Oct 12

Sprint and Verizon confirm iPhone 4S Micro SIM unlock for international travel (update: Sprint remains locked?)

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, att, cdma, ios, ios 5, Ios5, iPhone, iphone 4s, jailbreak, mobilepostcross, smartphone, Sprint, TMobile, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

If you own an iPhone 4 on AT&T, using the device while traveling internationally means paying sky-high roaming fees, jailbreaking or limiting data use to when you’re on a WiFi network, either with a public hotspot or through a service like Xcom Global. Verizon iPhone 4 owners, however, don’t have the option of GSM roaming at all, and can only make calls and use cellular data in countries that support CDMA. All that changes with the iPhone 4S, however — Macworld has confirmed that Sprint will sell its version of the device with the Micro SIM slot unlocked, with Verizon offering free unlocking to customers after the first 60 days of service. iPhone 4S owners will then be able to purchase a Micro SIM overseas, allowing them to access data and make calls at local rates, for a fraction of what it would cost to roam. AT&T iPhone 4S owners won’t have this option, however, so if you make frequent trips overseas, this benefit alone may be enough to justify purchasing the phone through Sprint or Verizon, saving some users hundreds or thousands of dollars in international roaming fees.

Update: Our source article was incorrect, and Sprint has told us that its SIM will not be unlocked, adding that the card will not even be removable.

Our SIM does not come out of the device – I believe the same is true of Verizon’s iPhone but you would need to confirm that with them. Customers can sign up for one of our international rate plans and use this phone all over the world. When traveling internationally, there is a setting that must be turned on within the device to connect to GSM. The phone will work with a SIM that is provided within the device out of the box. International voice and data charges are on a pay-as-you-go basis and vary based on the country where the customer is using their phone; a list of rates is available at www.sprint.com/international.

Update 2: We heard from Sprint a second time, which redacted part of its previous statement. The carrier further explained “the SIM is removable and is not affixed to the device,” which as you may notice directly contradicts the statement made earlier today. We’ve reached out to Apple twice and are awaiting further clarification.

[Thanks, Julio]

Sprint and Verizon confirm iPhone 4S Micro SIM unlock for international travel (update: Sprint remains locked?) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 12

Pioneer AppRadio review

Posted in: car, Cars, ios, iPhone, ipod, review, Today's Chili, video

If you drive, and if you read Engadget (which…you do), there’s a good chance you’ve spent some time using an iOS device in the car. You’ve probably also spent some of that time wishing there were a better way to integrate your phone or pod with the car itself. There have been devices to help you bring Pod and vehicle together in an unholy union of distraction since that first physical scroll wheel hit the scene, from maddening tape adapters and FM tuners to more integral solutions like Ford’s Sync system. The whole time, we were kind of just wishing they’d figure out a way to let us mount the thing directly in the dash, and have our way with it as we do in all other situations. Pioneer’s AppRadio approaches that — it looks unapologetically like a bigger iPod in landscape mode, complete with minimalistic physical controls and a laid-back, no-nonsense look about it. Does it, in fact, make the iPhone more useful while you’re in the car? Turns out, it’s a yes and no kind of thing.

Gallery: Pioneer AppRadio

Continue reading Pioneer AppRadio review

Pioneer AppRadio review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 12

Free App Brings Image Stabilization to iPhone, iPad

Posted in: ios, ipad, iPhone, Software and Operating Systems, Today's Chili, video

The iPad’s stills camera might be terrible, but as a video camera it’s pretty good. And combined with iMovie in the big screen, it’s hard to beat. But even the big ol’ iPad is prone to shake, and iMovie has almost no special effects. Which is where Luma comes in.

Luma is a third party video-shooting app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. It adds a few filters to your footage, but its main purpose is as an image stabilizer. When engaged (it switches off in low light), the stabilizer will iron out bumps and jiggles in real time as you shoot.

And it works pretty well. I tested it by walking around my apartment with the iPad held out in front of me. The result isn’t steadycam smooth, but it’s way better than you’d get otherwise. The iPhone 5 will have anti-shake tech baked in, but Luma has some other tricks up its sleeve. It corrects the rolling shutter effect, for one. Rolling shutter is the jelly-like look that happens as the shutterless chip scans its way down the frame. It’s ugly, and Luma kills it.

