Cheaper Apple Smartphone To Launch Alongside iPhone 5?
Recent reports are indicating that Apple might launch two new iPhones this year, the iPhone 5 and a cheaper version of the iPhone 4.
Citing two people with the knowledge of the situation, Reuters is reporting that Apple’s Asian manufacturing partners are creating a low priced version of the iPhone 4 which will come with an 8GB flash drive.
According to the sources, the iPad maker is sourcing the flash drives for the cheaper iPhone 4 from a Korean manufacturer.
Toshiba and Samsung make flash drives for Apple but one can guess which company it might be, taking into consideration the on-going legal battle between Apple and Samsung.
Apple introduced the iPhone 4 back in June 2010, which came in 16GB and 32GB variants. A cheaper iPhone 4 will allow Apple to penetrate emerging markets. China Mobile is rumoured to have signed (or be very close to signing) a deal with Apple to offer the iPhone on the world’s largest mobile network provider.
Sources have revealed that the company could be launching the handset within a few months. Some industry insiders have been speculating about the launch of a smartphone known as the iPhone 4S fitted with the iPad 2′s A5 processor – though this would not likely be a cheaper version.
The purported cheaper device is expected to launch alongside the highly awaited iPhone 5, which will come loaded with iOS 5, have a curved back and an 8MP camera.
11 iPhone tips for total novices
My very own mom just joined the ranks of iPhone owners. (Welcome to the party, Mom!) Much as I was excited to show her all the cool stuff (FaceTime! Apps! Visual voice mail!), I quickly realized she needed to walk before she could run.
In other words, she needed a course in Basic iPhone Operation. After all, she was accustomed to a simple flip phone with a physical keypad. Going from that to an iPhone is like trading a car for a 747: confusing, intimidating, and no doubt a little scary.
With that in mind, I put together this list of 11 tips for iPhone newcomers. If they seem overly obvious to you, well, you’re not the target audience. But I’ll bet you know someone who is, so feel free to share this with the iPhone newbies in your life. Trust me: they’ll thank you!
(Credit: Screenshot by Rick Broida)
1. When in doubt, go Home.
Want to go back to the main screen, the one with all the icons? That’s called the Home screen. It doesn’t matter which app you’re using or task you’re performing–a single press of the Home button (the only physical button on the front of the iPhone) will return you to the Home screen.
2. Always turn your iPhone off before you slip it into your pocket.
Although your iPhone will switch itself into idle mode (where the screen turns off but the phone stays on) after a designated period of inactivity, you should get in the habit of manually turning off the screen. Otherwise you might accidentally place a call or run a battery-draining app while slipping the phone into your pocket. So remember: when you’re done using your iPhone, press the top button (aka, the Sleep/Wake button).
3. Send calls straight to voice mail.
Don’t want to answer the incoming call, but don’t want your iPhone to keep ringing and/or vibrating until it finally goes to voice mail? Just quickly double-press the Sleep/Wake button to immediately route the call the voice mail.
4. Double-tap the space bar at the end of a sentence.
Speaking of double-presses, if you quickly tap the space bar twice at the end of a sentence, the iPhone will insert a period and a space, then enable the Shift key for the start of your next sentence.
Tap the Keypad button while on a call to access a numeric keypad.
(Credit: Screenshot by Rick Broida)
5. Access the keypad while you’re on a call.
Need to “press 1 to leave a message” or enter a security code while on a call? The iPhone has no keypad, so how are you supposed to do that? Simple: just take the phone away from your ear, then tap the Keypad icon that appears in between the Mute and Speaker icons (which can also come in handy when you’re on a call). Now use the onscreen keys to enter the necessary numbers. When you’re done, just hold the phone back up to your head.
6. Don’t forget to sync.
Your iPhone is not an island; it needs to connect with your computer, even if it’s just once in a while. That means installing iTunes if you don’t already have it and plugging that little white sync cable into a USB port (and then into your iPhone, natch). Although you can download apps, music, and the like directly to your device (i.e., no computer required), syncing makes a backup of everything on your handset (contacts, appointments, apps, etc.)–something you might need in the event you have to replace a lost, stolen, or broken phone. It also allows you to install operating-system updates.
7. Master autocorrect.
Even savvy users sometimes get thrown by the little word-bubbles that sometimes appear as you type. This is the iPhone’s autocorrect feature: it’s trying to guess which word you’re trying to spell. If you want to accept the suggestion (even before you finish typing), just tap the space bar. Don’t want the suggested word? Tap the little X in the bubble before you hit the space bar.
8. Fix “jittery” icons.
Did all your icons start shaking all of sudden? Don’t panic! You’ve inadvertently put the iPhone into “rearrange icons” mode, which allows you to organize the icons to your liking by tapping and dragging them. This happens when you hold your finger down on an icon (any icon) instead of just tapping it. How do you stop the shaking? Easy: just press the Home button.
