Is the iPhone 4 having proximity sensor troubles?

The iPhone 4's massive launch hasn't been blemish free, with reports of spotty displays (which seem to have disappeared) and antenna woes being rather widely reported. Well -- it looks like it's possible there's another issue too -- this time with the proximity sensor. Now, we're no strangers to spontaneously turning on speakerphone with our faces (though admittedly our cheeks are pretty round), so it's hard to say if this is an iPhone 4-specific issue, but the mounting reports would suggest that it's possible the new handets sensor is a little bit... over sensitive. Reported issues include accidentally disconnecting calls, throwing the speakerphone switch, and putting people on hold accidentally. What about you? Are you having problems with your iPhone 4's proximity sensor? Let us know in the comments.

Is the iPhone 4 having proximity sensor troubles? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes, you can certainly scratch the iPhone 4

Yes, you can certainly scratch the iPhone 4 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FaceCash mobile payment apps are like real money, only with your face on it instead of someone smart

ThinkLink's FaceCash mobile payment system has debuted several apps (for BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android devices) which allow you to pay for things merely by scanning your phone -- and showing off the attached photo to confirm it is, in fact, your own money that you're spending. You sign up, link your FaceCash account to your personal checking and savings account, and you're good to go with participating merchants. The apps can also store credit card numbers and banking information (perfect for when you lose your phone during a night of heavy partying), making it easier to leave your wallet or purse behind... or so they say. Sadly, FaceCash currently only has merchants in California, and really, who wants to live there?

FaceCash mobile payment apps are like real money, only with your face on it instead of someone smart originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Buy announces official iPhone 4 pre-sale for June 15th

Best Buy's just dropped the official details on its iPhone 4 pre-sale, and there are no surprises here. You'll be able to head over to any Best Buy starting tomorrow (that's June 15th) and pre-order up Apple's latest offering for delivery on June 24th. That's the same date Apple gave us so like we said -- no surprises here -- but you can hit up the full press release below if you're into that sort of thing.

Continue reading Best Buy announces official iPhone 4 pre-sale for June 15th

Best Buy announces official iPhone 4 pre-sale for June 15th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Poll: What’s the next iPhone going to be called?

WWDC's still a few hours away, but we're pretty sure of at least one thing: we're going to see the next iPhone revealed on stage tomorrow. What we don't know, however, is what that magical revolution will be called. We figured we take this one to the people and ask you -- feel free to hit us up with your own suggestions in the comments if we missed something, and don't forget to check out our live coverage of Steve Jobs' WWDC keynote tomorrow.

Poll: What's the next iPhone going to be called? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Jobs: iPhone OS ’started on a tablet’

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/Steve_Jobs_at_D_iPhone_OS_started_on_a_tablet_Engadget'; Well, Steve Jobs just dropped a little nugget of history on us during his chat with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the All Things D conference. When asked by Walt why they originally put their new OS on a phone and not a tablet, Steve said, "I'll tell you a secret. It began with the tablet." After working on the tablet OS which had a glass display and multitouch, another idea occurred to Jobs. "My God, I said, this would make a great phone ... so we shelved the tablet and built the iPhone." And there you have it.

Steve Jobs: iPhone OS 'started on a tablet' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Jobs on Foxconn: ‘We’re all over this’

Said Steve: "We are on top of this. We look at everything at these companies. I can tell you a few things that we know. And we are all over this. Foxconn is not a sweatshop. It's a factory -- but my gosh, they have restaurants and movie theaters... but it's a factory. But they've had some suicides and attempted suicides -- and they have 400,000 people there. The rate is under what the US rate is, but it's still troubling." Steve also said that Apple's "got people" over at Foxconn currently trying to figure out what's going on -- we figured as much but it's always good to hear it straight from them.

Steve Jobs on Foxconn: 'We're all over this' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Many Verizon customers suffering from “extreme” interest in iPhone, BMX biking

A report over on Digital Daily this morning reveals something that may not come as much of a surprise -- people on other carriers (in this instance, Verizon) want the iPhone. Recent research out of Morgan Stanley shows there is "significant" demand for Apple's cellular delight -- with about 16.8 percent of Verizon's subscribers having "extreme interest" in the product compared to 7.5 percent in the overall population. What does this mean? It means that, if given the chance (i.e. if the iPhone came to Verizon), about 17 percent of current users would switch. That's a pretty high number, to be sure, and Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty estimates that such a deal could move around 7 or 8 million iPhones annually. Of course, all of this comes from an analyst, and it's based on an unscientific survey, so take it with a grain of salt. Still, what's the deal, Steve? We know you love money -- make it happen!

Many Verizon customers suffering from "extreme" interest in iPhone, BMX biking originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keepin’ it real fake: iPhone hits discount retailers as an eyeshadow palette

Now, these may have been around for ages, we can't really be sure because, truth be told, it's pretty rare for us to troll the aisles of Kohl's makeup section looking for KIRFs. Regardless, a helpful, hawk-eyed reader snapped this shot of an eyeshadow palette -- called eyemobile -- that's got the distinct iPhone aura going on, though we're 100 percent certain this is an unauthorized use case. It's hard to say from the photo, but it also looks like there's a lip gloss palette in the background (which we assume is called lipmobile), and that, friends, we would pay money for. Lots of money.

