The iPhone Blog


iPhone & iPad Live podcast -- WWDC preview! -- tonight at 9pm EDT / 6pm PDT / 2am BST

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 02:14 PM PDT

The best iOS podcast in the world returns tonight to talk all the latest iPhone and iPad news, how-tos, and app and accessory reviews. This week we begin our WWDC 2012 preview with special guest David Barnard of App Cubby.

We also have a special guest on ZEN and TECH tonight -- Dave Caolo of 52 Tiger and TUAW.

You don't want to miss either of them!

Want to go full screen? Head to iMore.com/live. Want to watch via iPhone or iPad? Grab the Ustream app and search for "mobilenations"!



How to jailbreak iOS 5.1.1 with redsn0w 0.9.12b1

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 01:12 PM PDT

How to jailbreak iOS 5.1.1 with redsn0w 0.9.12b1

If you haven't already jailbroken iOS 5.1.1 with greenpois0n Absinthe, or if you had issues with it and are looking for alternatives, you may want to give the newest version of redsn0w a try. Before proceeding, make sure your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad are compatible first.

Supported devices

At this time redsn0w only supports A4 devices or lower on iOS 5.1.1, which means iPhone 4 or lower are supported. So if you have an iPhone 4S, new iPad, or iPad 2, you'll need to jailbreak with Greenpois0n Absinthe.

If you have an iPhone 4 or older iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch model, continue on.

How to jailbreak iOS 5.1.1 with redsn0w

  1. Download redsn0w 0.9.12b1 from our downloads section. There are versions for both Mac and Windows.
  2. Plug your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch into your computer and open up redsn0w.
  3. Select Jailbreak from the menu.
  4. Read the information redsn0w gives you about what devices are compatible. Once you're sure you can jailbreak, select Next and you will be guided through putting your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch into DFU mode.
  5. If you successfully got your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch into DFU mode redsn0w will ask you what you'd like to do. Make sure Install Cydia is checked and click Next.
  6. Let redsn0w do its thing. When you're done you should be able to slide and unlock. You should now see Cydia on one of your Home screens.

The first time you run Cydia it will probably need to build the file system and respring and that's normal. You're now jailbroken and good to go. Run into problems? Check out our additional help and resource links below.

Additional Resources:



Apple aims to open more flagship stores in China

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 11:58 AM PDT

Apple aims to open more flagship stores in China

Chinese officials have confirmed that Apple is looking to open new stores in Chengdu and Shenzhen, the home town of Apple's major manufacturing partner, Foxconn. Apple only has to get an environmental permit before having final approval for the Shenzhen store, while the Chengdu location has been approved since late May.  As is, Apple has three stores in Shanghai and two in Beijing, both of which you might recall seeing swarmed during the local iPhone 4S launch.

It's pretty ballsy of Apple to be trying to open up shop in Shenzhen since that is precisely where Proview is suing them for infringing on the iPad trademark. In fact, Proview's lawyer said that they would seek a sales injunction if Apple successfully opened a new store in the city. Of course, negotiations are underway which could render that an empty threat.

Needless to say, China is a huge market for iOS, and given the population density, I'm sure they're having trouble keeping up with demand. I'd love to see if the new locations will be as flashy as the Shanghai store pictured above, but something tells me that being really ostentatious might be a little demoralizing for the Foxconn people who pop in to the store to check out the products they make but can't afford to own.

Source: Reuters



56% off Ballistic Hard Core (HC) Series Case for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 [Daily Deal]

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 08:57 AM PDT

Daily Deal: 56% off Ballistic Hard Core (HC) Series Case for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4For today only, the iMore Store has the Ballistic Hard Core (HC) Series Case for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 on sale for only $21.95! Get yours before they're gone!

The Ballistic Hard Core (HC) Series Case is engineered with five layers of protection, including a built in screen protector, water resistant mesh over all speakers and an extremely durable rotating holster. This case offers security from drops, fingerprints, scratches, dust, and more.

Features:

  • Improved design
  • Advanced five layer protection
  • Layer 1: Built-in screen protector
  • Layer 2: Ballistic shock absorbent polymer
  • Layer 3: Tough impact resistant polycarbonate
  • Layer 4: Additional shock polymer layer
  • Layer 5: Optional outer layer of silicone
  • Button and ports covers built right onto case
  • Includes durable, rotating holster
  • Water resistant mesh covering speakers

Get the Ballistic Hard Core (HC) Series Case for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 now!



iPhone 4S faces off against Samsung Galaxy S3 in drop test

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 08:55 AM PDT

iPhone 4S faces off against Samsung Galaxy S3 in drop test

Inner gadget sadist just dying to see an iPhone 4S pitted against the brand new Samsung Galaxy S3 in a drop test? If so, you're in luck -- SquareTrade, a third-party electronics warranty provider, did the deed and here are the results.

