Jun 06
May 28
With a custom-made setup connecting an app, the iPhone, and a telescope together to take photos of space, one photographer has shown some surprisingly high-quality pics this week of our own moon. Jared Earle’s custom build included the iPhone 4S, a 5-inch lens-toting Celestron spotter scope, a Magnifi accessory, and the app Cortex Camera. With these simple components, surprising results have appeared.
The photo of the moon you’re seeing here comes from Earle’s Flickr account, and was indeed taken with an iPhone 4S. Cortex Camera is used to take a series of photos that, in the end, create one massive high-quality and, as they say, “noise free” composite image.
Though no tripod is necessary when using this app outside of this setup, it’s important that the telescope is not sitting free on its own – don’t want to drop it, after all. The Magnifi accessory is one that allows the user to mount their iPhone to any of a collection of instruments. Telescopes can be attached at the eye, as can microscopes, binoculars, and other oddities.
Earle decided to work with Cortex Camera to make up for the eyepiece he had on hand. Using electrical tape around the 24mm eyepiece allowed the Magnifi accessory to fit properly, while using Cortex Camera allowed the iPhone’s sensor to be fully utilized.
While it’s suggested that the photographer get a remote shutter of some sort or another for the iPhone – and there are many, many of them out there, mind you – Earle made the process work without. Testing this setup – or one similar to it – should be done during the day to assure one’s self of being able to execute a great one-off photo. Once night comes, you’ll want to take said photos in the dark!
SOURCE: 23x
iPhone takes HD moon photos with custom telescope setup is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 24
May 24
May 08
Apple provides Pegatron quite a lot of business. The latter is tasked with manufacturing components that are part of iPhone 4S and the iPad mini. It is also rumored to be manufacturing components for the next generation iPhone. Foxconn, Apple’s biggest manufacturing partner, has recently been shifting its strategy so as to end its reliance on Apple’s business. Foxconn is now looking sell products that it creates, designs and manufacturers itself. Decreasing demand of Apple products has certainly got its manufacturing partners concerned, and now Pegatron predicts that its consumer electronics revenue will drop some 25 to 30 percent. iPad mini’s apparently declining demand is a major reason for this revenue dip, considering that this device counts for almost half of Pegatron’s consumer electronics revenue, and iPhone 4S accounts for a substantial part of its .
Pegatron CEO Jason Chen says that revenue decline caused from the iPad mini is “more on demand, while price has been stable,” adding that “Not just tablets, also e-books and games consoles, almost every item is moving in a negative direction.” It is being estimated that iPad mini demand will fall from 20% to 30% in this quarter, as opposed to the previous one.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New iPhones Will Reportedly Be Produced Starting June, iOS 7 Online Traffic Picks Up Ahead Of Official Launch, 
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May 08
The accessory company RokForm has been releasing accessories since 2010, coming up here in 2013 with a family of components that allow a smartphone – one of several models – to be attached to essentially any hard surface you’ve got near you. Though the group continues to keep the use cases for their accessories wide open, we’d like to suggest one that’s proven itself to be pretty neat right here at home: dish washing.
Of course RokForm accessories aren’t made for washing dishes, they’re made for holding and protecting your smartphone. But what we’ve got here in a combination of elements is a way to hold, in this case, a Samsung Galaxy S III aloft above a sink full of dirty dishes playing Netflix while we go about our business. So we’ve got Beavis and Butthead playing on loop while the cups and pans are run through the hands-on action.
With the RokForm v3 Suction Mount we’ve got one piece of the puzzle, and with the Rokbed v3 S3 Case we’ve got the other. RokForm is expanding their line of compatible components with this v3 set, working with devices like the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S right this minute with plans for devices like the GALAXY S 4 on the list. In addition to the Suction Mount, there’s also a friendly list of components that attach with the same multi-clip attachment point you see here.
