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Feb 18

No iPhone Nano Coming – Report

The New York Times has weighed in on the steadily increasing rumors regarding the next version of the iPhone. The iPhone nano that we’ve been hearing so much about? That’s not happening, apparently.

According to the paper, a cheaper version of the handset is coming–but not a smaller version. That revelation comes from the usual group of anonymous sources who were “briefed on Apple’s plans.”

The next version of the phone will be the same size as previous versions–a smaller versions of the phone “would not necessarily be much cheaper to manufacture and because it would be more difficult to operate,” sayeth The Times.

A smaller iPhone would also make using apps a pain, leading, perhaps to a sense of fragmentation amongst developers. Something that Apple has cautioned companies against, in the wake of Android’s success.

Feb 18

500mm iPhone Lens for Grungy Close-Ups

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, iPhone, lenses, Today's Chili

Given that a cellphone case can easily run to $35, the iPhone Telephoto Lens is something of a bargain, combining as it does both a long, long lens, a case to hang it on, a mini-tripod to keep things steady, and a micro-fiber cloth to polish everything up.

It works like this: You slip the iPhone into the case (where it can be left, should you be a case kind of person) and then clip the lens on, over the iPhone’s existing lens-hole. Photojojo, which sell the kit, says that it gives the equivalent view of a 500mm lens on a 35mm camera.

Focus is manual — yes, there’s actually a focus ring. And while the quality isn’t great (you can check the sample shots on the product page), it’s a lot better than you’d get from a digital zoom. In fact, considering that almost every iPhone photo these days is destined for a thorough grungifying in either Instagram or Hipstamatic, the soft, not-so-sharp images should be perfect.

Also: Amazing for peeping-toms.

The iPhone Telephoto Lens kit is, as I said, $35, and comes in two models, one for iPhone 3 and one for iPhone 4.

The iPhone Telephoto Lens product page [Photojojo]

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Feb 18

Drug Dealers Love iPhones

Posted in: iPhone, Today's Chili

Now, granted, my knowledge of the modern drug trade is entirely based on the TV shows Breaking Bad and The Wire, but I was under the impression that drug dealers were partial to “burners”–pre-paid cell phones that you can toss away every week or so. Turns out that the iPhone is actually a popular choice amongst members of the drug trade.

This revelation comes from a recent interview with an anonymous Apple Store employee. “We get a lot of drug dealers who try to buy iPhones with fake IDs,” the employee told Popular Mechanics. “You can tell them instantly just by how shady they act, and they know you know, but you obviously can’t start accusing them of being drug dealers–they are customers, after all.”

It gets better, “But when they try to check out, they’ll use what are obviously fake IDs or fake credit cards, and it often turns out they’re using a dead person’s Social Security number or something. And when you call them out on that–then, they run.”

Feb 17

NYT: Apple considering a cheaper iPhone, but not a smaller one right now

Posted in: Apple, ios, iPhone, rumor, rumors, Today's Chili

Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal seemed pretty sure that an iPhone nano was inbound, but the New York Times‘ anonymous sources dispute that tale — the paper writes that “Apple is not currently developing a smaller iPhone,” and that the company is “not planning to introduce a smaller iPhone anytime soon.” While the publication doesn’t outright deny the existence of such a device at any point in the story, it does quote an anonymous Apple executive as saying that it doesn’t make sense for the company to create multiple iPhone form factors at any given time, and an anonymous Apple engineer as saying that cheaper components, not a smaller size, would make for a cheaper overall price.

One thing’s for sure: either Apple’s making one, or it’s not.

In related news, the Times‘ sources corroborate the idea that Apple will make MobileMe free, and say that the next full-sized iPhone is nearly complete. Woo!

NYT: Apple considering a cheaper iPhone, but not a smaller one right now originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 17

AT&T iPhone Beats Verizon in Nationwide 3G Speed Tests

Posted in: Apple, att, iPhone, Phones, Today's Chili, verizon

The Verizon iPhone and AT&T iPhone have gone head-to-head in thousands of broadband tests, and the numbers tell the story you’d expect: AT&T’s network is much faster.

Ookla, creators of the Speedtest.net broadband test, compiled data from tests run by iPhone customers using the Speedtest.net app on both AT&T and Verizon. On average, the reported AT&T iPhone transfer rates were roughly two times faster than the Verizon iPhone’s.

The AT&T iPhone’s average download speed was 1,769 Kbps, and the average upload speed was 730 Kbps. By way of comparison, the Verizon iPhone’s average download speed was 848 Kbps, and the average upload speed was 506 Kbps.

The results come from 43,000 AT&T iPhones and 14,000 Verizon iPhones all over the United States. Most Speedtest.net app users ran the tests multiple times, totaling 106,000 results from AT&T iPhone users and 49,000 results from Verizon iPhone users.

The Speedtest.net results did not provide data on coverage reliability or dropped connections.

