Hasta La Gadget!

I mentioned a couple days ago that Chinese wireless carrier China Unicom was taking reservations for the Apple iPhone 5. The Apple smartphone will hit the Chinese network on December 14. In the first day, the carrier took reservations from 100,000 people who signed up to purchase the iPhone 5.

Even if a large portion of those people who signed up never actually turn up to pay for the smartphone, 100,000 reservations in a day is an impressive number. With a couple more days of the iPhone 5 reservation availability, China Unicom has continued to receive an impressive number of pre-orders. China Unicom has now racked up 200,000 reservations for the new smartphone in three days.

The number indicates that while the pace of reservations has definitely slowed after the initial onslaught, there still a very impressive amount of Chinese smartphone users interested in the iPhone 5. China Unicom is also announced that it will be offering a subsidy for the iPhone 5 with a minimum deposit of $947 for the 16 GB version.

The Chinese carrier requires a deposit that’s more than the cost of the phone and then refund credits monthly depending on length of the contract spanning from one to three years. The deposit required for the 32 GB iPhone 5 works out to $1107 and the deposit for the 64 GB smart phone works out to $1268. The contract on the 16 GB iPhone over 2 years would cost Chinese users $62 per month.

[via TheNextWeb]

China Unicom continues to rack up iPhone 5 reservations is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Despite how some might feel about Apple’s iPhone, it’s still a pretty hot product and having it on your network would most certainly give customers a reason to sign up with you. Apparently that has been the case over in the Japan as Japanese carrier, NTT DoCoMo, has blamed the iPhone for the loss of some of its customers, whereby they have reportedly lost about 40,800 subscribers to its network in November to their rivals, KDDI and Softbank, both of whom currently offer Apple’s iPhone 5 in their portfolio. It seems that during the same period, both KDDI and Softbank have seen an increase in subscribers by 228,800 and 301,900 respectively. This is probably why we’re sure that T-Mobile is pretty pleased with themselves for finally having signed an agreement with Apple in which they will begin to offer Apple products come 2013. It is unclear at this point exactly what that agreement entails, but it’s safe to assume that iPhones and iPads might be involved. Perhaps sometimes down the road NTT DoCoMo will be able to hop on board the iOS bandwagon, but for now Softbank and KDDI appear to have the upperhand.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: The TurtleJacket PentaEye is an iPhone case for the “serious iPhoneographers”, Anostyle will let you customize your iPhone 5 with different colors,

If there’s one simple way of finding out where you’re going to dump all of your recyclable materials in the United States, it’s the iRecycle app. This app works for Android, iOS for your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, and in your browser. While the browser version is – surprisingly – less efficient than the app as it’s actually not an app at all (head to Earth911.com to see), you’ll find that it’s all using the same basic directory of information, and it all works.

What this application does is present you with an amazingly simple-to-use interface that shows categories of recycling, first of all. What you’re seeing above is the chart that pops up on the iPhone 5 (full-screen, yes!), it showing you a set of 12 categories: Automotive, Batteries, Construction, Electronics, Garden, Glass, Hazardous, Household, Metal, Paint, Paper, and Plastic. From there you’ll go to secondary categories.

In Metal you’ll have everything from Aerosol Cans to Lawnmowers to Vehicle Donation – and yes, there is some double-posting of secondary categories to make sure you get to where you want to go even if you select Metals instead of Automotive to recycle the metal in your vehicle. Once you select this secondary category, you get a screen that uses your current location (or a location of your choice) and gives you all of the nearby locations that recycle the product you’ve chosen.

Once you’ve found the one you want, you get a display with information including a phone number, the ability to visit the institution’s website, a link to Maps (Apple Maps if you’re on the iPhone or your choice of maps if you’re on Android), a checklist of other materials accepted, Restrictions, and additional notes. Of course each of these items only appears if the location has that information readily available – sometimes all you get is a location.

There’s also a Share button in the upper right-hand corner when you get to a location screen and everything connects as it should. This app is so easy to use and so helpful when we want to recycle our wares that it’s almost amazing that it’s free. Thanks to Earth911 though, it certainly is free, and it’s certainly worth a download – grab it!

iRecycle app for iOS and Android Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s become apparent that T-Mobile has finally made the plunge with Apple in a relatively small announcement inside the carrier’s financial plans through 2015. The announcement came from a meeting with analysts and spoken by the T-Mobile CEO Rene Obermann who stated explicitly “Apple products in the US in 2013.”

This announcement comes after not just months of waiting, but years. T-Mobile is currently the only one of the top four carriers in the USA to not have Apple products on its shelves, and with the information that’s been released today, it would appear that they’re about to join the party. With a T-Mobile iPhone, the carrier will be able to cease their current “come on over with your unlocked iPhone” campaign that’s been up and running for the past few months (since right after the iPhone 5 was announced.)

Meanwhile you’ll find that the question of an unlocked iPhone is more than present on the minds and lips of analysts across the spectrum. Have a peek at the column “Is an unlocked iPhone Really That Great?” by Don Reisinger to gain more insight into this free and clear universe. T-Mobile is currently waiting to be part of the signed-and-sealed party, needless to say.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see the many events from T-Mobile’s side of the story that’ve lead up to this moment, and hypothesize with us, if you will, about when the iPhone will actually, really be released with the pink carrier. And don’t forget to think about how it’ll be an iPhone 5S, too!

[via T-Mobile]

T-Mobile CEO: “Apple products in the US in 2013″ is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you have an iPhone 5 and you’re the sort of user who spends a lot of time using your smartphone away from an outlet, you want to check out the new Mojo Hi5. The Hi5 is a case that protects your iPhone 5 from drops and scratches but also has a battery that can snap on the back to extend the runtime of your smartphone. The case will launch on December 8 and can be pre-ordered now.

One of the interesting parts about this case that makes it a bit different from some of the other battery cases on the market is that the battery itself is removable. What that means is you can just take your iPhone 5 and the thin protective case when you know you’re not going to need any extra runtime. That means you have a significantly less bulky case to keep up with.

When you know you will need the extra runtime you can take the iPhone 5 and the thin Hi5 case and snap the battery on the back for more runtime. The battery has a capacity of 2500 mAh promising to double the usable time for your iPhone 5. The external battery charges via a USB port. The thin case itself is only .66 ounces.

When the external battery is attached, the physical measurements are 4.95-inches long by 2.38-inches wide by 0.72-inches deep with a weight of 2.69 ounces. The case portion of the Hi5 can be had in glossy white or matte black. You can pre-order the case right now for $79.90 including the external battery.

Mojo Hi5 adds a removable extra battery to your iPhone 5 is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.