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Consumer Reports now ‘can’t recommend’ the iPhone 4
Filed under: iPhone
After a recent positive blog post stating that the iPhone 4 reception issues were not something that should prevent someone from buying the new iPhone, the nationwide testing firm has now changed its mind and given a thumbs down to Apple's latest efforts. tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.tuaw.com/2010/07/12/consumer-reports-now-cant-recommend-the-iphone-4/'; tweetmeme_source = 'tuaw';
In lab tests, Consumer Reports says the signal "can significantly degrade to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you're in an area with a weak signal." Three iPhone 4s were tested in an RF isolation chamber, and while the signal fell out on the new iPhone, CR didn't see the same issues on an iPhone 3GS or a Palm Pre.The tests also showed that putting some duct tape (of course!!) on the lower left portion of the iPhone antenna strip helps a great deal, and they speculate a case would do the trick as well. The testing firm adds that the iPhone 4 scored at the top of the list in every other feature, so the reception issue is a deal-killer for the firm. CR says that Apple will have to provide "a permanent -- and free fix" before it recommends the iPhone 4.
Consumer Reports now 'can't recommend' the iPhone 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Consumer Reports now 'can't recommend' the iPhone 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Five iPhone apps for a healthier lifestyle
When it comes to health and fitness, the App Store has you covered. From calorie-counting apps to exercise apps to an app that monitors your sleeping, here are five iPhone apps that help people live healthier lives.Review: Ghost Bash for iPhone
Ghosts are escaping from a graveyard, and it’s up to you, brave ghost-basher, to pop them on the head before they make it off the screen.Skype vs fring – Fight!
A war of words is a brewing between fring and Skype on both company’s respective blogs. It was just last week Fring updated their application to include 2-way video calling so that all of you iPhone 4 owners out there could video chat with your cross-platform buddies. According to the official fring blog users can no longer communicate with their Skype friends and fring is encouraging users to invite their Skype friends to join fring.
“We are disappointed that Skype, who once championed the cause of openness, is now attempting to muzzle competition, even to the detriment of its own users” said Avi Shechter, fring’s Co-Founder and CEO “We apologize to our users for the impact of Skype’s bullying and we will be happy to reconnect with Skype once Skype reverses their decision.” Avi continued, “We believe in communication openness and know that users will continue to vote with their mobile phones – opting for fring’s innovation, clarity, honesty and openness”.
Not long after fring released their statement Skype posted one of their own on their blog firing back and blaming fring for damaging their brand and reputation.
“Fring was using Skype software in a way it wasn’t designed to be used – and in a way which is in breach of Skype’s API Terms of Use and End User License Agreement. We’ve been talking with Fring for some time to try to resolve this amicably. However, over time, Fring’s mis-use of our software was increasingly damaging our brand and reputation with our customers. On Friday, for example, Fring withdrew support for video calls over Skype on iOS 4 without warning, again damaging our brand and disappointing our customers, who have high expectations of the Skype experience.”
We will be watching this one very closely, until then who’s side are you on? Sound off in the comments!
Skype vs fring – Fight! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Microsoft promises partners Windows tablets, phones
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer urges partners to stick with Microsoft for the new form factors like tablet PCs and smartphones.Case-Mate Barely There Case for iPhone 4 – quick look [sponsored]
The TiPb store just got the new Case-Mate Barely There Case for iPhone 4 in stock, so I decided to take a quick look at it. As you’d expect by the name, it’s super thin and doesn’t add any perceivable bulk to iPhone 4. Same token, while it will protect against scrapes and bumps, there’s no padding to help you out in case of a high fall.
The finish is soft-touch but I don’t find it that to be a huge difference from iPhone 4 by itself. It included a screen protector so you can be covered front and back.
Is it enough to stop the de-tuning that occurs when you have a low signal and touch the bottom left hand side of the antenna band? We’re going to test that out and we’ll update with the results asap.
In the meantime, if you’re a fan of this style, you can grab a Case-Mate Barely There Case now from the TiPb iPhone 4 Accessory Store.
Case-Mate Barely There Case for iPhone 4 – quick look [sponsored] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Google’s new weapon in fighting Apple App Store: You
Google's App Inventor for Android turns everyone into developers.Consumer Reports ‘Can’t Recommend’ iPhone 4 Due to Signal Issues
Earlier this month, popular product review and comparison group Consumer Reports noted that it felt that signal issues with the iPhone 4 were not significant enough for users to forgo buying the device, citing overall improvement in signal strength a...iLookGood the Pocket Mirror for iPhone 4 Now Available on the App Store
iLookGood, one of the first applications to take advantage of iPhone 4’s front camera is now available for download from the App Store. iLookGood uses the new front camera of iPhone 4 to become a true pocket mirror. Finally allowing iPhone users to be just a quick glance away from seeing how good they look. [...]Apple’s new iPhone 4 commercials all about FaceTime
The company has released four new iPhone 4 commercials that all focus on FaceTime, with no mention of the phone's other features.On the road with the latest Navigon MobileNavigator
Filed under: iPhone
The iOS 4 update to MobileNavigator North America has been eagerly awaited by fans of the best selling turn-by-turn navigation system, and overall I'd call the update a win.To test the system, I took a drive from Southern Arizona to Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix. First off, having the multitasking capabilities was wonderful. I could take or make calls without stopping the route guidance, and while I was on the phone, I could get notice of turns. Since my phone was connected to my car via Bluetooth, the voice announcements came through the car speaker.