The filters aren’t bad, either. You get B&W, high-contrast B&W, and “grunge,” which is a slightly soft, vignetted look with slightly brighter colors. There’s also a horrible negative effect you’ll want to avoid, and an optical zoom engaged by pinching (avoid this on the iPad’s low-res camera).

I will probably use Luma for all video shooting now, as there are no penalties in terms of speed and resolution, and the stabilized video looks great. What’s more, the app is free.

Luma product page [Midnox via iPhoneography]

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Oct 11

Logitech Harmony Link review

Posted in: Android, hdpostcross, ios, ipad, iPhone, logitech, remote, review, Today's Chili

A first encounter with a multitouch device gets any active imagination running, so of course a home theater fan thinks it could make for the ultimate remote. But can any of that promise be realized in the dead zone that is the consumer remote control space? The leader of that dead zone is ready to give it a try with the Harmony Link — a WiFi-to-IR bridge that allows you to control your TV from any room of the house via an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Android device. For $100, it’s a setup that promises to blend ease of programming with network connectivity and multitouch control. So exactly how good is Logitech’s attempt? We’ll reveal that after the break, of course.

Gallery: Logitech Harmony Link review

Continue reading Logitech Harmony Link review

Logitech Harmony Link review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 11

Apple releases iTunes 10.5 with iTunes in the Cloud

Posted in: Apple, ios, itunes, Today's Chili
As far as iTunes updates go this is a pretty big one — version 10.5 brings with it what Apple’s calling iTunes in the Cloud, which allows for automatic downloads of purchases to your Mac or Windows computers and all of your iOS devices, as well as the ability to download previous purchases on said devices as many times as you want. It’s not exactly a traditional cloud-based service, but you do always have access to all of your purchased media, regardless of the device (so long as it runs some form of iTunes). As expected, it also finally adds WiFi syncing for your iOS devices, although you’ll still have to wait a bit longer for the iTunes Match service — it’s slated to roll out closer to the end of the month. As usual, you can look for it in Apple’s Software Update, or you can hit the link below to download it directly.

Apple releases iTunes 10.5 with iTunes in the Cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 11

97 Percent of Tablet Internet Traffic Comes From iPad

Posted in: Android, ios, ipad, mobile, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili

Try doing this with a desktop computer. Photo Veronica Belmont/Flickr

As if any Gadget Lab readers needed to be told, the mobile Internet is taking off. What might be surprising is that almost all tablet Internet traffic comes from the iPad. “In August 2011, iPads delivered 97.2 percent of all tablet traffic in the U.S.” says a new Comscore report. What’s more, the iPad is even beating its older brother the iPhone, managing 46.8 percent of iOS Internet use vs. the iPhone’s 42.6 percent.

According to the report, U.S mobile Internet use is still small compared to computer-based Internet use at just 6.8 percent, but it’s growing fast. More interesting is what the tablets (read: iPads) are being used for. Half of all tablet owners have made a purchase from their device (likely via the App Store), and more than half read the news regularly on their tablets.

Further, while iOS accounts for 43.1 percent of market share (by installed base, vs Android’s 34.1 percent), it accounts for a disproportionate 58.5% of traffic (Android 31.9 percent). This figure counts page views, so if you were to add in all the other non-browser Internet use, the number would surely jump a lot higher. Anyone used to a 3G connection for an iPad who suddenly has it cut will realize just how many apps rely on a data connection.

It may take a while, but computer Internet is going the way of the landline phone. We may still have internet-connected Wi-Fi networks in our homes to feed set-top boxes and stream things from here to there, but soon enough going to a special room and firing up a big machine to check Wikipedia is going to seem as clumsy and old-fashioned as punching a number into a landline phone.

