iDB conducted a few speed tests on the new iPhone 4S comparing data performance across AT&T, Verizon and the newcomer, Sprint.

It looks like AT&T and Verizon are just about neck and neck despite the iPhone 4S supporting AT&T’s HSPA+ network, with Sprint falling pretty far behind. Keep in mind the comparisons aren’t exactly scientific, so your mileage may vary. It also appears that data coverage isn’t optimal in the area they shot the video given the speedtest.net results, but this gives you a pretty good idea of how the iPhone 4S performs under the different networks.

Check out the full video below and let us know what speeds your seeing on your new iPhone 4S!

Source: iDB

For Sprint, the launch of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S on their network brought record sales in just half a day. Fared Adib, Sprint Product Chief, issued the following statement:

Sprint today reported its best ever day of sales in retail, web and telesales for a device family in Sprint history with the launch of iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. We reached this milestone at approximately noon CT/1pm ET. The response to this device by current and new customers has surpassed our expectations and validates our customers' desire for a truly unlimited data pricing plan.

With new and existing customers invited to purchase an iPhone and Sprint offering unlimited data plans starting at just $79.99, it’s not exactly a hard sell for those looking to get into an iOS equipped device.

Curious about how to remove the photos that iCloud stores in your Photo Stream? Maybe you have a few controversial pictures you need to clear out of the stream before letting a friend use your iPhone or iPad?

With iOS 5 and iCloud, Apple introduced Photo Stream to keep your photos synced between devices. By default, photos are automatically deleted after 30 days or after you cross the 1,000 photo threshold, but what if you need to manually remove them? We’ll show you how after the jump!

Getting Started

To get started, you’ll need to navigate to iCloud.com from the desktop in order to access advanced iCloud preferences. Once you’re there, just follow these quick steps to reset Photo Stream and clear out your pictures.

1. Once you’re at iCloud.com on the desktop, click on your name in the upper-right hand corner.
2. From the Account Settings pane, click on ‘Advanced’.
3. Now, click ‘Reset Photo Stream’ to begin the process.
4. Finally, you’ll be asked to confirm before iCloud erases all contents in your Photo Stream.

And that’s it!

I’d run a quick check on your iPad or Mac to make sure all the photos have been fully removed from the Photo Stream before handing over your iDevice to a friend, but this process should do the trick if you’re looking to clear out or reset your Photo Stream contents.

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward…)

As if it weren’t already futuristic enough, Siri, the new and arguably most revolutionary feature packed inside the iPhone 4S, can be used to update your Twitter status!

It’s simple: Navigate to Twitter from Mobile Safari, jump into the mobile settings panel and make sure you have your mobile phone number setup with the service. Twitter will then spit out a number for you to text message Twitter updates to. For confirmation’s sake, send a quick status update to the number to make sure the text is pushed to your Twitter timeline.

Now, just save the number you sent your Twitter update to as a new contact called “Twitter”. That’s it! From there, you can pull out your iPhone 4S and tell Siri to send a message to Twitter saying “I love my new iPhone 4S!”.

Pretty neat, huh?

Source: Clay Russell

It is iPhone 4S release day which means activation troubles. Many people, including myself, have had their new, shiny iPhone 4S in their hands for hours, but have yet to get past the activation screen. When trying to activate with iTunes or directly on the phone, users are presented with the following message:

Your activation is still pending. You will receive an email notification once your activation is complete.

We’re sorry. There was a problem connecting to the server. Please try again later.

It appears that this only an issue with AT&T. iPhone 4S customers on Verizon and Sprint are activating without any issues.

Other users are reporting of receiving an email telling them that their iPhone 4S cannot activate and instructs them to call with a reference number.

Many other users have let me know that they put in their old sim card before turning on their iPhone 4S and it started up without a problem and did not prompt them to activate. So if you have not received your iPhone 4S yet, you may want to try this first. I tried my old sim after trying to activate with my new sim, and I’m still getting the same message.

Who’s still waiting to activate? Who has successfully activated? Does anyone have any tricks to getting our iPhone 4S’s to activate quicker? Anyone wishing they went with Verizon or Sprint, instead?

