All Articles Tagged Apple

Our good friend, Dieter, over at PreCentral.net has just got his hands on a leaked internal AT&T document that puts our beloved iPhone 3G into the ring up against the yet to be released Palm Pre. We are beginning to wonder what will happen first, Palm going out of business or the Pre actually being released… (Yes, we kid because we love…)

While some of the things that made the list are cold hard facts that every Palm fan will have to swallow, AT&T seems to be reaching on a few as well. Here are a some of the better ones:

• The iPhone has a “thinner, lighter, bigger screen; metal and glass design” compared to the Pre’s “plastic casing”.
• The iPhones App Store has over “25,000 Apps” while the Pre has an “Unproven App Catalog app store”.
• The iPhone sports “Global GPS; aGPS for maximum speed, accuracy and reliability even in built-up areas” while the lonely Pre “Can’t receive map updates or location assist information in most of the world due to lack of GSM capability”.

What also caught our eye was:

• The Palm Pre “Touchscreen control gestures not intuitive” whereas the iPhone features “Patented Multi-Touch screen” and “Fast and responsive navigation.”

If the Palm Pre cloned some of the iPhone’s UI interactions, didn’t AT&T just dash our chances for some lawsuit action?

What do you think? AT&T simply stating the facts or could they possibly view the Palm Pre as a legitimate threat? Now head on over to Precentral.net to check out the full leaked AT&T memo!

The forums continue to grow here at TiPb and that is without a doubt a great thing. We are rapidly approaching a crazy time with WWDC coming up this June so the rumors and new iPhone talk is a buzz. All of the following threads have to do with, you guessed it, iPhone OS 3.0 software and new hardware.

If you are reading this site, chances are you are a big fan of Apple and it’s ever popular iPhone. But with that said, most of us know that it’s not a perfect device. So new forum member, lindawittsell, wants to know what are the 3 biggest drawbacks of the iPhone?

The next thread we have for you today is one for anyone thinking about purchasing an iPhone now or in the near future. The big question being, should I wait for new hardware to be released or bite the bullet now? We here at TiPb think it would be in your best interest to wait but if you see a deal that simply can not be passed up, go for it. One thing is for sure, technology never slows down so no matter when you pick a device up, around the corner a newer better version will become available.

This thread was started by PirateNinja and he may have gotten some false information from a AT&T sales rep. This rep claimed that there absolutely will be no new iPhone hardware this summer. In the end, they are salesmen who want to sell you anything they can. While we are 99% sure there will be new hardware, what types of stories have you heard from other AT&T reps? The best advice we can give you here is don’t believe everything you hear or read. As for me personally, I’ve learned that you get the more accurate information from places like TiPb and it’s forums than you will from any type of sales rep from any cellular company.

Lastly, we would like to point out that if you are a developer or a current user of the iPhone OS 3.0 software be sure to check out TiPb’s iPhone Developer Forum. Feel free to discuss the new features, bugs, unannounced features, etc… Just don’t ask anyone for the software or developer codes or you risk being banned from the forums.

See you on the forums!

There have been a lot of rumors lately about the next generation of iPhone hardware having a 3.2 megapixel camera, but right now we have to deal with what has been given to us: a decent 2 megapixel camera with zero features.

That brings us to a great post that we noticed today on PCMAG.com, 22 Ways to Make Your iPhone a Better Camera. One of the most useful apps they list has to be Photogene. [iTunes Link] This app allows you to:

• Enhance photos with multiple color adjustment options and a sharpen filter.
• Crop and straighten.
• Add fun effects like text balloons, frames or special filters

Be sure to check out PCMAG.com’s article for a boatload of tips and apps to make the best with your iPhone’s camera!

I will be honest here and say I’ve never been a fan of any refurbished products and AT&T is not making refurbished iPhone 3G’s any more enticing. It seems that AT&T has once again gotten some stock of refurbished 16GB iPhone 3G’s and are dumping them for the price of $149.99.

So you’re saving 150 bucks from the price of a new iPhone 3G, but is getting locked into a two year contract worth it at this point as all signs point to a new iPhone coming in the next few months? How about a measly 90 day or more warranty depending on the life of that particular phone? And finally, how about the chance your refurbished phone comes with a few dings and scratches?

Refurbished Phones and Devices Refurbished phones are previously owned devices that have been unused or lightly used and returned during the 30-day trial period. Each refurbished phone is independently quality tested and loaded with the latest software to meet current factory standards. Some refurbished iPhone 3G devices will have minor scratches. Refurbished iPhone 3G devices carry a warranty of 90 days or more. For details about the warranty on your refurbished iPhone 3G go to www.apple.com/support/oss/.

We say pass on this deal and either go in for a new device or hold out until this summer for the rumored new iPhone. If you simply do not care about the above concerns, this deal is for you.

*If you do make this purchase and want to check the status of the warranty go to Apple’s site and input your serial number here.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Rumor is that Hulu is working on a application that will be available in the App Store sometime in the near future. Silicon Alley Insider has learned about it from a “plugged-in industry executive” and it is said that the application itself will be as slick as Hulu’s website and it will work on 3G as well as WiFi. Judging from the popularity of Hulu and their really cool commercials, this app could be a huge hit.