The display on the Android phone cracked after the first drop from ear height. Round two of having kids toss the phones into the air resulted only in the rear of the iPhone shattering, though the Samsung Galaxy S 3 didn't get too banged up. The third test took place with fresh phones being left on the top of a car as it sped away, and again, the Samsung Galaxy S3's screen shattered while the iPhone 4S looked nearly untouched.

While this might all just seem like wanton destruction of expensive high-end gadgets, SquareTrade was simply illustrating some of the more common situations where phones get busted. According to their data, one in two phones fail due to drops of some kind, while one in four smartphones owned by parents were busted by their children. One in 15 people have damaged their phones in and around a car.

The iPhone 4 got a lot of flak early on for having a a screen that shattered so easily, and though that's to be expected in such a compact frame, it's interesting to see how the next major smartphone manufacturer fares in these kinds of tests (as inconclusive and unscientific as they may be). I would be really curious to see how many of Samsung's other phones fare under the same conditions.

Maybe it's just dumb luck that the iPhone fared so well in this case, but personally, I've been pretty happy with the iPhone 4's build quality. Even without a case or a screen protector, I haven't had any lasting. noticeable damage on my handset. How has your iPhone handled getting banged up?  Have you had a better or worse time with other phones? Would you prefer investing in a case or a protection plan to keep your iPhone safe?



Windows Phone one again projected to claim more market share than iPhone, this time by 2016

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 08:02 AM PDT

Windows Phone projected to claim just as much market share as iOS in 2016

IDC announced the results of their quarterly smartphone research today, and found that worldwide, Android claimed 61% of the pie, followed by iOS with 20.5%, BlackBerry with 6.0%, and Windows Phone with 5.2%. The real shocker is that IDC projected a drop in iOS market share to 19% by 2016, and forecasted Windows Phone would claim just about as much as Apple with a 19.2% share. It's not a shock they projected this -- analysts have been forecasting just such a thing for years and years now. It's that it keeps being wrong year after year. For whom exactly are these projections valuable...?

As if it wasn't already hard enough to take their projections seriously, they think BlackBerry is only going to dip 0.1% in the same timeframe.

The overall mobile market has slowed in growth due to prevailing economic conditions. Feature phones will still comprise 61% of the 2012 mobile market, by IDC's tally, which more or less lines up with comScore's numbers for the U.S. Of course, smartphone growth it still strong, and IDC expects 38.8% more shipments since last year - something in the neighborhood of 686 million units shipped. IDC's Kevin Restivo had some commentary on what we could expect for the rest of the year.

The smartphone parade won't be as lively this year as it has been in past. The mobile phone user transition from feature phones to smartphones will continue in a gradual but unabated fashion. Smartphone growth, however, will increasingly be driven by a triumvirate of smartphone operating systems, namely Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7.
Sure, Microsoft has certainly been taking the long view with their rebooted mobile platform, but IDC's predictions -- once again -- seem way too optimistic. Though they're going through all of the right motions with manufacturer, carrier, and developer partnerships, and have solid tie-ins with their desktop PC and console businesses, it's still hard to imagine Windows Phone being as popular as iPhone in the foreseeable future. The iOS app ecosystem is way too strong at this point, and even if developers have the resources to split their efforts, why would they pick Windows Phone ahead of Android? Windows Phone is still really weak from a marketing standpoint, which in turn makes it unlikely that carriers will be pushing Windows Phone before Android any time soon. For hardware manufacturers, margins are still slim compared to iPhone, and having to pay for Windows licensing sure doesn't help.

What do you guys see happening in the next four years? Will BlackBerry still be a part of the picture? Will Android start losing its foothold? Can Windows Phone really claw itself into a position of prominence, and if so, what will iPhone need to do to stand its ground?

Chart: Worldwide Top 5 Smartphone OS Market Share Forecast, 1Q 2012Description: Tags: Author: IDCcharts powered by iCharts
Source: IDC



Apple updates Apple TV to iOS 5.1.1 (software 5.0.2)

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 05:33 AM PDT

Apple updates Apple TV to iOS 5.1.1 (software 5.0.2)

Apple has pushed out Apple TV software version 5.0.2 (4250), still listed as iOS 5.1.1, but now with build number 9B830. The update is for both the 2010 Apple TV (720p) and 2012 Apple TV (1080p). Like with the last update, no new features are shown, and no new services seem to have been added, so this could just be another bug fix and performance enhancement release.

To update your Apple TV:

  1. Click on Settings at the top right
  2. Click on General
  3. Scroll down and click on Update Software

If you have any trouble or need any help, head on over to our Apple TV forum!



