Breaking Down the Latest Verizon iPhone Rumors July 2, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Apple, Cell Phones, Rumors , add a comment
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past couple of weeks, you’ve probably heard that Apple has released a new iPhone and that this new iPhone has been having some problems with keeping a signal when you hold it in your left hand. Of course, any new iPhone– and particularly any new iPhone problems– brings out the rumors of Apple finally adding another carrier to their cell phone world, with most of the rumors focusing on a particular carrier that’s red and rhymes with Shmerizon.
Yes, the Verizon iPhone rumors are alive and hotter than ever; with many top, well-respected publications (like the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg) chiming in by saying that a Verizon iPhone is on the way– and really soon.
So what are these rumors and what do we think of them? Read on for the full scoop.
First Look: Apple iPhone 4 June 25, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Apple, Cell Phones , add a comment
It’s here! After a seemingly endless wait, we finally have gotten our hands on the new iPhone 4! To sum it up in one word– incredible (though I’m still not sold on it being worth waiting in line for hours for…). After using it for the past few hours, here are some of my initial thoughts, which I’ll follow up on early next week with a full review. So what you waiting for, read on!
Live from the iPhone 4 Launch June 24, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Apple, Cell Phones , add a comment
Wow. Seriously wow. This is the line my local Apple store at around 9 am. Now don’t think I’m that crazy that I’ve been up since 4 AM camping out, I’ve actually only been here since about 8:30, but here’s a shot of people out since before 6:30 AM:
Yeah this is nuts. We’ll be updating this periodically, and of course we’ll have our thoughts later today once we’ve gotten some time with it.
For the full live blog check us out here: http://teenstalktech.com/2010/06/24/the-craziness-of-an-iphone-launch/
Can the Tablet Replace the Laptop as the School Computer? June 20, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Apple, Opinion, Tablets , add a comment
Ever since the iPad was announced back in January, I wondered if it and other tablets could replace the laptop as the computers in our daily lives, and in particular if they were in fact the perfect school computers. So I decided to put it to the test, and for the past few weeks I’ve been carrying around the tablet of the moment– an iPad WiFi+3G– to school in place of my laptop to see if it could live up to the challenge (I know, probably not the smartest thing to do with finals only a few weeks away….). What I’ve found out may surprise you.
Apple Updates the Mac Mini with a Major Redesign June 15, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Apple , add a comment
Looking for a new computer, but not necessarily sure you want a laptop? Want a Mac but don’t want to pay $1000 for one? If your interested in either of those two questions then your gonna wanna check this out– Apple’s latest updates to their Mac Mini line, and boy do they look nice.
As you can see in the pic above, Apple is finally bringing the aluminum design found on the iPad, iMac and MacBook Pro lines to the Mac Mini– and it looks like a match made in heaven. Seriously, look at the pic above. Thinner, sleeker– heck it looks like something you’d wanna put in a living room like a media center, this looks nothing like a small desktop computer at all. And maybe that was the point. Apple not only gave the new Mini a better look, but some media friendly (and frankly long awaited) features like an HDMI port (for hooking up to screens like say an HDTV) and an SD card slot. Yeah, way more media friendly and it looks to me like an Apple TV on some crazy awesome steroids.
The new Mini also got some nice spec updates like the ones the MacBook received recently, with the base $699.99 model offering a 2.4 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo processor (able to be bumped up to 2.66 GHZ), 2 GB of RAM (customizable to 8 GB), 320 GB hard drive (can be customized to 500 GB), and much improved graphics thanks to the NVIDIA 320M graphics card. Oh, and unlike older Mac Minis, Apple somehow was able to get the power supply built into the casing, something that not only adds to the sleekness but also makes it even more energy efficient (which is remarkable considering that they made it so much smaller). In other words– there is no longer a giant power brick needed (another seemingly underrated but still huge improvement).
The new Mac Minis are available now from Apple’s site starting at $699.
Thoughts on the iPhone 4 June 10, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Apple, Cell Phones, Opinion , add a comment
If you’ve been anywhere on the internet the past couple of days you’ve probably by now heard the big news– Apple’s new iPhone 4 is officially upon us, and in a huge way.