From my benchmarking of the Verizon iPhone versus the AT&T iPhone, I also found that the AT&T iPhone’s 3G transfer rates were much faster than Verizon’s. However, the AT&T iPhone sometimes could not complete tests because it did not have a connection, whereas the Verizon iPhone successfully completed every test. In short, I found the Verizon iPhone to be slower with network transfers but more reliable with coverage. Reviewers at other publications had the same results.

“I think that’s the story I expected to see,” said Doug Suttles, co-founder of Ookla. “Verizon has never talked up their speed, but they always talk up coverage and reliability…. I think the story is quality versus throughput: What are you after?”

Speedtest.net’s nationwide results back my verdict: You should get a Verizon iPhone if you really care about voice quality and calls, but the AT&T iPhone is better as a media-consumption device (Netflix movies, photo downloads and uploads, etc.) because of its faster speeds.

Speedtest.net download link [iTunes]

Feb 17

AuraSound Sound Station is the audiophile-grade iPod dock for your audiophile-grade bedstand

Posted in: 7-inch, iPhone, ipod, ipod dock, IpodDock, Today's Chili, touchscreen

It’s no good plunking your precious iPhone into a little dock that tries to skitter away from you. You need something with mass. Something with presence. Something like the AuraSound Sound Station, which offers an “audiophile-class acoustic design” in something a little less… dirigible-esque than other high-end docks we’ve seen. It also sports a seven-inch touchscreen wedged in the middle there, enabling “unrivaled ease of use,” also letting you play videos and things. AirPlay support appears to be missing, but the device is said to be upgradeable to make it a “living, learning machine” that can grow with you. That and many, many more idealistic euphemisms are waiting for you in the press release embedded below — but no mention of price.

Continue reading AuraSound Sound Station is the audiophile-grade iPod dock for your audiophile-grade bedstand

AuraSound Sound Station is the audiophile-grade iPod dock for your audiophile-grade bedstand originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 17

GaugeFace iPhone dock displays your Harley’s data on a 3.5-inch touchscreen

Posted in: Apple, ios, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, Today's Chili, Transportation, video

GaugeFace is an app-and-dock combo that interfaces with your Harley’s ECU (Engine Control Unit) to display the bike’s speed, tachometer, engine temp., gear, and turn signal info on your iPhone or iPod touch. And the installation is almost as easy as setting your phone in a charging cradle. So, what do you think? Ready to turn your late-model motorcycle into an overpriced — yet totally bad-ass — iPod dock? Available for an MSRP of $250. See it in action after the break, or it the source link to order up one of these bad boys for yourself.

Continue reading GaugeFace iPhone dock displays your Harley’s data on a 3.5-inch touchscreen

GaugeFace iPhone dock displays your Harley’s data on a 3.5-inch touchscreen originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 13:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 17

New York City Intros Android, iPhone Condom App

Posted in: Android, Apple, apps, iPhone, Today's Chili

nyc condom app.jpg

According to a recent study, your smartphone doesn’t make you quite as sexy as you might think. That said, if you are managing to get some, in spite of the overwhelming odds, as Steve Jobs would tell you, you’ll really get a better reception if you get a rubber bumper.

The New York City Health Department is celebrating Valentine’s week with the release of its New York City Condom Finder, a free app that will locate the five spots nearest to your location that offer up free jimmy hats (within the five boroughs).

Says NYC’s assistant health commissioner, Dr. Minoca Sweeney, “We want New York City to be the safest city in the world to have sex. A lot of people come here for that, so we want them to practice safer sex.”

The app is available now for the iPhone and Android.

Feb 17

Remove “Accessory Connected” Screen from Jailbroken iPhone or iPod Touch

Posted in: General, Hacks, iPhone, jailbreak, Music, Today's Chili

This article was written on October 28, 2009 by CyberNet.

iphone accessory connected.png Last week I purchased a car interface kit that gives me the ability to hook my iPhone up to the audio system that I have installed in my car. The install went fairly smooth, but I was rather disappointed with the level of control I had over my iPhone using the audio controls on my car. I thought to myself “hey, no biggie… I’ll just control the audio through my iPhone.” Apple, however, didn’t agree with that idea.

When I went to pull up the iPod portion of my phone I received the pretty little icon that you see to the right. It told me that I had an “accessory connected,” and there was basically no way for me to control the audio using the native iPod app. If I used a third party app, such as something that provided streaming Internet radio, there were no issues. So I knew it was possible to control the audio using my iPhone, and then I started to see how many other people had the same complaint.

Apparently there were quite a few users that were just as upset by this, and that’s when I happily came across a Cydia package for my jailbroken iPhone. Just do a search for “NoAccessorySplash” on the ModMyi repository and you’ll be ready to roll. Once installed it will bypass this screen so that you can control your audio through the device connected to the dock port or on the iPhone or iPod Touch itself.

I had found other hacks out there that did something similar, but they require you to SSH into your device, modify a file using a hex editor, and pray that it will actually work. This, however, is a quick 10-second solution (assuming you’ve already jailbroken your device). I’m currently using it on the 3.1.2 firmware, and it works flawlessly. It’s little things like this that make me happy I’ve jailbroken my device.

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