Update: I called AT&T and they said that since I ordered my iPhone 4S through Apple, it never made it to AT&T’s system and my activation never entered the queue. The customer service representative told me that the current wait is 1-2 hours and manually entered my IMEI and ICCID numbers to put me in the queue. So if you purchased through Apple.com, I highly recommend you give AT&T a call.

The iPhone Dev-Team has gone ahead and updated UltraSn0w as planned with full support for unlocking your iPhone 3G, 3GS and iPhone 4 under iOS 5.

UltraSn0w 1.2.4 is available in Cydia now and supports iPhone 3G and 3GS basebands 04.26.08, 05.11.07, 05.12.01, 05.13.04, and 06.15.00. Remember, If you’re trying to unlock your iPhone 4, the only baseband currently supported by UltraSn0w is 01.59.00.

You’ll need to jailbreak your iPhone running iOS 5 before getting started. It’s possible to preserve your baseband on the iPhone 4 while still updating to iOS 5 by using the latest version of Redsn0w for Mac (a Windows version is in the works).

Got any questions? Just jump into our jailbreak and unlock forums to help you along the way!

Source: iPhone Dev-Team

No sooner did Rene get his shiny new iPhone 4S than he put he through its 3G HSPA 14.4 Mbps data speed paces and… almost 9 Mbps down and just over 1 Mbps up in the real world on Rogers in Montreal. Not too shabby! Have you tested your iPhone 4S speeds yet? If so, let us know how fast, what network, and what area you’re in!

Harvard Business Review has a great write up likening Siri as being as revolutionary to computing with it’s hands free interaction as was the Mac with it’s desktop metaphor using a mouse, and as with the iPhone using multitouch gestures. The article states that Mac brought computing accessibility to the masses but over the years, complexity via added functionality introduced issues that broke the “desktop metaphor”. Siri, it contends, solves these complexity issues.

“The advantage of using speech over other interaction paradigms is that we have honed its use over thousands of years. It is entirely natural for us to talk to one another. Talking is one of the first things we learn how to do as children. It’s second nature for us to ask a colleague or a friend a question and for them to answer the same way. Being able to talk to a phone like it’s a personal assistant is something that people are going to get very used to, very quickly. It’s a much more natural approach than using a mouse on a desktop.”

iOS has had some manner of voice control since iPhone 3GS launched, and although useful, the implementation was lacking. I’ve often asked to voice dial “Fred” only to get my ac/dc playlist to start blaring from my speakers instead. I certainly like the idea of Siri. I definitely hope that it will work as advertised but mouse and multitouch have been tested and proven over years of use now, and Siri is only just hitting the market today.

Have you tried Siri yet? Do you think it’s the next great leap forward?

Source: Harvard Business Review

Here it is, the 2011 Apple iPhone 4S, and we’re not only unboxing it, we’re giving you the complete tour of all the hardware features, buttons, ports, and peripherals.

It’s pure gadget porn, so watch along!

• iPhone 4S: everything you want to know
• iPhone 4S Forums: Help and discussion

The navigation app, Waze GPS and traffic, has received a huge update that includes natural text-to-speech capabilities, a redesigned UI, and integration with Yelp, foursquare, and Bing.

When you download Waze, you not only get a free traffic & navigation app, but also become part of the local driving community in your area, joining forces with other drivers nearby to outsmart traffic, save time, and improve everyone’s daily commute!

Here’s the update notes:

• Complete redesign featuring new, minimalist U/I with two large main buttons on a full screen map
• 100% rewritten code making the app run faster, smoother and respond much quicker than ever before
• New search fully integrated with Yelp, foursquare and Bing allowing you to search for, navigate to and check-in at real-time destinations you might not otherwise know about
• Full text-to-speech (US and Canada only)
• New day/night map color schemes
• Wall in Waze Groups allowing commuting buddies to interact with one another more easily
• Smart ETA and graphic preview of events along route
• New Waze moods
• Map preview when selecting destination for the first time
• ETA pop up when anything changes along your route
• ‘Swipe’ gesture shortcuts to main menu and traffic reporting

Waze is available on the iPhone and iPad for free.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.