Rhapsody won’t bow to Apple’s subscription policy, issues statement

In case you weren't aware, Apple's newly launched App Store subscriptions aren't sitting so well with everybody. While the functionality could of course be a boon to services that have struggled getting paying customers, folks who have already been doing just fine, thank you very much, are balking at the new restrictions Apple has imposed. Rhapsody has issued a statement, which says that it's not going to play ball and even levels a bit of a threat: "We will be collaborating with our market peers in determining an appropriate legal and business response to this latest development." The big trouble stems from the fact that Apple requires anybody offering a subscription service to offer that service for the same price or less through Apple. That means you can still sign up folks through your own methods and get all the cash, but if anybody signs up through your app, Apple gets a 30 percent cut. In addition, Apple is no longer allowing applications to include a link to an external site for purchasing, which means vendors will have trouble getting new users to pay them directly instead of using Apple's simple but heavily-taxed option. Rhapsody claims that it can't offer its services at existing prices with Apple grabbing that much of the revenue, and it sounds like Rhapsody will be leaving the App Store soon if an agreement isn't struck.

Of course, this is just the shiny surface of the dirt Apple's new policies have scuffed up, and we might even have an antitrust case on our hands, according to the Wall Street Journal. Check out the more coverage link for more on that, and follow after the break for Rhapsody's statement in full.

Continue reading Rhapsody won't bow to Apple's subscription policy, issues statement

Rhapsody won't bow to Apple's subscription policy, issues statement originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPhone nano to forgo local storage? Common sense says ‘no’

Well, MWC is in full swing, where folks like LG, Samsung, Sony, and Nokia are pouring their souls out in front of us in device form. So, naturally, the rumors are swirling about... the iPhone nano. In a followup to the Wall Street Journal's big story, Cult of Mac is claiming some additional inside info from a source with a "great track record." The main idea is that the iPhone nano would rely on the cloud to such an extent that the device wouldn't really have any local storage to speak of, outside of a streaming buffer. This would of course go hand in hand with a MobileMe / Lala-powered streaming music service, and result in significant component cost savings (flash memory is still pretty spendy). While this sounds like a beautiful dream, it doesn't make much sense in 2011. Streaming all your music and other media over a capped 3G connection doesn't sound very consumer-friendly, and there are still plenty of situations where having a nice offline stash of music is a lifesaver. But there's a bigger problem: where do you put your apps without local storage? Android's historic shortage of app storage really bit it in the ass, and we doubt Apple wants to go down that route. Sure, we can see a 4GB or so ultracheap device, with a heavy reliance on streaming media (many people get most of their music from Pandora these days, anyways), but a memory-free iPhone just doesn't sound feasible at this point in time.

The iPhone nano to forgo local storage? Common sense says 'no' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon’s ‘It Begins’ ad plays up the iPhone wait for all it’s worth

"To our millions of customers, who never stopped believing this day would come..." Alright, we guess they earned just this one moment of visual hyperbole.

Verizon's 'It Begins' ad plays up the iPhone wait for all it's worth originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Verizon iPhone

We've waited and waited, and now Apple and Verizon have made a million dreams come true: the iPhone is coming to Big Red. After talking up his new LTE network a bit, Verizon CEO Lowell Mcadam confirmed a CDMA (non-LTE) version of the iPhone 4 is coming to Verizon Wireless next month. Talks started way back in 2008, and the phone has been in testing for a year -- it sounds like they wanted to get this one right. The phone will launch on February 10th for the standard $200 price for the 16GB model on a two year agreement, $300 for the 32GB version. Just to clarify and put any wild rumors to bed, the phone is Verizon 3G (EV-DO) only, no 4G data or GSM roaming. It's not a world phone or an AT&T + Verizon phone, it's just a Verizon phone.

Outside of Verizon connectivity, the phone is basically unchanged. It does have the new antenna design we were hearing about last week, but that's just because Verizon uses different network technology that requires a different configuration of antennas. Software-wise the big innovation is five user WiFi hotspot functionality, something that's standard on Android phones, while Apple has kept the iPhone only able to tether directly to one computer.

Developing...