You’ll be able to attach with a Bike Mount, an Extended Tripod Adapter, Sport Clip, and magnets – amongst others coming up, too. With the Rokbed v3 S3 Case on its own, you’ve got an injection molded polycarbonate frame, “thermoplastic elastomer non-slip grip insert”, a magnet kit, a Rokguard screen protector, and a Remote Mounting System for moist mount – these are basically heavy-duty sticker-backed units that lock in to the back of the case like the Suction Mount does.
So you’ve got the case – you’ll buy that for right around $40 or $45 USD depending on the device you’re working with. Then you’ll want the Suction Mount which will run you another $49 USD. This mount, like the case, is heavy duty. Made with polycarbonate and die cast zinc construction with two angles for movement – 360 degrees of rotation as well as a 210 degree tilt. All we need is one, the one which allows the phone to sit horizontal for superior television show viewing.
This mount has sat attached to a tile above the sink for over a week straight with no end in sight. Of course that’ll happen when you’ve got a 3.4-inch suction cup holding up a device that’s much, much lighter than its full weight capacity. Sound like a winning combination to you? Let us know!
RokForm v3 accessories turn smartphones to wall-mounted televisions is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 23
The $15 checks for iPhone 4 owners who took part in the “antennagate” class-action suit against Apple last year have begun to be distributed, with the first settlement payments showing up in mailboxes across the US. Issued from April 17, according to the accompanying letter 9 to 5 Mac reports, the payments came after Apple conceded it had a design issue with the iPhone 4′s antenna, and was unable to placate all users with the offer of a free bumper.
Antennagate, as the furore quickly came to be known, was centered on Apple’s decision to make the iPhone 4′s antenna an external feature of the design of the smartphone, rather than enclose it in the chassis as on early models. Depending on how users held their iPhone, it could lose signal partially or entirely.
Apple offered a free “bumper” case – which covers the edges of the phone, and thus the antenna – to buyers, but not all of them wished to wrap up their iPhone. The class action suit, then, was only for those who had been unable or unwilling to return the handset, had been affected by the signal issue, and who had not accepted the free case.
In all, Apple coughed up $53m to settle antennagate, though around 30-percent of that was swallowed up by the legal teams involved. For those expecting a payment, “the enclosed check must be cashed by July 16, 2013″ the letter warns, as “after that date, the check will be void and will not be reissued.”
Apple’s iPhone 4S “antennagate” checks begin landing is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 22
CIRP: Older iPhone models accounted for nearly half of all iPhone sales in Q1
Posted in: Today's ChiliSurprisingly, the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S seem to account for nearly half of all of the iPhone sales in Q1 2013. According to new research data from the Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), the older iPhones made sales that went neck-to-neck with Apple’s latest iPhone, the iPhone 5. The CIRP discovered that in Q1, 14% of consumers purchased an iPhone 4, 33% of consumers purchased an iPhone 4S, and 53% of consumers purchased an iPhone 5.
Analysts believe that its the low prices of the older generation of iPhones that is driving the high sales rates. With consumers being able to purchase the iPhone 4 for $0 on a new two-year contract, and an iPhone 4S for only $99 on a new two-year contract, they’re more prone to opt for those devices than the more expensive $200+ iPhone 5. But the wide adoption of older iPhones isn’t a bad thing for Apple.
According to AllThingsD, and their interview with CIRP co-founder Michael Levin, low cost iPhone 4/4S devices have been helping Apple drive up sales. According to CIRP, 29% of iPhone buyers were previously feature phone users before upgrading, and another 29% of iPhone buyers came from another mobile OS like Android or Blackberry. A majority of those people are apparently not opting for the iPhone 5, but instead for the iPhone 4 and 4S. Michael Levin says,
“There’s plenty of demand for low- and no-cost phones, which tend to flow toward basic phone owners. On average they don’t seem to jump from a cheap or free flip phone all the way to iPhone 5.”