Letter Gap for iPhone review

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 01:47 AM PDT

Letter Gap is a super casual game for word lovers. The objective is simple. You are given the first and last letter of a six letter word with the other four letters scrambled below it. It's then your job to correctly spell the word as quickly as possible. The faster you get it, the more points you get -- and you have just 2 minutes to get through as many words as you can.

Really, that's Letter Gap in a nutshell. Super easy to understand, super simple to play, but potentially difficult to solve.

Letter Gap comes with the "Everyday" word pack of common, everyday words. Available as in-app purchases are Food & Drink, Wildlife, Sports, and Places. Each pack is $0.99, or you can purchase all the lists for -- $0.99! This is a sale price for now, and I do not know what it will be increased to in the future. The All Lists package will also include any future packs that get added in future updates, so it's quite a bargain, even if the price does go up a few bucks.

The good

  • Fun
  • Challenging
  • Great graphics
  • Each game is only 2 minutes long

The bad

  • No complaints

The conclusion

Letter Gap is a fun brain-teasing word game. It's extremely simple to understand and play, but not always so easy to solve -- at least not as quickly as you'd probably like.

$0.99 - Download Now



iXoost dock is a handmade high performance sound system for your iPhone

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 01:28 AM PDT

iXoost

The iPhone can certainly be classed as a top performer in the smart phone world so why not pop it into a dock made from the exhaust system of a high performance car. The iXoost dock is handmade and the base is made from a solid block of aluminium. It then incorporates a performance cars manifold which is turned and milled into a shiny work of art.

The name iXoost comes from the English pronunciation of the word "exhaust", the first dock station dreamed up by Matteo Panini and designed by Mirco Pecorari. Mechanics and sound come together thanks to the tradition evoked by the world of engines. The docks are colourful, finished with high-quality leather coupled with the exhaust manifolds to create fantastic combinations which are a pleasure for the heart as much as for the eye. Listen to your music through extremely innovative loudspeakers featuring a 140W active subwoofer.
The iXoost is available in three models, V8, V10 and V12 with varying amounts of high end speakers and tweeters to satisfy audiophiles everywhere. So if you are a petrol head, love your iPhone and like listening to music, this is your perfect iPhone dock. No information on the price of these docks but we don't expect them to be in the budget range.

Source: iXoost via Cult of Mac

iXoost 8 iXoost 7 iXoost 6 iXoost 5 iXoost 4 iXoost 3 iXoost 2 iXoost 1 iXoost


Best free photography apps for iPhone

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 12:01 AM PDT

Best free Photography apps for iPhone

iMore's authoritative guide to the very best, absolutely free photography apps for iPhone and iPod touch

Looking for great photography apps for your iPhone or iPod touch? The App Store is home to over half a million apps and games, and a surprising number of them are available for free. Some of the most popular and most-used free apps are free photography apps -- to pair with the iPhone's superb camera.

Instagram

Free Instagram app for iPhone

Instagram isn't just a free iPhone app, it's one of the most popular social photo sharing networks on the planet. It features a large selection of vintage, hip, and fun filters as well as the ability to add the tilt-shift effect to your photos. You can also follow friends and photographers, "like" photos, and leave comments on them. (If you're looking for more great iPhoneographers to share with, check out our Instragram name swap thread!)

Facebook Camera

Facebook is actually very similar to Instagram, just restricted to Facebook. You can view a stream of all the photos your friends are uploading to Facebook as well as share your own. Before uploading your photos, you have the opportunity to add a filter (all of which are very similar to instagram), crop, and tag your friends. Of course, you can also comment on and "like" photos that you encounter. It's Facebook for photos!

Snapseed

There's no denying that the iPhone is equipped with a fabulous camera, but that doesn't mean that many of the images that you take couldn't benefit from a little editing. I dare say that Snapseed is the best free editing tool available for your iPhone in the App Store. It's very robust and super easy to use. Snapseed is actually only free for a limited time, so definitely make sure you pick this one up now! (It's normally $4.99).

Pic Stitch

Free Pic Stitch app for iPhone

There are a lot of collage apps in the App Store, but what's great about Pic Stitch is that it's free! With Pic Stitch for iPhone, you can create beautiful collages that tell a story in just a few taps. It features 32 different layouts and after you've finished your masterpiece, you can share it to your favorite social network or another photography app.

Camera Awesome

Free Camera Awesome app for iPhone

If you're looking for a free app that offers more than the built-in iOS Camera app, look no further than Camera Awesome. This fantastic free iPhone app not only gives you a lot of powerful editing tools and filters, but it also gives more control while taking photos as well by allowing you to select separate points for focus and exposure.