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The Verizon iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon iPhone: everything you need to know

Ah, the Verizon iPhone. In our bizarre careers as tech journalists, if there's one question we've heard more than "When is Verizon getting the iPhone?" we can't think of it. Also, outside the original rumors for the iPhone and iPad, we can't think of another product so heavily teased by those in the know and those not in the know -- though mostly by those not in the know.

But then we heard Verizon is having a little get together on Tuesday, which is particularly odd timing because Verizon has a huge presence and a large amount of announcements at this year's CES. Rumors of the event being a Verizon iPhone announce immediately flared up, but there were still reservations: Apple usually announces its own products at its own corporate campus -- why would Verizon be doing the honors in NY?

That's when the Wall Street Journal swooped in with a confirmation: the Verizon iPhone will be announced on Tuesday, and WSJ's All Things D even thinks Steve Jobs will be there. So, who is this fly-by-night "Wall Street Journal" publication we speak of? They have one of the best track track records on Apple rumors in the business, and they've been leading the Verizon iPhone predictions from day one. Follow after the break as we talk it out.

Continue reading Verizon iPhone: everything you need to know

Verizon iPhone: everything you need to know originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tweaked iPhone 4 parts discovered: an antenna fix, Verizon’s iPhone, or the best KIRF ever?

This is a pretty bizarre video, but we watched the whole thing and we're prepared to comment: this is a pretty bizarre video. The folks at GlobalDirectParts somehow got ahold of iPhone replacement parts (a common story in Apple device leaks), and they've posted an in-depth video that illustrates the differences between this new set and regular iPhone 4 parts. Interestingly, nothing has been majorly tweaked, but there's a huge quantity of minor tweaks, primary in the internal wiring. Most notable are antenna adjustments, that are either an antenna fix, or, more likely, adjustments to allow the antennas to work with the different frequencies that Verizon's CDMA network operates on. Other tweaks are bigger head scratchers, including a SIM slot (which wouldn't be necessary on Verizon, but wouldn't hurt anything either), and the removal of the rear camera hole (perhaps an extra SKU for enterprise use?). GlobalDirectParts isn't the only one to receive the tweaked parts, SmartPhone Medic made a similar score, so at least we know this isn't a one-off prank. We'll keep scratching our heads while you check out the video, located after the break.

Continue reading Tweaked iPhone 4 parts discovered: an antenna fix, Verizon's iPhone, or the best KIRF ever?

Tweaked iPhone 4 parts discovered: an antenna fix, Verizon's iPhone, or the best KIRF ever? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fring adds Dynamic Video Quality to its video calling apps

Fring is working hard to seize on this (hopefully temporary) gap in the video chat firmament, where Google is lacking in a first party mobile video chat solution, Apple's supposedly open FaceTime standard has yet to be opened, and Skype is dragging its feet on a mobile video call implementation. We're not sure how long that will last, but until then we're happy to have Fring sprucing up its own cross-platform solution. Fring just pushed out new Android and iPhone versions of its app that include "DVQ," or "Dynamic Video Quality" for video calling. It's pretty simple: the video quality automatically (and asynchronously) adjusts to use your available bandwidth, with an emphasis on keeping the audio stream pure and uninterrupted. It might sound like a no brainer, but it's a nice touch -- particularly for folks straying from WiFi and trying their luck with carrier data. Check out a video of DVQ in action after the break.

Continue reading Fring adds Dynamic Video Quality to its video calling apps

Fring adds Dynamic Video Quality to its video calling apps originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google eBooks is live: just in case Amazon, B&N, and Apple aren’t enough

You hear about this whole e-books thing? We hear it's gonna be a pretty big deal. Google, always with its finger on the pulse of our ever-evolving digital lifestyles, has decided to take a wild stab at this nascent market, and is launching Google eBooks today. Formerly known as Google Editions, the Google eBooks ecosystem is actually a pretty grand gesture, and seems to combine most of the positives of the primary e-book contenders (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple, naturally), while skimping on the UI flourishes, in traditional Google fashion. Books you buy are stored in the cloud, with your progress synced Whispersync-style, and can be read on your choice of native Android, iPhone, or iPad apps; from your browser; or on any device that supports the Adobe Digital Editions DRM for PDF and ePub files, which includes the B&N Nook and the Sony Reader (and plenty of other devices). Google is also trading on its vast repository of public domain books, with 3 million free eBooks on offer at its Google eBookstore, in addition to traditional paid fare. It's certainly a crowded market, full of sharp elbows, but it seems Google is having no trouble adjusting.

