Apple starts selling unlocked iPhone 4 for $649

Not that it'll do you much good in the US -- an unlocked iPhone 4 will still only work on AT&T's 3G bands -- but Apple has just started selling its prized smartphone without any carrier partiality on its US online store. The big attraction is, of course, being able to take the phone abroad and switch MicroSIMs to your heart's content, an experience that most other nations are already well accustomed to. Additionally, though the $649 (16GB) and $749 (32GB) levies may seem rather steep for American buyers, they're quite a bit more affordable than the unlocked pricing elsewhere. You can have yours within three business days if black's your color, or three to five if you're after the snow white one.

Apple starts selling unlocked iPhone 4 for $649 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s iOS 5: all the details

Scott Forstall has just taken the WWDC 2011 stage and details about the changes and improvements in iOS 5 are flowing thick and fast. Keep one tab in your browser locked to this post as we update it with all the new features, and throw another one open for our liveblog where you'll get to see and read the very latest as it happens.

We've now put together the full list of highlights from the WWDC presentation, which you'll find after the break. iOS 5 will be made available this fall, with compatibility promised for the iPhone 4 and 3GS, iPad 1 and 2, and iPod touch 3rd and 4th generation.

Continue reading Apple's iOS 5: all the details

Apple's iOS 5: all the details originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 5 may feature curved glass screen, continue iPod nano legacy

DigiTimes has been canvassing its manufacturing industry sources again, and today it's managed to extract some intel regarding Apple's typically secretive supply chain. Steve Jobs' team are said to have purchased between 200 and 300 glass-cutting machines, specifically in order to use them to slice up curved glass display covers for the iPhone 5. This move has apparently been in an effort to accelerate production, with glass makers reportedly showing a reluctance to buy the machinery themselves due to its prohibitive cost. Lest you think this sense of urgency might accelerate the iPhone 5 from its earlier-rumored September launch, DigiTimes also reports that yields of curved glass are not yet good enough to start using said fancy machines. So the iPhone may be headed for the same curvacious look as we've already seen on Dell's Venue and HTC's Sensation (or maybe even the concavity of the Nexus S), but as is Apple's wont, it looks like that will be done with a tailor-made, custom solution. At least those Cupertino designers have a couple of generations of curved iPod nano screens under their belt, giving them a good idea of how to handle the atypical glass frontage. Now if we could just have a good idea of when this phone will actually be on sale...

iPhone 5 may feature curved glass screen, continue iPod nano legacy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 02:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iOS 5 updates expected to be carried over-the-air, at least for the Verizon iPhone

Having spent a good part of our day yesterday negotiating with iTunes and downloading a whopping 666.2MB file to update our iPhone to version 4.3.3 -- a version, we might add, whose sole claim to fame is the removal of things -- we know well the pains of updating Apple's mobile software. Those aches, however, may soon be coming to an end. 9to5Mac has multiple sources informing it that Apple and Verizon are scheming to start delivering iOS updates over the air from this fall, or just as soon as iOS 5 is made available. Untethered OS updates are a familiar feature to users of other smartphone operating systems and even the iOS-infused Apple TV, but getting Apple's mobile devices up to date has so far always required going through the company's own cable and software.

There's no reason to believe this wireless update feature will be limited to Verizon, mind you -- that's just where the informants are coming from in this instance -- though Apple will almost certainly have to alter the file sizes of its updates. We can't think of many carriers who'll be happy to push more than half a gigabyte of data per user per update. Additionally, since iTunes currently acts as the major backup hub, 9to5Mac speculates Cupertino must be working on a cloud backup service as well, which would seem a very sensible idea. Of course, that doesn't paint a very happy or busy future for iTunes, but so what?

iOS 5 updates expected to be carried over-the-air, at least for the Verizon iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 04:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iOS 4.3.3 is out, location tracking ‘fix’ in tow

Apple's promised update to iOS to rectify what it perceived as a set of bugs in the system -- namely, an excessively large cache of location information that was backed up to iTunes and hung around even after you switched Location Services off -- is now being distributed to iPhones, iPads and iPod touches out in the wild. To exterminate those problematic aspects of your OS, you know what to do -- hook up to iTunes and get downloading.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

iOS 4.3.3 is out, location tracking 'fix' in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NPD credits Verizon iPhone with stemming the Android tide in Q1 smartphone sales

