Art of the iPhone

Apple Announces iPhone 5, Preorders Start Sept 14, Shipping Sept 21

iPhone / iPhone 6 / News
September 12, 2012
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Apple today announced the iPhone 5 with a larger 4-inch screen, support for 4G LTE, a faster A6 chip, an 18% thinner body, and 20% less weight. Preorders will start in two days on Friday, September 14, with customers being able to get their hands on the device a week later on September 21.

Pricing will remain the same with 2-year contract: $199 for 16GB, $299 32GB, $399 64GB.

Also introduced is a new smaller cord for syncing and charging—Apple is calling the cord Lightning—and newly designed earphones called Earpods ($29).

Thanks to previous rumors and leaks, there were few surprises with the announcement today other than perhaps its finalized look. In the black version, almost all silver chrome has been removed and replaced with black painted sides. The white version maintains some silver, but its appears painted on and not shiny metallic chrome like the sides on the iPhone 4S.

Apple has posted more info on their official iPhone 5 website.

Google’s YouTube iPhone App Now Available, And It’s a Little Better Than Apple’s Version (Quick Review)

iPhone Apps
September 11, 2012
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Google’s own official YouTube iPhone app (free) is now available in the App Store (no iPad version as of yet). Apple is removing their own default YouTube app in the upcoming iOS 6 update, so Google has released their own app to preempt its disappearance.

Google’s YouTube app mostly improves on Apple’s version, which I’ll get to in a second. The downside of the new app is advertisements. However, the good news is that the ads aren’t as intrusive as on the official YouTube website—there are no video overlays or pre-roll ads, at least yet, anyway. The ads are classic banner ads that appear below the videos when the videos aren’t playing in full screen. The ads disappear when in full-screen mode.

Improvements over Apple’s version:

More videos available thanks to the new ads. For example, you can now watch VEVO music videos, which you couldn’t do on Apple’s version.
You can now read comments as you watch videos. ( Videos don’t automatically play full screen as they did in Apple’s version. You can also browse related videos as you watch)
Voice search using Google’s voice search, which means older iPhones without Siri can use voice dictation. (Slap in the face, Apple)
Easier to rate videos, as you don’t have to go through several menus like in Apple’s version
Search as you type (drop-down search results)

One of my biggest disappointments with Google’s version is that you can’t change the video quality as you can on the website. This is extremely annoying when you have a slow WiFi connection. But then again, you couldn’t do that with Apple’s version either.

Overall, I like Google’s YouTube app over Apple’s. Google should have some motivation to keep it updated—Apple’s version basically just sat unchanged for the past 5 years. The app has Google’s design aesthetic, so it feels a bit like running an Android app in iOS. It also utilizes YouTube’s new focus on channels, topics, and recommending videos instead of offering up the most-popular videos. The interface is smooth with nice transitions when moving between menus. Google has some talented iOS developers working for them.

iPhone 5: Check out the 4G LTE Maps for Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint Before Making a Buying Decision

iPhone / iPhone 6
September 10, 2012
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If you’re planning on buying an iPhone 5 for its expected superfast 4G LTE compatibility, your choice of carrier will be important for taking advantage of those 4G speeds. Below are the 4G LTE maps for Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint, pulled from the carrier’s official websites at the time of this writing (September 10, 2012). Of course, the process of choosing a carrier should include weighing other factors, but if you’re hardcore into 4G LTE and speed, speed, speed, the maps below should help.

Verizon LTE Map

Green dots = 4G LTE.

Verizon: Verizon has the biggest LTE footprint by far of the big 3 carriers. It is available in 371 cities across the US with around 30 more coming by the end of 2012. Click here for Verizon’s official page for its LTE map. On Verizon’s LTE map page, you can enter in specific addresses or zip codes to find if you’re covered by LTE.

AT&T LTE Map

Orange dots = 4G LTE. Yellow = coming soon.