9. Learn to use Airplane Mode.
Federal law says your phone needs to be off when you’re in the air. But that doesn’t mean off, off; you simply have to disable its wireless capabilities. To do so, put it in Airplane Mode: tap the Settings icon, then tap the Airplane Mode on/off switch (which is conveniently located at the very top of the Settings screen). When it’s set to On, your iPhone won’t be able to make calls or send text messages–but it’ll still work as an iPod. In other words, you can still read books, listen to music, watch movies, play games, and so on. After you land, just return to the Settings screen and set Airplane Mode back to off.
There’s an iPhone User Guide hiding inside the Safari app’s bookmarks.
(Credit: Screenshot by Rick Broida)
10. Access the built-in User Guide.
Apple sure didn’t provide much in the way of an instruction manual. Fortunately, for anyone who needs help on the go, there’s a user guide built into the iPhone–sort of. To access it, tap the Safari icon (which opens the Web browser). Next, tap the Bookmark icon (it looks like a little open book) at the bottom of the screen. You should see an entry for iPhone User Guide. Tap it to gain access to a full roster of subjects, everything from Getting Started to Using the App Store.
11. Turn off “Ask to Join Networks”
Everywhere you go, your iPhone keeps asking you if you want to join this network or that network. These are Wi-Fi hot spots, and if you’re tired of the iPhone bugging you about them, you can turn off these notifications. To do so, tap the Settings icon, then tap Wi-Fi. On the following screen, find Ask to Join Networks and tap the On button (which will switch to Off). The only caveat here is that if you want to view and join an available network, you’ll have to return to this screen and select it manually. Find out more in the aforementioned User Guide.
OK, those are my tips–now let’s hear yours! After all, everyone was an iPhone novice once, so what advice would you offer to the newbie user?
SOURCE:CNET
iPhone Clock Fails to Adjust to Daylight Savings Time
It seems the iPhone didn’t get the memo that daylight savings time went into effect over the weekend. The device might have been confused as to what time of year it is; instead of springing forward an hour, the iPhone fell back an hour.Twitter was abuzz with people complaining that they woke up late for work, missed church, or were confused about the time altogether.
Others took to Twitter to express frustrations.”My iPhone just caught up to daylight savings time. Had to set alarm for wrong time in order to get up for right time. Yeah that’s right,” tweeted @Kikilou.In the spring, clocks are supposed to switch forward an hours at 2am. But this is not the first time the iPhone’s clock has malfunctioned. In fact, when the clock ticked back an hour last fall, iPhones in Europe and North America missed the time change memo and failed to fall back by an hour.
Users in Australia also reported a Daylight Savings Time snafu last fall that caused some phones to go off an hour early while others failed to go off at all.Apple iPhone users were welcomed into 2011 with another glitch. Many users reported that on January 2, their alarm clocks stopped working.Apple has not confirmed nor commented on the most recent iPhone clock hiccup. However, users on Twitter are saying that the fix is simple. Either power the phone off and turn it on again, or go into the device’s settings and switch Airplane Mode on briefly, then flip it off.
The reason for the problem is unclear. Apple updated its mobile platform to iOS 4.3 last week, but the software hasn’t yet been handed out to Verizon iPhone 4 users. The most recent glitch affected users on both AT&T and Verizon, however.
SOURCE:PCMag
iPhone 5 may Also Use A5 Dual Core Processor
Reference to A5 processor in upcoming iPhone 5
It should come as no surprise, but the latest iOS 4.3 SDK has uncovered evidence that the upcoming iPhone 5 will use Apple’s new A5 Dual Core processor. The A5 processor was introduced as part of the iPad 2 which will launch this Friday. Apple presently uses a single-core A4 processor for the iPhone 4. Everyone has assumed that Apple will adopt the A5 processor for future iPhone and iPod Touch devices, it’s still nice to have some proof.
The proof comes by way of a few tweets from @chronic (one, two) identifying the new A5 processor as being referenced by ‘S5L8940′. Then, @naynee75 reveals that the N94 kernel files also contains a reference to the same A5 processor. (via iClarified). The N94 is believed to be the codename for the unreleased iPhone 5.
Historically, Apple has refreshed the iPhone in the summer (June/July) at WWDC
Apple Releases iPhone Configuration Utility 3.3
iPhone Configuration Utility lets you easily create, maintain, encrypt, and install configuration profiles, track and install provisioning profiles and authorized applications, and capture device information including console logs.
Configuration profiles are XML files that contain device security policies, VPN configuration information, Wi-Fi settings, APN settings, Exchange account settings, mail settings, and certificates that permit iPhone and iPod touch to work with your enterprise systems.
You can download the iPhone Configuration Utility from the links below…
Angry Birds Update Coming March 17th
Speaking at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Rovio Mobile’s Peter Vesterbacka has confirmed when we’ll be seeing the next update to Angry Birds Seasons and what the theme will be.