More free iPhone apps

For dozens of additional free iPhone apps, including free social networking apps, instant messenger and communications apps, educational apps, entertainment apps, finance apps, fun and games apps, health and fitness apps, kids apps, music apps, navigation and location apps, news apps, productivity apps, reading apps, shopping apps, sports apps, travel apps, and general utility apps, see here:



WWDC 2012: Where great ideas go on to do great things

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 05:59 PM PDT

WWDC 2012: Where great ideas go on to do great things

Apple has started preparing San Francisco's Moscone Center West for their 2012 World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) and in so doing have revealed the motto for this year's event: here great ideas go on to do great things.

The banners themselves are the usual collage for popular and laudable app icons, both outside and inside.

The Keynote kicks off at 9am PDT on Monday, June 11th, with the expected introduction of iOS 6, updates to iCloud, more on OS X Mountain Lion and perhaps new Macs. We've heard there won't be any new iOS devices this summer, however, so don't go getting your iPhone 5 or iPad mini hopes up just yet.

Leanna (@llofte), Seth (@sethclifford), and yours truly (@reneritchie) will be there live.

And if anyone happens by Moscone and grabs any additional pics, send them our way -- news@imore.com

More pics: 9to5Mac, TNW, MacStories



Agenda Calendar for iPhone and iPad review

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 05:24 PM PDT

Agenda for iPhone and iPad review

Agenda is a beautiful alternative to the iPhone and iPad's built-in Calendar app by the great folks at App Savvy. In addition to performing the normal tasks you'd expect any good calendar app to do, Agenda also lets you confirm appointments via text message or email from directly within the app. Similarly, you can inform necessary parties if you're going to be late.

Agenda is universal app for the iPhone and iPad and is directly connected to your iPhone and iPad's built-in Calendar. This means if you add an event with Calendar, it will also show up in Agenda, and vice versa. This also means that if you're using iCloud to sync to your Mac's Calendar, everything will be synced up on there as well.

For this review, I will be alternating between iPad and iPhone screenshots. Both versions have the same functionality, just slightly different UI's.

There are 5 different views available in Agenda for the iPhone: yearly, semiannually, monthly, weekly (This is actually only about 4 days at a time displayed as a scrollable list. Rotating to landscape will display one full week at a time.), daily, and individual appointments. To switch views, you simply swipe left or right.

The iPad version does not have the yearly view (which I think should be eliminated from the iPhone as well, as it's not very interesting), and condenses the weekly and daily views into one screen. Each individual appointment on the iPad also doesn't get it's own screen, instead it's a little popup.

In Agenda, events are indicated by a colored dot -- the colors are the same colors you have chosen for your calendars in Calendar or iCloud.

To add an event, simply tap the plus sign. You can then add the event's name, select which calendar to add the event to by tapping the calendar icon, swipe through the month calendar to choose a date, enter in the start and end times of the event or mark as "All Day", add up to two alerts, indicate if it's a repeating event, add a location, select contacts to associate to the event, and add notes. If you select contacts, they will automatically be added to the notes field so that you tap their phone number to place a call. Addresses you add to the notes field also become tappable so that you can see the address in Google maps. This is true in both Agenda and Calendar.

However, one of the big advantages of Agenda is that if you added contacts, Agenda makes is very easy to contact them via text message or email from directly within the app. When viewing an event you'll see two big icons on the bottom, one for email and another for messaging. Tapping one will give you options to confirm, let your contacts know that you have arrived or are running late, or you can choose Other if you want to send a message for any other reason. When you make a selection, Agenda will automatically create an email or text message addressed to the associated contacts and a pre-created message. You can customize what these messages say in the app's settings.

One of the things that annoys me most about Apple's Calendar for iPhone and iPad is that I can't set a custom repeat for Tuesdays and Thursdays, for example. As an instructor, I have these types of repeated events I must regularly schedule, so I always had to use Calendar on my Mac to create these events. Not any more! With Agenda, I can add custom repeat options to my events.

In addition to Agenda's default theme, it also includes 11 other awesome themes and eight different alert sounds.

The good

  • At a glance layout & twelve gorgeous themes
  • Fast event creation w/custom repeat options
  • "Go To" picker to fly to a date of choice
  • Swipes & gestures to quickly change views
  • Set the default view
  • Set defaults for event duration & alerts
  • Eight event alert sounds
  • Tappable phone numbers, locations, etc.
  • "Status taps" to send an email or SMS
  • Copy event in the event view
  • Share event via email in the event view
  • Send events to Due
  • Unique "Goal View" for tracking goals
  • Add today's date to the badge

The bad

  • Swiping between views doesn't keep your "place". For example, if you scrolled down to the month of July in month view, then swiped to weekly view, you wouldn't be looking at a week in July if you were previously viewing a week in May. You have to tap on a week or day to set your place.

The conclusion

I never thought I'd be swayed away from Apple's built-in Calendar, but App Savvy has done it with Agenda. Beautiful app. Apple should be taking notes.

$0.99 - Download Now



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