As much as we were hoping to get some definitive statements from AT&T and Verizon's Q1 2011 financials about the Verizon iPhone's impact on the smartphone market, none were really forthcoming. It's left to analyst outfits like the NPD, therefore, to try and parse the data for us and read between the official lines. The latest numbers from the NPD Group's Mobile Phone Tracker indicate that Apple's share of US smartphones sales jumped from 19 percent in Q4 2010 to 28 percent in the first quarter of this year, which helped stymie Android's prodigious expansion. The Google OS went from being on 53 percent of all smartphones sold to a flat 50 percent in the quarter. Also intriguing about the period is that, for the first time, smartphones accounted for more than half of all mobile phones sold in the US, at 54 percent. The top five best-selling cellphones also happened to be smartphones, with Apple and HTC providing two each; the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, Droid X, EVO 4G, and the Droid Incredible took home the NPD commendations.

[Thanks, Matt]

Disclaimer: NPD's Ross Rubin is a contributor to Engadget.

NPD credits Verizon iPhone with stemming the Android tide in Q1 smartphone sales originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple officially answers questions on location tracking, says it doesn’t do it

1. Why is Apple tracking the location of my iPhone?
Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so.

The big hubbub that arose last week around location tracking within the iPhone has now received its due response from Apple itself. Firstly, the Cupertino company claims it does not, and has no plans to, track users' iPhones. What it's actually doing is "maintaining a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current location," which are then used to provide speedier calculation of your position when you want to use the device's maps or other location-based services. The data collection that was recently brought to the public attention represents, according to Apple, the location of WiFi hotspots and cell towers around you, not your actual iPhone. Still, the fact iPhones have been shown to store as much as a year's worth of data is considered a bug by Apple, who plans to limit that period to a week in a future software update. The additional issue of data being collected after users turned off Location Services is also a bug, also to be fixed by Apple in that upcoming update. Left unanswered, however, are the questions of when Apple "uncovered" these bugs, as it claims, and why the fix for them is only coming now. Specialists have known about this behavior since at least September of last year. Either way, the software remedy is promised over the next few weeks, while the next major iteration of iOS should encrypt the cache file that's been the subject of all the scrutiny. You'll find the full Q&A after the break.

P.S. -- One of Apple's answers seems to disclose an extra bit of new information: "Apple is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years."

Continue reading Apple officially answers questions on location tracking, says it doesn't do it

Apple officially answers questions on location tracking, says it doesn't do it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 08:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple gets its white iPhone 4 ducks in a row ahead of launch

Look, we all kinda, sorta know that Apple will finally admit it's springtime tomorrow and let the white iPhone 4 fly the nest. But in order to sell white iPhone 4s, you've got to ship them first, and one small Belgian retailer has just received its first batch of the mythical pale device and lined them up for some loving photography. Not only that, but they're even offering to sell you either the 16GB or 32GB over on their site (which, mind you, we can't vouch for!), though they can only ship within the Benelux region. One more pic after the break.

Continue reading Apple gets its white iPhone 4 ducks in a row ahead of launch

Apple gets its white iPhone 4 ducks in a row ahead of launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers display evidence that iOS 4 records all your travels, again (updated)

If you didn't already think your smartphone knows too much about you, here's a handy reminder. A duo of UK researchers have uncovered a potentially worrying (and oddly enough, undocumented) feature in iOS 4: it asks your iPhone to record your location constantly, then timestamps that data and records it for posterity. The trouble with this unsolicited location tracking is that the hidden file that holds the data -- consolidated.db -- is relatively easy to uncover and read, making any desktops you've backed your phone up to and the phone itself even bigger privacy dangers than they would usually be. Some extra digging revealed this behavior has been known about for a good while (see Courbis link below), though mostly by people involved in computer forensics. Additionally, restoring a backup or migrating to a new device keeps the data logging going, which the researchers point to as evidence that what's happening isn't accidental. See a couple of visualizations of the extracted results on video after the break.

[Thanks, Tom]

Update: The original text of this article was updated to reflect that this was already a known issue, albeit in limited circles. The ability to easily visualize the data is new.