I set up speed limit warnings, and the system dutifully warned me if I was going too fast, which is easy to do on those long, straight Arizona highways.
Continue reading On the road with the latest Navigon MobileNavigator
On the road with the latest Navigon MobileNavigator originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
On the road with the latest Navigon MobileNavigator originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Consumer Reports tests, confirms iPhone 4 antenna problem in weak signal areas
Consumer Reports has run lab tests and confirmed what many real-world users likely already know — in areas with weak signal, touching the iPhone 4 external antenna band at the bottom left side can cause a loss of voice and data connection.
We reached this conclusion after testing all three of our iPhone 4s (purchased at three separate retailers in the New York area) in the controlled environment of CU’s radio frequency (RF) isolation chamber. In this room, which is impervious to outside radio signals, our test engineers connected the phones to our base-station emulator, a device that simulates carrier cell towers. We also tested several other AT&T phones the same way, including the iPhone 3G S and the Palm Pre. None of those phones had the signal-loss problems of the iPhone 4.
A piece of duct-tape placed over the offending area can prevent the problem, according to them, and they repeat that a case can likely prevent it as well (though they haven’t tested any in the lab yet).
The signal problem is the reason that we did not cite the iPhone 4 as a “recommended” model, even though its score in our other tests placed it atop the latest Ratings of smart phones that were released today.
So their bottom line is iPhone 4 is terrific for its display, camera, battery life, gyroscope, FaceTime, and other features, but if you have the antenna issue, it’s a show stopper and they believe Apple needs to come up with a free fix before they’ll recommend it.
[Consumer Reports — Thanks Phil!)
Consumer Reports tests, confirms iPhone 4 antenna problem in weak signal areas is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Lawsuit against Apple continues as a class action
A lawsuit against Apple and AT&T Mobility now has a define group of plaintiffs following a ruling in U.S. District Court on Thursday.Penultimate for iPad- app review
My latest productivity app this week? Penultimate for iPad. There are several competing “free hand” note taking apps on our favorite tablet device. After our recent TiPb at Work Post, I thought I would see if Penultimate tries to separate itself from other note apps on the iPad. Is being simple with just enough of a “feature” to get the job done enough?
Penultimate starts you off with a single notebook. That notebook serves as a tutorial to show you how to use Penultimate. The example notebook is excellent as it “teaches” you everything you need to know about the app. The basic setup is this; you can have virtually unlimited notes in your notebook. You tap the bottom right corner to go to the next page and the bottom left corner to go to the previous page. You have a pen, eraser and a clear page button at the bottom as well. On the main screen you can create your own notebook, email or delete notebooks as need, you can even rename them by tapping the name located below the notebook.
Writing in Penultimate is a pure joy. As you draw or write with your fingers, the developers have given the virtual ink a very distinct look, almost like calligraphy. The ink is thick in some areas and thinner in others. If you want to adjust the thickness or color of your ink, simply tap and hold the pen icon at the bottom of the page to make your changes.
You can create new notebooks with the tap of a button located in the top left hand corner. The top right hand corner gives you additional settings. The style of paper be changed from graph to lined for example, you can reposition the tools (pen, eraser, etc.) to the top of the page and even email the entire notebook or just the page you are on via email. Penultimate converts the notebooks to PDFs for emailing.
I like Penultimate for what it does; it is a simple no-frills note taking tool. I find there to be a couple of irritations however. In landscape view, you are given a cropped view of the page and you can flick the right side of the screen to scroll towards the top and bottom. I feel there has to be a better way to implement this, or, give me completely different functionality in landscape. The other issue is that there is no way to zoom to give yourself more space; the notebook is it’s real size and there is no zooming. I would have liked to have seen a pinch-zoom function that increased the size of your note area. Ah, perhaps in a future release. Regardless, Penultimate is a beautiful fun and easy note taking tool that most of use can find a use for in our busy lives.
[$2.99- iTunes Link]
Pros
- Simple
- Beautiful design
- Ink looks great
- Animation is smooth
Cons
- Landscape view is awkward to use
- No pinch to zoom functionality
Penultimate for iPad- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Apple Offers Repair Program for 2008 Time Capsule Power Issues
As noted by Hardmac, Apple on Friday issued a support document outlining a repair/replacement program for users experiencing power problems with Time Capsules manufactured between February and June 2008.