This app coming to the App Store may seem a bit hard to believe at the moment based on the whole ordeal with SlingPlayer. Although, there are other apps within the App Store, such as i.TV, that actually stream video, granted the quality is poor. But full length TV shows and movies? Unfortunately, whatever is holding up SlingPlayer from becoming available still remains a mystery. Whatever the case may be, what are the chances of this Hulu app seeing the light of day? And what are the chances AT&T will really let it stream over 3G?

[Via Silicon Alley Insider]

We have covered the iPhone and gaming from top to bottom here at TiPb. The iPhone still has a lot of catching up to do in terms of the quality of the games and you can also toss in the lack of physical controls as a huge negative. All that aside, for the most part we’ve felt that if Apple plays their cards correctly, they could be a major player in the handheld gaming wars alongside the likes of Nintendo and Sony.

Maybe you’ve agreed with us, maybe you haven’t. If you’ve disagreed with our opinions and views that’s fine and dandy but maybe, just maybe, you will listen to Trip Hawkins. Who’s Trip Hawkins you ask? He started a little gaming company called Electronic Arts.

“The iPhone is by far our most effective platform. We make as much money with these games on one device as we do putting a game on 100 different cell phone platforms. Between the iPod touch and the iPhone, I think the platform is freaking out Sony and Nintendo.”

That is a pretty strong statement. It may be a great thing as more and more developers will take the iPhone as a serious contender and produce more and higher quality games, or it may prove to be one of the biggest pitfalls. It may encourage more developers to throw quality and innovation out the window and simply pump out below-average games just to make that quick profit. Up until this point we’ve seen a combination of some high quality games and some pure garbage. In the end, it’s about the almighty dollar and we get that. Hopefully game developers come up with ways to push the platform to the next level.

So where do you see this going in the long run for the iPhone as a gaming platform? Lets hear your thoughts!

[Via theappleblog.com]

With all of these rumors about about AT&T interfering with Slingplayer getting into the App Store and changing their ToS to simply retract it the next day, it has to make a person think… What is AT&T up to?

Could the next iPhone be headed in the direction of some other smartphones by having AT&T bloatware thrust upon it? Would Apple even allow AT&T to restrict or replace 3rd party apps with their own carrier branded, white-label built-in options that perform similar functions at premium service prices?

Skype and Ustream are already not allowed on 3G, only WiFi. We’ve also heard rumors that AT&T was working on a U-Verse application for the iPhone. Features such as programming shows to record, using the iPhone as a wireless remote, ability to allow iPhone voicemails to be managed and controlled through the U-verse interface, etc… On top of all of those features it may be possible they want to add some sort of SlingPlayer-like capabilities such as streaming channels directly to your iPhone. Granted, you would have to be a subscriber of their U-Verse service but never-the-less, could it be a sign of things to come as carriers desperately try to avoid becoming “dumb pipes“?

AT&T’s Chief Technology Officer John Donovan had the following to say:

“We’re looking at the whole landscape, of what people use, and what’s out there in the home”

So what do you, our readers, think about all of this ? Is it possible that AT&T is trying to steal some control back from Apple? Trying to get their same-old bloatware onto our iPhones?

The iPhone and music pretty much go hand and hand. Your music deserves to be played through a more than decent stereo headset, one that can deliver clear, clean, crisp sound at any volume. That said, I jumped at the chance to try out the iharmonix Pro i-Series Stereo Headset and put it through some serious usage. You can purchase this exact headset right in TiPb’s very own store, for the low price of $39.95. Honestly, I did not know what to expect while waiting for UPS to drop these babies off but I will admit, I was pleasantly surprised. For a full review, read on after the break!

Read the rest of this entry »

It is no secret that AT&T has the iPhone locked up through the year 2010. Today the Wall Street Journal is reporting that AT&T is in talks to add yet another year to the current deal. Of course neither side is commenting about the matter at this point, and when contacted, an Apple representative said:

“We have a great relationship with AT&T.”

While we here at TiPb are well aware of how many of you truly despise AT&T, is this where we give them another chance? It has been rumored they are still beefing up their network for the next iPhone launch.

Personally for me here in the Chicago area, I’ve never had such great service. No other cellular service performs as well for me and I’ve tried tried them all. Yes, I said it, go easy on me.

So what do you say? Is another year of AT&T iPhone lock-in a good or bad thing?

[Via WSJ Thanks also to Tyler for the tip!]

Welcome to iPhone 101, simple tips for novice iPhone users to help you take advantage of your new device.

Maybe your kid spends way too much time browsing the internet via Safari, uses the camera in ways that are not appropriate, or perhaps they went on a spending spree in the App Store and you didn’t know until your credit card bill came in the mail. Whatever the case may be, find out how to regain some parental control by enabling restrictions after the break!

Read the rest of this entry »