Continue reading Researchers display evidence that iOS 4 records all your travels, again (updated)

Researchers display evidence that iOS 4 records all your travels, again (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iOS 4 records your location in a hidden file, syncs it to your desktop when connected to iTunes

If you didn't already think your smartphone knows too much about you, here's a handy reminder. A duo of UK researchers have uncovered a worrying (and oddly enough, undocumented) feature in iOS 4: it asks your iPhone to record your location constantly, then timestamps that data and records it for posterity. Without alerting you that it's doing it and without asking for permission. The bigger trouble with this unsolicited location tracking is that the hidden file that holds the data is relatively easy to uncover and read, making any desktops you've backed your phone up to and the phone itself even bigger privacy dangers than they would usually be. Additionally, restoring a backup or migrating to a new device keeps the data logging going, which the researchers point to as evidence that what's happening isn't accidental. We can't imagine a way in which it could be accidental. Apple, got anything to say for yourself? See a couple of visualizations of the extracted results on video after the break.

[Thanks, Tom]

Continue reading iOS 4 records your location in a hidden file, syncs it to your desktop when connected to iTunes

iOS 4 records your location in a hidden file, syncs it to your desktop when connected to iTunes originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T reports best-ever first quarter for smartphone sales with 5.5 million, 60 percent of them are iPhones

We've been waiting for this one, the first indicator of the mythical Verizon iPhone's impact on the fortunes of the formerly exclusive Applephone carrier, AT&T. As it turns out, business is rolling along as usual over on the blue team, where AT&T spent Q1 2011 activating a total of 3.6 million iPhones, a nice round million more than the same period last year. Also interesting is AT&T's note that somewhere around 40 percent of its smartphone sales come from Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 devices, leaving the iPhone to account for the remaining 60-ish percent. Taken as a whole, that group totaled up 5.5 million sales in the quarter, a new best for AT&T in the first three months of the year, and the smartphone segment is now said to account for 46.2 percent of the company's postpaid user base. Jump past the break for more details in AT&T's press release.

Continue reading AT&T reports best-ever first quarter for smartphone sales with 5.5 million, 60 percent of them are iPhones

AT&T reports best-ever first quarter for smartphone sales with 5.5 million, 60 percent of them are iPhones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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White iPhone 4 used to demo new multitasking, Spotlight search in ‘test version’ of iOS? (video)

We've just laid eyes on a video from the prolific leaksters over at Tinhte, who claim they not only have a white iPhone 4 from Apple, but it's one with a "test version" of iOS that nobody else has yet seen. It's difficult to ascertain how legitimate this software is -- it could just be a neatly done jailbreak mod -- but that site has a track record of getting its hands on Apple gear ahead of the pack. With that said, the multitasking menu shown here substitutes the current use of apps' icons to represent them with a visual of each app's open window. You can tap on a window to expand it (replete with animation) to fill the screen or long-press on it to bring up the familiar "x" button for shutting it down. This is all accompanied by a new "Search iPhone" dialog at the very top, which sends you into Spotlight search that looks very much the way it currently does (though it seems to no longer be accessible with a left swipe from the first homescreen as on previous versions of iOS). Jump past the break for the video.

Continue reading White iPhone 4 used to demo new multitasking, Spotlight search in 'test version' of iOS? (video)

White iPhone 4 used to demo new multitasking, Spotlight search in 'test version' of iOS? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 09:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HBO Go app set to stream its way to iPhones, iPads and Android devices

Are you familiar with the HBO Go online streaming service that lets subscribers catch up on HBO's award-winning and ass-kicking TV content? Well, 'appy news for you, dear reader, for it's about to hit smartphones and tablets early next month. Android and iOS HBO Go apps have been teased by a new video on HBO's YouTube channel, with promises of "instant and unlimited access" to "every episode of every season" of your favorite shows, garnished with a selection of hit movies. The apps and streaming will be free to HBO subscribers, who'll be able to get their Sopranos nostalgia on over 3G as well as WiFi. May 2nd is the date on which the teaser video ends, though it doesn't explicitly say that the service will be enlivened then. We'll just have to wait and see.

[Thanks, Joe]

Continue reading HBO Go app set to stream its way to iPhones, iPads and Android devices

HBO Go app set to stream its way to iPhones, iPads and Android devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple sues Samsung for ‘copying’ the iPhone and iPad

Woah! In the world of big-time lawsuits, this must be just about the biggest. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has sued Samsung Electronics for copying "the look and feel" of its iPad tablet and iPhone smartphone. This relates to the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the iPhone 3G / 3GS models, the Epic 4G, Nexus S and the Galaxy Tab (presumably the older 7-inch model, since the newer ones aren't out yet). The claim for intellectual property infringement is phrased as follows:

"Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smart phone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple's technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products."

The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of California on Friday.