Continue reading Google eBooks is live: just in case Amazon, B&N, and Apple aren't enough

Google eBooks is live: just in case Amazon, B&N, and Apple aren't enough originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BoxWave’s Keyboard Buddy turns your iPhone 4 into the Droid it always wanted to be

Suffering from a little bit of Droid envy? It happens to even the most loyal of iPhone users, and now BoxWave is stepping in to make your life almost complete (we say "almost" because there's still no native Gmail client for the iPhone, and all your tears aren't going to solve that). The BoxWave Keyboard Buddy Case is just what it sounds like, a Bluetooth keyboard embedded in an iPhone 4 case, only instead of flipping out like the TK-421 or slide-tilting like the ultra-bulky Nuu Mini Key, BoxWave's solution is a simple sliding affair that adds very little to the iPhone 4's profile and hardly anything to its footprint. Also, it's your buddy. It'll start shipping next month, and it's a little spendy at $70, but can you really put a price on the flattery of imitation?

BoxWave's Keyboard Buddy turns your iPhone 4 into the Droid it always wanted to be originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Docs now supports mobile editing

While Android and iOS aren't short on productivity applications for cobbling together a .doc and sending it on its way, we've been really hankering for native Google Docs support since pretty much day one. Google is finally ready to deliver, and it looks like they've actually put some thought into the UI, particularly on the phone end of things. Edits show up in near realtime across platforms, and you can even edit tables embedded in documents -- though don't try to get too fancy, the tools still look pretty basic. Android also allows you to insert text using voice recognition. Currently Google Docs will be supporting Android devices with Froyo and iOS devices with 3.0 or newer (including the iPad), with the functionality rolling out over the next few days. There's a video after the break demonstrating the new features.

Continue reading Google Docs now supports mobile editing

Google Docs now supports mobile editing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple outs new iOS 4.2 gold master that fixes iPad’s WiFi woes

Can you feel the iOS 4.2 anticipation building? After all, it's not every day your tablet computer gets upgraded to multitasking. Apple just seeded a new gold master of iOS 4.2 to developers (build 8C134b, as opposed to 8C134), which deals with the WiFi issue that apparently delayed the launch. As long as this build is free of any more killer bugs, that new copy of iOS should make its way to proletariat hardware soon -- though obviously this week looks like a no-go.

Apple outs new iOS 4.2 gold master that fixes iPad's WiFi woes originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Nov 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New version of The Incident offers glimpse of world where Apple TV is the console, iPhone is the controller

We love us some big fancy grown-up consoles like the PS3 and Xbox 360, but ever since we saw the new Apple TV we've been wondering what would happen if Apple gave it the App Store and let developers go wild. Surely the results would look a lot like the video above. The developers of The Incident are showing off the upcoming 1.3 build of their ultra-addictive falling objects platformer, which allows for an iPhone to control the game while it's running on an iPad, which is in turn outputting video to the TV. Of course, The Incident guys aren't the first to think of this, we actually saw an SNES emulator running on a jailbroken iPad months ago, and plenty of other apps use the iPhone as a controller. Still, it's some pretty great execution, and the iPad video out seems to be key. Still seem tame to you? Imagine the OnLive iPhone app up and running on this thing. Mind = blown, right? Right.

New version of The Incident offers glimpse of world where Apple TV is the console, iPhone is the controller originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FaceIt-3GS brings FaceTime to your jailbroken 3GS

Ah, the beautiful, ever-useful jailbreak and the developers that make it worthwhile. It's already unlocked the magic of FaceTime over 3G, and now it's making FaceTime capable with any old iPhone 3GS handset (thanks to the iPhoneIslam Team, who did the heavy lifting). Of course, lacking a front facing camera, the resulting video chat might be a little short on faces, but the functionality certainly isn't hurting anybody. Right, Apple? Hit up the app on Cydia and start streaming to your heart's content, and if you're wary there's a demo video after the break.