AT&T Wireless: AT&T comes in a distant second with only 53 markets with LTE coverage. It plans to to add on 40 more markets by the end of 2012, bringing the total to around 90. Compare this to Verizon’s 400 total planned markets by the same time, and it’s not very impressive, but keep in mind AT&T does have that HSPA+ 3G network, which is faster than Verizon’s 3G. AT&T’s official LTE map is a bit harder to find. You’ll need to go to their Network page and click on the Coverage tab toward the bottom. A list of cities can be found here.

Sprint LTE Map

Orange dots = 4G LTE.

Sprint: Sprint has a mere 19 markets that offer 4G LTE. Sprint bet on another 4G technology called WiMAX, which is available in around 70 markets but will not be compatible with the iPhone 5. Sprint’s network map can be found here, just make sure to select 4G LTE and not 4G WiMAX. Sprint just announced that they plan on adding 100 more markets by the end of 2013.

Review: ITA OnTheFly iPhone App Is a Hidden Gem for Finding Cheap Plane Tickets

iPhone App Reviews
September 7, 2012
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It’s not as slick as apps like Kayak or Hipmunk, but for my money, ITA OnTheFly (free) is probably the best flight search engine app for the iPhone out there. Not only does it cover the basics for pricing out flights, it is also a killer app for finding the cheapest tickets in a flexible range of dates. The interface is simple and easy to use, and search results appear quickly.

The Killer Feature. Let’s say I wanted to go to Honolulu for 5 days sometime in January or February, but I didn’t have an exact date in mind. ITA’s Calendar-search interface lets me drag around that range of 5 days on a calendar and it will show me the cheapest departure/return prices for the 5-day span. I can, of course, change that range to 4 days, 2 days, etc. A line chart at the bottom makes it easy to view the fluctuating prices for a 30-day period—this is a really sweet timesaver.

Basically, OnTheFly’s Calendar search is an efficient way at pricing out plane tickets, especially if you’re on a tight budget, have flexible vacation dates, and are looking for the cheapest dates to fly. And the feature is not offered by the Kayak and Hipmunk apps.

OK, Maybe Not Really a “Hidden” Gem. ITA has actually been around for a while. Professional travel agents still use its QPX software. The company was purchased by Google in 2010 to power its own flight search tools. ITA’s software currently powers sites like Orbitz, Kayak, United Airlines, American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, etc. Hardcore flyers uses its website along with fancy search codes to suss out “hidden” cheap flights. There’s a whole culture around this stuff. But the app is indeed a hidden gem in the sense it doesn’t get as much press as the Kayak or Hipmunk apps.

Covering the Basics. OnTheFly can be used for the more traditional search of entering specific dates as well. And it has all the filtering tools for what you’d want for that, including filtering by number of stops, cabin class (economy, business, first class), and departing/arriving time of day, etc.

Other Features. A map view traces out all the flights from a search, including flights with multiple stops. This can come in handy if you want to build in a stopover to your vacation, or just want to see what other airports have flights to your destination. The History tab makes it easy redo past searches, and the Itineraries tab is where you can save specific flights.

Negatives. OnTheFly is far from a perfect app. It’s definitely not as pretty as Kayak or Hipmunk. As of this writing, the app hasn’t been updated in about a year. And, you can’t book tickets through the app, so you’ll have to call or go to the airlines websites for purchases.

Conclusion

When it comes to finding the cheapest airline tickets over a flexible range of dates, ITA On the Fly is the best iPhone app I’ve seen. And while its far from being the prettiest or slickest airline-ticket search app, it’s nevertheless fast and efficient and covers all the basics in addition to the killer “Calendar search” feature. Because the app is owned by Google and used for its own flight search tools, the service has considerable computational backbone to keep things speedy.

iPad Version of ESPN Fantasy Football App Now Available in App Store

iPad Apps
September 6, 2012
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There’s no need for ESPN Fantasy Footballers to run the iPhone app at 2x on the iPad anymore. ESPN Fantasy Football 2012 for iPad (free) is now available for download.