Apple sues Samsung for 'copying' the iPhone and iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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White iPhone 4 appears to be ready to order at Three UK for April 20th delivery

Looks like somebody pulled the trigger on an order page for the mythical white iPhone 4 a little early over at Three UK. The phone that had previously been listed on the carrier's site for a long, long time (sans any ability to actually order it) has now sprouted up a page all its own with the magical option to "buy now." We managed to get all the way through to an order confirmation page, so if it's a mistake it's a very thoroughgoing one. Calling up Three's telephone ordering line and PR personnel brought us no closer to finding out the truth, but this particular order page was discovered via a tweet by a Three affiliate -- whose tweets have since gone private -- suggesting it was dug up from someone in the know. Our suspicion is that Apple's finally about ready to dish this phone up to the people and Three has been caught testing out its order page ahead of the inevitable onslaught of white iPhone orders. Hit the source link to see the premature revelation for yourself.

Continue reading White iPhone 4 appears to be ready to order at Three UK for April 20th delivery

White iPhone 4 appears to be ready to order at Three UK for April 20th delivery originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iOS 4.3.2 now available to download, fixes iPad 3G and FaceTime woes

If you're hankering to be riding the very latest mobile software from Apple, hit up your iTunes, for version 4.3.2 of iOS is now available for downloadin' and updatin'. Fixes for occasional "blank or frozen" FaceTime video and iPad 3G issues get top billing, while the obligatory security updates fill out the rest. The size of this mighty software drop? A hefty 666.2MB.

[Thanks, Ravi]

iOS 4.3.2 now available to download, fixes iPad 3G and FaceTime woes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Screen Grabs: iPhone messaging app spotted on a RAZR in Traffic Light

Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. The iPhone was indeed the handset to supplant the well-loved RAZR as America's favorite, but we're not so sure its messaging interface ever made it onto Motorola's slim clamshell. That hasn't stopped Fox's Traffic Light from rewriting history, however, as last night's episode featured a RAZR receiving a "smiley-faced emoticon" text message encased in an all-too-familiar grey speech bubble. Catch this crazy new invention on video after the break.

[Thanks, OMGitsShan]

Continue reading Screen Grabs: iPhone messaging app spotted on a RAZR in Traffic Light

Screen Grabs: iPhone messaging app spotted on a RAZR in Traffic Light originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia sucks at Photoshop

Oh man, is this the new version of Symbian? If so, it looks awesome.

[Thanks, Jaris]

Continue reading Nokia sucks at Photoshop

Nokia sucks at Photoshop originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile answers its customers’ most Frequently Asked Question: no iPhone

Never mind the practicalities of T-Mobile and AT&T using different 3G bands, Apple not having approved any deal for extended distribution of its phone, or the fact AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile isn't set to complete for another year. The immediate reaction to AT&T agreeing to buy T-Mobile USA was to ask, "so that means the iPhone's coming to T-Mo, right?" Well, wrong. T-Mobile has delivered an FAQ on its site informing customers about the forthcoming transition, including the unequivocal notice regarding the iPhone:

"T-Mobile USA remains an independent company. The acquisition is expected to be completed in approximately 12 months. We do not offer the iPhone. We offer cutting edge devices like the Samsung Galaxy S 4G and coming soon our new Sidekick 4G."

So that settles that (for a year, anyway). In other news, service and billing won't be changing, and there's a promise that T-Mobile devices will continue to operate as they do now even after the acquisition is complete. Ominously, however, the company fails to answer its own question about pricing changes, stating only that it'll honor "all contracted plans that are entered into before the change of ownership."

T-Mobile answers its customers' most Frequently Asked Question: no iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Search app for iPhone introduces new side-swipe toolbar and other UI tweaks

What you once knew as the Google Mobile App has been rechristened the Google Search app, signifying a renewed focus for Google's primary iOS application. Having formerly served as a multifunctional access point to all of Google's varied web apps, the new software is now geared to serve search needs first, with its other offerings relegated to a secondary "Apps" menu. There's also the addition of a new toolbar, accessible by swiping left to right, and improved fast-app switching support. The ever-present bug fixes and a few more user interface tweaks complete the list of changes. To get your download on, you may exploit either the source link below or the QR code above.

Continue reading Google Search app for iPhone introduces new side-swipe toolbar and other UI tweaks

Google Search app for iPhone introduces new side-swipe toolbar and other UI tweaks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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