Affected Time Capsule ...
New iPhone 4 ads highlight FaceTime, tug at the old heartstrings
Filed under: iPhone
Four new iPhone 4 ads have made their debut both on the air and online. In each ad, two people use FaceTime to discuss incredibly important news. In Meet Her, a grandfather meets his new granddaughter for the first time. Haircut features a pensive young woman who is worried that her significant other isn't going to like her new, really short haircut, and in Smile a dad tries to get his teenage daughter (newly fitted with braces on her teeth) to smile. Finally, Big News has a woman breaking the news to her hubby that the project they've been working on is successful -- they're going to be parents.
The ads are beautifully photographed, and they really show off the power that FaceTime has to let two people express their feelings with more than just their voices. In each ad, the power of facial expressions to display and transmit emotions definitely comes across.
Now, if Apple could just explain during the ads that FaceTime works over Wi-Fi and doesn't rely on the AT&T network, they'd probably have even more success with the iPhone 4 than they've already experienced.
New iPhone 4 ads highlight FaceTime, tug at the old heartstrings originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
New iPhone 4 ads highlight FaceTime, tug at the old heartstrings originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TUAW’s Daily App: Grokion
Filed under: iPhone
Grokion came out a little over a month ago, but it's worth checking out if you haven't seen it yet. The game provides an interesting mix of Mega Man-esque 2D platforming action and Metroid-style exploration, and while Grokion doesn't quite live up to the polish of either of those games, it's an excellent iPhone-based indie title.
The controls are probably the game's best feature; they are super responsive, so both platforming and shooting (after you're able to reach your first weapon) are easy to do. Level design follows the Metroid plan of allowing you to reach certain areas only after you've obtained a certain ability or finished an objective, and it's very well-done. The story is somewhat vague (you play as a robot tasked with saving a "biosphere"), but it's told in a fairly clear and interesting way.
The game is only 99 cents, and the developers have said that future episodes will be released for free to current owners. With that in mind, you're probably getting even more game than you're bargaining for. If you're interested in the action/adventure genre at all, definitely pick it up and give it a play-through. If the rest of the episodes have as much effort put into them as this one, Grokion could turn out to be a real standout series on the iPhone.
The controls are probably the game's best feature; they are super responsive, so both platforming and shooting (after you're able to reach your first weapon) are easy to do. Level design follows the Metroid plan of allowing you to reach certain areas only after you've obtained a certain ability or finished an objective, and it's very well-done. The story is somewhat vague (you play as a robot tasked with saving a "biosphere"), but it's told in a fairly clear and interesting way.
The game is only 99 cents, and the developers have said that future episodes will be released for free to current owners. With that in mind, you're probably getting even more game than you're bargaining for. If you're interested in the action/adventure genre at all, definitely pick it up and give it a play-through. If the rest of the episodes have as much effort put into them as this one, Grokion could turn out to be a real standout series on the iPhone.
TUAW's Daily App: Grokion originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
TUAW's Daily App: Grokion originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iOS 4 limitations: double-click Home reduced to fast app switching
Under iOS 4, if you’re using an iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS, when you double click the Home Button the UI slides up and reveals the multitasking fast app switcher “behind” the dock. That certainly fixes the problem of moving between apps quickly, but it sacrifices everything the double click did on previous iOS versions.
As recently as a few weeks ago under iOS 3 (iPhone 3.0), double clicking the Home Button would send you to Phone Favorites. Under Settings, you could change that to Spotlight Search, Camera, or iPod Controls. (iPod controls were, and remain, the default behavior of a Home Screen double click if your iPhone is locked and audio is playing). Under iOS 4, those settings are gone.
Briefly under one of the iOS 4 betas, double click would launch the fast app switcher and double click and hold would launch phone favorites. This seems like a great alternative but it disappeared in later betas and never returned. (See our iOS 4 walkthrough for more.)
Sure, with iOS 4 multitasking you can use the fast app switcher to quickly get to the Phone App, and saved state means that if it was last on Favorites, it will return you right back to favorites. There are also widgets just to the left, which are slightly more complicated to get to but do take the place of popup iPod Controls. So, in some ways, the loss of old functionality is mitigated somewhat by the addition of new functionality — but not the loss of elegance.
Perhaps the settings could return but instead of choosing what launches on double click, there could be a way to pin Phone Favorites, Spotlight, or Camera to the first spot in fast app switcher when it’s launched. It would be one additional action — click, click, tap instead of just click, click — but it would be usable. Better yet, triple click can currently be assigned to bringing up the accessibility options. If you turn that off, how about letting us re-assign the triple click to the old double click options?
In the meantime, let us know what were you using double click for under iOS 3, if you miss it under iOS 4, and if you’ve found any good work arounds for it? Or is the new fast app switcher and widgets enough?
iOS 4 limitations: double-click Home reduced to fast app switching is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
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