[Thanks, Moe]

FaceIt-3GS brings FaceTime to your jailbroken 3GS originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sonos Wireless Dock for iPod and iPhone is out now for $119

And now we're at a crossroads. Apple is about to start hitting the wireless media streaming game hard with AirPlay and an armada of third party manufacturers. Meanwhile, Sonos is improving its already impressive streaming ecosystem with a now-shipping Sonos Wireless Dock (WD100) for your iPod or iPhone that can stream your device's music digitally to any of your Sonos ZonePlayers. It's not that bad a buy at $119, especially if you already have a big investment in Sonos. Plus, Sonos has plenty of other perks (like great support for online streaming music services) that it would be happy to point out to you. Still, we can't help but wonder what this sort of product will look like in an AirPlay-contoured market, say, one year from now.

Continue reading Sonos Wireless Dock for iPod and iPhone is out now for $119

Sonos Wireless Dock for iPod and iPhone is out now for $119 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes’ new Media Interface Plus is smartphone-friendly, Bluetooth-equipped, and Pandora-ready

Mercedes has a new $298 accessory available now that adds another level of smartphone compatibility to its existing in-vehicle controls of iPods and aux audio. The Media Interface Plus allows the car to stream audio from an iPhone, BlackBerry, or any other compatible Bluetooth music player (we're guessing A2DP, though Mercedes doesn't specify). The MIP can also control the Pandora app on the iPhone and BlackBerry, and other features like SMS and email reading / writing are forthcoming. There are iPod / iPhone and Mini-USB plugs for charging, and an optional cable can pull video from your iPhone as well and display it on your in-dash screen -- when the car is at a standstill, of course.

Continue reading Mercedes' new Media Interface Plus is smartphone-friendly, Bluetooth-equipped, and Pandora-ready

Mercedes' new Media Interface Plus is smartphone-friendly, Bluetooth-equipped, and Pandora-ready originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Jobs drops knowledge on earnings call: calls out Google and RIM, says 7-inch tablets are ‘DOA’ (Update: audio!)

Steve Jobs hit today's earnings call with the power of words. In a tone that could be described as "righteous anger" or perhaps just "reppin," Steve launched into a five minute rant that hit hard against RIM's entire business model, Android sales numbers and software fragmentation, and the impending wave of Android tablets. With the iPhone surpassing RIM, Steve says that he "[doesn't] see them catching up in the foreseeable future." As for Android sales, Steve takes issues with the market share figures that are currently floating around, saying that 275k iOS devices were activated on average per day last month, compared to Android's most recent estimate of 250k per day -- though he does admit that Android outshipped iPhone in the June quarter, during the "transition" to iPhone 4. That wasn't Steve's only problem with Android, he takes major issue with the fragmentation and the onus he believes it puts on the user: "we believe integrated will trump fragmented every time."

Oh, and 7-inch tablets? You're in for a bag of hurt. Steve pretty much outright killed any potential for 7-inch iPad rumors, saying that the software just isn't right for that size ("This size is useless unless you include sandpaper so users can sand their fingers down to a quarter of their size."), and that users have no need for a pocket sized tablet when they already have a smartphone. He called the iPad's upcoming competition in the space "DOA." After he calmed down a bit, the call entered a Q&A period, where Steve was happy to point out that the iPad has already surpassed Macintosh in sales, and that it's going to affect laptop computers: "it's not if, it's when." We'll get a copy of the audio and put it up as soon as possible... like most CEO outbursts, this is not one to be missed. Hit up our liveblog of the call for a bit more context, and you can try the source link for Apple's stream of the entire earnings shindig.

Update: We just ripped the first part of the call, which featured Steve's prepared remarks -- we'll have an edited version of the Q&A session in just a bit.

Steve Jobs drops knowledge on earnings call: calls out Google and RIM, says 7-inch tablets are 'DOA' (Update: audio!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TomTom App for iPhone hits version 1.5, adds further iPhone 4 support and ‘navigate-to-photo’

TomTom was quick off the mark with multitasking in its iPhone app -- and it's hard to think of an app other than Pandora that benefits more from its inclusion -- but TomTom isn't stopping there. The new 1.5 version adds enhanced graphics to match the new iPhone 4 screen resolution, along with "faster, more-responsive navigation" on that handset. Not good enough for you? Try the new navigate-to-photo feature, a not-a-gimmick-at-all addition that allows you to select a geotagged photo as your destination instead of messing around with pesky addresses and facts. The update is free for existing users, newcomers will have to shell out $50 for the US version.

