Surc iPhone 4 case is finally ready take on the challenge of making Apple’s slab a universal remote now that it’s on sale for a mere $74.95. That’s pricier than the RedEye Mini Dongle but cheaper than the Peel receiver, and it does pull double duty as a protector. The built in MicroUSB hookup and included cable means it can stay on even while charging before jumping into action when the companion app is opened on the phone. It can be controlled via buttons, gestures or motion control, with plenty of programmability built in. The only downside we can find is that this is definitely a goner whenever you upgrade to Steve’s next iThing, and it means leaving the sweet, potentially reception-improving case you already picked out behind.

Surc combination iPhone 4 case and IR remote now shipping for $75 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 05:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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