The best news is that app is well designed, unlike most other fantasy football apps out there. The app includes full management tools (add, drop, waivers, trades, etc), ESPN’s FantasyCast for live scoring of matchups, Fantasy news and Videos, and viewing and posting to league message boards.

The app currently rates 4.5 stars in the App Store. Hats off to ESPN.

Download ESPN Fantasy Football 2012

Screenshots:

ESPN Fantasy Football 2012 iPad screenshot

ESPN Fantasy Football 2012 iPad screenshot 2

Tip: Use a Silent Ringtone to Silence Annoying Repeat Callers

iPhone Tips
September 5, 2012
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Do you want to ignore someone who is repeatedly calling you but don’t want to silence your entire iPhone for other potentially important calls? There’s a simple solution: assign a silent ringtone to the annoying caller. When that person calls, the silent ringtone will play, meaning you won’t hear anything. You can download a silent ringtone by right-clicking on the link below.

Right-Click to Save Silent Ringtone for iPhone

Next, you need to add it to iTunes and sync it over to your iPhone. Then, assign the ringtone to the contact (instructions here). You may have to first create a contact with the person’s phone number.

Also make sure to turn off vibrate for calls in the iPhone’s Settings.

Apple Announces Media Event for September 12, Invite Shows a Shadowy Number 5

News
September 4, 2012
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Apple today sent out invitations to select press outlets for a media event to be held Wednesday, September 12, where Apple is likely to announce the upcoming iPhone 5. In an image on the invitation is a numeral 5 traced out by the shadows of the numeral 12 shown for the date. The “5” an obvious hint toward the announcement of the iPhone 5. The invite also reads, “It’s almost here.” Unless they are talking about an Apple television, the only other thing people are waiting for more is the next iPhone.

The September 12 date does not come as a surprise to most rumor watchers, as it has been reported in the past weeks by several major media outlets, including the NY Times and Wall Street Journal, as the date for the iPhone 5 announcement.

Customers may not have to wait long to get their hands on the new phone, either. Rene Ritchie at iMore was the first to report the September 12 date for the iPhone 5 announcement and he also published a release date: Friday, September 21.

iPhone Tip: Send Animated Gifs in Text Messages and Add Some Humor to Your Day

iPhone Tips
September 3, 2012
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Here’s a neat trick involving animated gifs and the iPhone. If you send an animated gif via text message to another iPhone, the animation will be viewable right inside the Messages app. Suddenly seeing an animated photo where you usually see text messages has a funny and surprising effect.

To send an animated gif via text message, you send it like you would a photo. In Messages, tap the camera icon in the bottom left of the compose message view:

Then tap Choose Existing, then find the animated gif in your Photos app. Then send away!

Of course, you must first save an animated gif to your iPhone. You can save animated gifs right inside your iPhone’s browser by simply holding your finger down on the gif, then tapping Save Image from the pop-up menu.

You can try saving/sending a gif using any of the ones I’ve picked below. Please note that you can’t view the animated part of an animated gif in the iPhone’s Photos app—it will only show a single frame from the animation, but the gif will indeed be animated in the Messages app.

Hat tip to Jeff Richardson over at iPhone JD, who inspired this tip via his review of an app call Stick Text that makes it a snap to send funny animated gifs of stick men.

10 Most Useful iPhone/iPad Links of the Week

News
September 2, 2012
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1. Walmart Has the Best Prepaid Carrier for the iPhone

If you’re looking for the cheapest wireless carrier for the iPhone, John Brownlee over at Cult of Mac supplies some straight talk about Straight Talk, a prepaid wireless carrier from Walmart. Pay $45 a month for unlimited data, talk, and text messages. That’s half of what I pay at AT&T. But that ain’t all. Straight Talk uses AT&T and T-Mobile’s network, so there is excellent coverage. And, it uses AT&T’s HSPA+ network, so it’s on the fastest 3G out there. And, no two-year contracts. And, there are 3 downsides: no MMS messages (but sending images over iMessage still works), no visual voicemail, and you must provide your own unlocked GSM iPhone.