Jumping back to sales in Q4 2012, iPhone 4/4S sales generated exactly 50% of all iPhone sales. Perhaps these statistics show that it would be a good move for Apple to build that budget iPhone it has been rumored to be working on. According to analysts, if Apple were to create a budget iPhone, it could grab nearly 75 million sales for the phone by 2014. If you’re debating on joining the iPhone crowd, check out our reviews for the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 5 to see which one will be enough to suit your needs.
[via All Things D]
CIRP: Older iPhone models accounted for nearly half of all iPhone sales in Q1 is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 15
Five suspects were arrested this month in relation to a scam involving exploiting Apple’s return policy and swapping fake iPhone 4S components for real components. The suspects were a group of iPhone distributors in China, who submitted an order for 121 iPhone 4S BAND parts to replace the parts in their “defective” iPhone 4Ss. The bands were worth at least 3000 yuan ($480) each. Apple caught onto the situation, and alerted the authorities.
The suspects submitted an order for the 121 iPhone 4S BAND parts by using both their credentials as iPhone distributors, as well as by submitting genuine serial numbers from iPhone 4S devices. The distributors sent Apple fake iPhone BAND parts with the real serial numbers printed on them in order to better disguise them. The distributors sent the replacement parts from apple to local retailers so that they could assemble refurbished iPhones and sell them as “new” to customers.
Everything was going well, until the suspects made one very crucial error. The police discovered that on December 20th, 2012, 118 out of the 121 iPhone 4Ss, that the distributors requested replacement parts for, were activated at the same time. They also contained the “C8PJ” identifier in their serial numbers. The police dug a little further and discovered that the distributors filed for replacement parts between December 28th- December 30th, still in time to qualify for Apple’s 15-day free returns policy.
The suspects would have made a profit of about 1,000 yuan ($161) for each fake iPhone 4S that they sold. The real BAND parts that they received from Apple totaled around 400,000 yuan ($64,117). Apple still has yet to recover any of the stolen parts from the distributors. The police have yet to reveal what punishment the distributors will receive for the crime, but we shall keep you updated when they do.
[via PC World]
Chinese iPhone dealers scam Apple with fake components is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 13
T-Mobile was more than pleasantly surprised when it discovered that in almost all of its 3,000 stores across the nation, people were lining up in order to purchase an iPhone. It was the only major carrier to not sell the iPhone. Even prepaid carriers like Virgin Mobile USA and Cricket got their hands on the iPhone before T-Mobile could. T-Mobile tried to play things off by saying it didn’t need an iPhone because it had a large selection of Android devices that were even better than the iPhone, but yesterday’s turnout proved otherwise.
Some stores were extremely busy and required stanchions, while other stores saw the commotion die down later on in the day. Many T-Mobile customers were relieved that they would finally be able to use an iPhone on their carrier. And while the customers would have to pay a lot more for their iPhone compared to other carriers, that didn’t deter them because in the end, the cost of the iPhone combined with T-Mobile’s low rates would ending up saving them a lot more in the long run.
Customers were able to get the 16GB T-Mobile iPhone 5 for a $99 down payment, and $20 monthly payments for 24 months. If they wanted an iPhone 4S instead, they would have to pay a $69.99 down payment, and $20 a month for 24 months. And finally, if they just wanted an iPhone 4, they would only have to make an $18 down payment, and pay $18 a month for 24 months. While the iPhone 4 and 4S is only available in one storage size, if customers wanted an iPhone 5 with more space, they would be able to purchase a 32GB version with a $199 down payment, or a 64GB with a $299 down payment (monthly payments stay the same).
T-Mobile also announced a trade-in program, where customers can trade in their old iPhones to reduce the payments of their new iPhone 5. While we’re not sure how many people took advantage of the trade-in program, we do know that T-Mobile has seen some phenomenal results from the launch of its iPhones. T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert told AllThingsD, “Clearly they want the iPhone 5, and they are voting with their feet that they want it from T-Mobile.” Be sure to check out our review on the iPhone 5 to see if its the device you should switch to.
[via AllThingsD]
T-Mobile’s first day iPhone sales exceeds all expectations is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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