[Thanks, Bill]

Keepin' it real fake: iPhone hits discount retailers as an eyeshadow palette originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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London school children to get free loaner iPhones in experimental, educational trial

It's not the first time we've seen the iPhone used as an experimental means of education, but a London school's recent announcement of its plans has caught our attention. The Gumley House Convent School -- a small, Christian School for girls ages 11 to 18 -- in London has laid out its plan to use give Apple's smartphone to a select group of 30 students as a test educational measure. Previous efforts we've seen to rope the iPhone into modern education have been mostly at the collegiate level, but Gumley's plan is still a bit vague. The girls will have free access to all of the phone's features with the exception of actual calls, and the trial will last until the end of the school year. Like we said -- the school's not given out details as to what the actual rules of use will be -- but we have a feeling this will all end in some wild bout of texting overload.

London school children to get free loaner iPhones in experimental, educational trial originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone camera mod for magnification: because you can

We've thought before how nice it might be to have some powers of magnification on the iPhone's cam... but are we going to go out and mod our unit? Probably not, but that doesn't mean we can't admire someone else's work. Taking various lenses and attaching them to the lid of a jar, the modder quite carefully built a contraption that looks a little "hobo Steampunk" to us, but we're still fairly impressed with this little gadget. Hit the read link for full, detailed instructions and more photos if you'd like to make one of your own.

iPhone camera mod for magnification: because you can originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dynamic Controls unveils integrated iPhone app for wheelchair controls

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Software

Dynamic Controls unveils integrated iPhone app for wheelchair controls originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone ‘home’ button earrings are for serious fangirls (and guys) only

We've seen plenty of phone-inspired earrings -- it's a multitasking age, after all, so it's not really a surprise to see gadgets inspire jewelry. It is kind of surprising to behold these earrings, however, which appear to have been made with iPhone 'home' buttons. What, there are so many disused iPhones lying around that someone just had to make jewelry out of them? Poor reception got you down? If you want to scoop up a pair of these, hit the read link... but be warned: these bad boys will run you $14.95.

[Via Make]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables

iPhone 'home' button earrings are for serious fangirls (and guys) only originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jibbigo iPhone app translates from English to Spanish and back again

Jibbigo is a recently released iPhone app which promises to help you out the next time you're desperately trying to make yourself understood by your Spanish-speaking compadres. The app is capable of recording a sentence and translating it -- essentially in real time -- back to you. As you can see in the screencap above, you can speak either Spanish or English, and the translator will do its work, displaying both your original and a translation into the other language. The dictionary contains about 40,000 words, and the app is aimed at travelers. Jibbigo also requires the iPhone 3GS to make use of the bi-directional translation tools, and the app also reportedly functions a heck of a lot slower on anything other than the 3G. The app is available now for $24.99.

[Via, iPodnn]

Filed under: Software

Jibbigo iPhone app translates from English to Spanish and back again originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Hockney paints with his iPhone, results not typical

Filed under: Cellphones

David Hockney paints with his iPhone, results not typical originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keepin’ it real fake, part CCXXXVIII: Palm Pre knockoff doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up

Yes, this was only a matter of time, and we're a little surprised we didn't see one earlier. Regardless, this is the Palm Pre knockoff we've been waiting for. Seemingly called just iPhone +QWERTY -- this KIRF is being marketed as just that -- a real business phone with a hybrid identity blending the BlackBerry and the iPhone. And really, that's not too bad of a description for this little dude, we guess. Boasting analog TV, Bluetooth, and an FM radio, it runs the much-loved OPhone operating system, and can be had for 600 RMP (about $88). There are two more shots after the break. Hit the read link for a full peek.

[Via PMP Today]

Continue reading Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXVIII: Palm Pre knockoff doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up

Filed under: Cellphones

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXVIII: Palm Pre knockoff doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TomTom car kit for iPhone will run $120

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Peripherals

TomTom car kit for iPhone will run $120 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Novothink unveils first licensed solar chargers for iPhone, iPod

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets

Novothink unveils first licensed solar chargers for iPhone, iPod originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welsh nab their first native-tongued phone and iPhone app in one month’s time — Cymru am byth!

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Welsh nab their first native-tongued phone and iPhone app in one month's time -- Cymru am byth! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iJoyPad demoed on iPhone 3GS, full screen PSX games looking rather sweet

The iJoyPad has been floating around for a bit now, but we've never seen a full demo of the add-on gamepad. Well, it's back in a video demoing its performance on an iPhone 3GS, using the psx4iphone emulator in full screen glory. The demo shows off Wipeout XL and Ridge Racer performing quite quickly and smoothly, and the iJoyPad itself seems totally functional -- and while it's a tiny bit clunky looking as far as we're concerned, we'd still like to swipe one for ourselves. Hit the read link for the video.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming

iJoyPad demoed on iPhone 3GS, full screen PSX games looking rather sweet originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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