TomTom App for iPhone hits version 1.5, adds further iPhone 4 support and 'navigate-to-photo' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Oct 2010 06:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple afraid of a shattering followup to its Antennagate woes?

Apple weathered that Antennagate storm surprisingly well, but now there's another potential cloudburst on the horizon, and it's been pre-named for your convenience: "Glassgate." Or maybe "GlassThatShattersIfScratchedByACasegate." Ryan Block has just posted a story on gdgt citing sources "inside and outside Apple" claiming that Apple has discovered a different flaw -- or weakness, shall we say -- in its iPhone 4 design. The basic problem seems to be with non-bumper cases, specifically ones that slide on to the phone, and the danger of trapped particles scratching the back of the phone while taking the case on and off. Case-caused scratches are nothing new (though still annoying), but the big problem seems to be that these scratches can lead to cracking and even full-on shattering of the back panel. Apparently this lead to Apple severely limiting its reselling efforts of third party cases for a time (which you might have noticed), and while Apple currently has some third party cases online and in its stores, none of the hard cases are of the slide-on variety. Apple also purportedly has a new test program set up to understand this specific issue.

Of course, plenty of questions are raised by all this: is this a widespread problem with folks that have managed to acquire a slide-on case? We haven't really heard of such a correlation so far. Do the snap-on folks, many of whom received their cases free of charge from Apple, have anything to worry about? And does Apple have any intention of warning its consumers about this potential danger? Apple didn't respond to Ryan's request for comment, and we doubt they'll respond to our own until they're good and ready to talk -- let's just hope there's not another faux hat-in-hand press conference in our future!

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Apple afraid of a shattering followup to its Antennagate woes? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola suing Apple for patent infringement

It's getting hard to keep track of, isn't it? The way we hear it told, most of these patent disputes and overlaps in the mobile space used to be settled in quiet ways, mutually assured destruction-style, but lately there's a whole lot of nukes going off. Motorola is now suing Apple over a wide range of technology patents which it claims Apple is infringing on with its iPhone, iPad, "iTouch," and even some Macs. The company is leveling three complaints which include 18 patents on "early-stage innovations" by Motorola, covering a pretty wide swath of the mobile landscape, including WCDMA, GPRS, 802.11, antenna design, wireless email, proximity sensing, software application management, location-based services and multi-device synchronization. Outside of the devices, Apple's MobileMe and App Store services get called out specifically. At the end of its press release Motorola makes a very similar claim to the one Nokia made at the outset of its own lawyer salvo against Apple:

We have extensively licensed our industry-leading intellectual property portfolio, consisting of tens of thousands of patents in the U.S. and worldwide. After Apple's late entry into the telecommunications market, we engaged in lengthy negotiations, but Apple has refused to take a license. We had no choice but to file these complaints to halt Apple's continued infringement.

We'll of course be digging deeper as we get more info, and covering the blow by blow with perhaps just a little too much enthusiasm. Oh, and before you go, riddle us this: do you think this is a preemptive strike on Motorola's part, afraid of another Android-related lawsuit from Apple, or has Apple been holding off for precisely the threat this lawsuit represents? Or maybe Moto's still mad about that antenna thing? Perhaps we'll never know.

Continue reading Motorola suing Apple for patent infringement

Motorola suing Apple for patent infringement originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Moleskine launching iPhone and iPad cases: how would Hemingway play Angry Birds?

The way we saw it, it was Moleskine vs. the inevitable march of 1s and 0s that would eventually consume us all. No longer (actually, Moleskine already sells a Kindle cover, but we're temporarily ignoring that for argument's sake). Moleskine just announced a Digital Covers line of hybrid notebooks that include a pad of regular, "legendary" notebook paper alongside a cozy spot for your i-device of choice. Will this combination (some might say compromise) make you smarter, your prose more concise, your beard more intellectual? Of course it will. But at what cost? Sure, literature survived the decline of penmanship with the emergence of Mark Twain and his typewriter, and Douglas Adams championed the Macintosh to no end, but now that Moleskine has gone and sullied its own reputation we're finally ready to just go ahead and say it: the novel is dead.

Moleskine launching iPhone and iPad cases: how would Hemingway play Angry Birds? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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