Smartphones and Tablets Drive Nearly 7 Percent of Total U.S. Digital Traffic [ComScore via Twitter]

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Oct 11

Benchmarks clock iPhone 4S’ A5 CPU at 800MHz, show major GPU upgrade over iPhone 4

Posted in: Android, Apple, benchmark, honeycomb, ios, ios 5, Ios5, ipad 2, Ipad2, iPhone, iphone 4s, mobilepostcross, performance, Today's Chili
Pre-orders for the iPhone 4S only began shipping this week, but a handful of early owners have already taken Apple’s first A5-based smartphone for a test run, and they’ve got the benchmarks to prove it. The results, obtained by AnandTech, are hardly what we’d call shocking. In terms of Javascript performance (pictured above), the 4S measures up rather nicely against the Tegra 2-based Honeycomb competition, while out-dueling the iPhone 4 in overall CPU muscle. Geekbench results, meanwhile, clock the 4S at around 800MHz, with a score of 623. That’s about 25 percent lower than the A5-based iPad 2, but notably higher than the iPhone 4 (see graphic, after the break). When it comes to GPU performance, GLBenchmark 2.1 tests in 1280 x 720, off-screen render mode place Apple’s new handset well above the Galaxy S II, with scores of 122.7 and 67.1, respectively. It still trails the iPad 2, not surprisingly, but the 4S’ scores show a major advantage over the iPhone 4, which registered a score of 15.3. For more statistics and graphics, check out the source link below.

Continue reading Benchmarks clock iPhone 4S’ A5 CPU at 800MHz, show major GPU upgrade over iPhone 4

Benchmarks clock iPhone 4S’ A5 CPU at 800MHz, show major GPU upgrade over iPhone 4 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 10

Bobsled by T-Mobile’s free VoIP magic now available via browser, Android or iOS

Posted in: Android, app, Apple, ios, mobilepostcross, t-mobile, Today's Chili, video, VoIP

Initially, T-Mobile’s Bobsled brand simply offered a way to VoIP call your Facebook friends for free but with that angle sufficiently covered, it has moved on to wider access. Starting today it supports dialing out to mobile and landline numbers in the US, Canada or Puerto Rico right from your desktop browser. Also new are free apps for Android and iOS devices, however those are still limited to calling your Facebook friends (and enemies.) Still not quite sure what all this newfangled internet telephone business is? Check out the video demo above and press release embedded after the break.

Continue reading Bobsled by T-Mobile’s free VoIP magic now available via browser, Android or iOS

Bobsled by T-Mobile’s free VoIP magic now available via browser, Android or iOS originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 01:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 10

Facebook Releases Long-Awaited iPad App

Posted in: apps, ios, ipad, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili

Facebook's iPad app is available today. Image: TechCrunch

It seemed like it would never arrive, but at long last, Facebook has released its iPad app.

One of the key features of the iPad-specific app is its integration with other iOS apps: The Facebook app will send you straight to other apps when you navigate to them from a friend’s news post or status update. For example, if a friend posted a link from The Daily, clicking the link would take you to The Daily app itself. The app also supports high-res photos that you can flip through like a photo album, as well as the ability to see where friends are located via with the Nearby mapping feature.

Facebook’s iPad app was rumored to debut last week at Apple’s iPhone event, but was a no-show. Earlier this summer, the app was discovered hidden inside the iPhone app. By tweaking a setting when running it on your iPad, you could access the iPad version — until the hack was disabled.

We’ll soon have a hands-on with the new app to let you know how it works, but in the meantime, you can get the app yourself from the App Store.


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Oct 10

The iPad gets a Facebook app, finally

Posted in: app, Apple, apps, ios, ipad, iPhone, mobile, mobilepostcross, slate, tablet, Today's Chili

Kind of like eating a peanut butter sandwich with no jelly, the most obvious app missing from the iPad has been Facebook — until today. The New York Times reports that the site has finally confirmed the app’s availability just in time for eager social networkers to like, subscribe and stalk from their slates. According to software engineer Leon Dubinsky, the app will highlight the multitouch awesomeness of the iPad, something that’s unavailable from the website alone even from a touchscreen device. The folks at FB also added that some of the newly released features will be integrated into the iPhone app as well, making it a win / win for iOS fanatics. Consider it liked. Check out the brief PR after the break.

Continue reading The iPad gets a Facebook app, finally

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The iPad gets a Facebook app, finally originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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