It’s set for release on the 17th March and will be St. Patrick’s Day themed. It will replace the current Valentine’s Day theme, which in turn took over from Christmas and Halloween. Once more we imagine the update will be free for those who already own Seasons, but will require purchasing for first-timers.
The only hint as to what we can expect from the next version of Seasons was for Mr. Vesterbacka to hold up a plush green pig and exclaim ‘more of these!’ when asked about the content!
A St. Patrick’s Day theme has come as a bit of a surprise, as I was expecting an Easter-themed update, especially given the handily appropriate eggs already in the game! Still, Easter is late this year, so perhaps Rovio will spoil us with two updates in as many months.
SOURCE: iPhoneFreaks
Apple iPhone 5 May Be Delayed Till September
The successor of the iPhone 4 may not be released to the market until the end of September according to another analyst whose words have found an echo in the press.
Dan Frommer from Business Insider quotes FBR Capital Markets Analyst Craig Berger as saying that it is unlikely that the iPhone 5 will be launched in July.
This is because iPhone 5 suppliers are still “ramping up” with some chip vendors having not received any firm orders to deliver iPhone 5 components yet.
Berger adds that this means that a September launch appears to be much more likely, three months after the expected delivery date. The likely result is that it will give the firm more time to improve the phone’s features (and perhaps avoid a repeat of the Antennagate fiasco) but may clash with the release of the 7-inch Apple iPad 2 and a number of iPod media players.
Berger’s sources told him that Apple may be looking to build (and sell) more than 100 million iPhones, a mix of iPhone 4 and iPhone 5, during the 2011 calendar year, which is a third more than what Wall Street is expecting.
He also posits that Apple will have upped its internal target from 38 million to 45 million, a 15 per cent increase. In either case, the launch of cheaper versions including a smaller iPad 2 and a cheaper iPhone 5 may help a long way to achieve both goals.
SOURCE:ITProPortal
Apple’s Next Big Move Might Be Supercharged Batteries
A new patent unearthed by Apple Insider titled “Increasing Energy Density in Rechargeable Lithium Battery Cells” shows that Apple’s got its sites set on your iProduct’s longevity:
The CC-CV charging technique would allow the thickness of the anode active material inside a battery cell to be increased in both “volumetric and gravimetric energy density.” But while the density of the power capacity would be increased, the size of the battery, as well as its maximum charging time and minimum life cycle, would remain unchanged.
Packing more life into the same sized battery? It’s maybe not as exciting as some of the crazy interface patents and such we’ve seen from Apple, but it’s one of the more practical, and achievable, and quite frankly useful. Here’s hoping it’s high on Cupertino’s priority list. [AppleInsider]
Apple Not Planning to Launch a Smaller iPhone
The NYTimes reports that although Apple is working on making a cheaper iPhone as well as integrating voice commands, the company is not planning on launching a smaller iPhone:
But contrary to published reports, Apple is not currently developing a smaller iPhone, according to people briefed on Apple’s plans who requested anonymity because the plans are confidential.
The next generation iPhone is being worked on by Apple engineers, and according to the newspaper it is “likely to be similar in size” to the current iPhone.
A smaller screen would require developers to rewrite Apps to accommodate the new form factor — an issue Apple hopes to avoid. Apple executives also note that they plan on dropping the price of the previous model when the new model is introduced. That means the iPhone 4 will likely take the place of the $49 iPhone 3GS when a new model is introduced.
The NYTimes piece, however, does seem to confirm some of the details given in the original Wall Street Journal report. Notably, Apple is working on making it easier to use voice commands to navigate the device. Apple is also working on changing some of the internal components to reduce costs to possibly sell versions of the iPhone at a cheaper price.
“Although the innards of the phone, including memory size or camera quality, could change to offer a less expensive model, the size of the device would not vary,” said the person, who has worked on multiple versions of the device.
Meanwhile, the details of the new MobileMe also seem similar. They believe the new MobileMe would be free and allow users to wirelessly sync and access photos and files online.
SOURCE:MacRumours
iPhone 5 to feature a bigger 4-inch display?
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Feb 15th 2011 at 1:48AM
Thus far we still know surprisingly little about the next generation iPhone (or iPhone 5 for lack of a better name) expected this summer in keeping with Apple’s traditional launch cycle. We’ve heard that the completely redesigned handset will boast a next generation A5 processor and Qualcomm chipset that will unify the CDMA / GSM / UMTS radios. Others have heard that it’ll also feature NFC integration along with the possibility of a “universal SIM.” But what about the display? How will it size-up to the existing iPhone 4′s rather puny 3.5-inch display and the smaller and lighter iPhone model that the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg say is in the works? Well, ifDigiTimes and its chatty “upstream component suppliers” are to be believed then the next generation iPhone will be sporting a 4-inch display. While DigiTimescan, at times, be a suspect source for Apple information, the idea of a larger 4-inch iPhone flagship to help differentiate itself from a smaller iPhone nano and legacy iPhone 4 (that becomes the budget model) does make some sense.