When they say that it’s the biggest iPhone change since the original, they really aren’t kidding. What Apple has shown off in the new iPhone 4 is absolutely incredible– and I’ll be the first to tell you, last year’s major additions of speed, a slightly better camera, and a compass were really underwhelming (if it wasn’t for the fact my 3G broke and Apple Care offered to replace it with a 3GS– something they’ll do after multiple iPhone breaks– the $200+ and another 2 year contract was not worth the upgrade). But this…. this is amazing.
Apple News from WWDC 2010 June 7, 2010
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in : Apple, Computers, Mp3 players and iPods, Music, Tablets , add a comment
News from Apple – WWDC 2010 Steve Job’s Keynote
Apple, as well, pretty much everyone expected, made a few new product announcements today. So let’s jump right in.
First off is an iBooks update, for those of you with iPads. Basically, added highlighting, notes, and bookmarking. Also can do PDFs, not just ePub formatted books. Nice.
Also announced was a Netflix app for the iPhone (summer), Farmville (end of June), and Guitar Hero (now).
Next, as was previously exploded over the internet a while back, iPhone news. Specifically, a new iPhone – the iPhone 4. It has a new design, being made out of steel and glass, and is a quarter thinner then the 3GS. Looking very slick.
What’s new? Hardware-wise, there’s a front-facing camera, and a second mike for better sound. The screen has been totally redone, using some new tech, for 4x resolution. Supposed to be much, much sharper. Furthermore, the Apple A4 chip of the iPad has been added to the iPhone as well, which helps battery life and speed. Battery life now supposed to be at 7 hours 3G talk, 6 hours 3G browsing, 10 hours WiFi browsing, 10 hours music, 40 hours of music, and 300 hours of standby. Motion sensing has a new gyroscope, for full 6-axis motion control. New camera, 5MP, but has a new light sensor (supposed to make pictures better). HD video recording, at 72op. (Niiice!), with flash and sharing built in.
Another note – you will need to get a new SIM card, as the iPhone 4, like the iPad, uses MicroSIM cards.
Software: iMovie for iPhone – to go along with the new HD video camera. Looks insane – transition, effects, text, themes. On an iPhone. Can add in audio tracks from iTunes, photos. Built in geolocation for map effects. Again – this is on a PHONE. Will cost $5. Bing Search added along Google and Yahoo!.
On the iPhone OS 4.0 – it’s been renamed. Now called iOS 4. Some further showing off of the multitasking, Folders, iBooks for iPhone, and other updates.
And the last thing – that front facing camera? It’s for video calling! Called FaceTime, works over WiFi (no 3G, although they’re working on getting it soon.) iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 only, obviously. Works with both cameras, in both portrait and landscape.
iOS 4 will be out June 21st, and FINALLY for free for iPod Touches all well. (Seriously, this was needed). Full upgrade for 3GS and 3rd-gen iTouches, iPhone 3G and 2nd-gen Touch get limited. (But it’s FREE!)
So! Pricing is $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB. Colors will be black and white, launching on June 24th. 3GS still available in 8GB for $99
So, that’s it. I’ll be posting a review of the iPhone 4 as soon as I can get my hands on one. Check back here soon!
[Thanks to Engadget, gdgt, Slashgear, and @Gartenberg for live info.]
[Pix from Apple.com]
AT&T Bumping Up iPhone Upgrades To… Now? June 7, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Apple, Cell Phones , 1 comment so far
Well this was a very nice surprise…. apparently AT&T is bumping up iPhone users upgrade dates a few months, possibly in anticipation of a new iPhone announcement?
I can confirm first hand AT&T bumped up dates, because when I checked today I noticed my upgrade was bumped up for a new iPhone from October to now (as you can see in the screenshot above. You can check yourself by calling *639# from your phone, which will get a text sent to you with your upgrade status a min later).
Now why AT&T is doing this I’m not sure. It could be a preemptive move to avoid the same problems the last few times there were new iPhones and is even more proof we’ll see a new iPhone today (if you remember, the last two iPhone upgrades, first for the 3G and then for the 3GS, were met with a lot of angry people who were only one year into contract, forcing Apple and AT&T to allow those users to upgrade for the cheaper price). It could be a move to keep iPhone users from jumping to another carrier (if another carrier is in fact getting the iPhone), or it could be because AT&T is just feeling really generous to iPhone users this morning. Whatever it is, I’m sure we’ll know soon enough.
So anyone else noticing an earlier iPhone (or just general AT&T) upgrade date?