2. The New TiVo Stream Will Let You Download TiVo Recordings to Your iPad/iPhone (Video Hands-on)

The Wall Street journal’s Katherine Boehret takes a hands-on look at the TiVO Stream ($130), which, I must say, looks awesome and very powerful for TiVO users even if it’s a bit expensive. The killer feature of the Stream is that you can download all your TiVO recordings to the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch and take them to watch on the go. You can also stream and watch your recordings on up to four iOS devices at a time, essentially turning your iPhone/iPad into another TV in your house, albeit a small one (hmm, maybe this functionality is part of what Apple is thinking for the rumored Apple TV set?). The bad news for the Stream is that you need to have a TiVO Premiere DVR and the $15 per month TiVo service. All those costs add up, but hey, spend it while ya got it. Available September 6.

Video review of the TiVo Stream:

3. Review: Origami Workstation for iPad

Jeff Richardson at iPhone JD recommends the Origami Workstation ($30), a popular traveling kyeboard case/stand for the iPad. The Origami is designed for use with the Apple Wireless keyboard, and it can be folded—like origami!—into a stand for the iPad. Because the Apple Wireless Keyboard is the #1 recommended keyboard for the iPad, the Origami makes for a nice accessory to…a nice accessory. Wait, now our accessories have accessories?! What a world.

4. Review: Ecoute Puts Apple’s Music App to Shame

Christine Chan of AppAdvice says Ecoute ($2.99) is so much more beautiful and pleasant to use than the iPhone’s default music app that Apple should be enraged with jealousy. I just wish the developers could have come up with a better name than Ecoute. Blehck.

5. It’s A Snap to Unsubscribe From iPad Magazines

One of the advantages of subscribing to magazines through iTunes is that it is incredibly easy to then unsubscribe. No phone calls! Patrick Jordan of iPad Insight shows you step by step how to cancel those iPad magazine subscriptions in the iPad’s settings. Not having to speak to another human being is always a plus.

6. The iPad Is the Cheapest Way to Get Your College Textbooks?

Buster Heine at Cult of Mac crunches the numbers and estimates you can save $163.88 per college semester by renting eTextBooks on the iPad and $355.13 per semester by buying them versus going the old paper-textbook route. That not only pays for the iPad itself over time but saves thousands more. Heine acknowledges that not every college textbook is available on the iPad, however, but a surprising number are.

7. Review: Bastion for iPad Gets 5-Stars From Touch Arcade

Bastion ($4.99) is likely to end up on a lot of Best iPad Games of 2012 lists. Eric Ford at Touch Arcade gives the game 5 stars and says it “nails every facet” of game design, with even the music being incredibly good. The one drawback is the virtual touchscreen controls—the curse of every console-to-iOS port.

8. List of Apps On Sale for Labor Day

AppleNApps has a good list of apps on sale this Labor Day weekend. Usually I throw together a list, but I’m too lazy this time around.

9. iPad Apps That Work With Microsoft Office

The good folks at iPadInsight put together a useful list of iPad apps that work with Microsoft Office docs. The list includes, of course, Apple’s own suite of iPad office apps, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. You’re still using Microsoft Word though? Ew, you’re gross, don’t touch me.

10. Review: Shazam Vs SoundHound

Christine Chan over at AppAdvice compared two apps that can identify music via the iPhone’s microphone: Shazam ($6.99, free) and SoundHound ($6.99, free). She picks Shazam as the winner because it works quickly and accurately. She does note, however, that with Soundhound, you can hum a song into the app, and it will recognize it.

Apple Now Giving Gift Cards Worth Up to $345 for Old iPhones

iPhone / News
August 30, 2012
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If your old iPhone is just going to be laying around after you purchase the iPhone 5, you may want to consider getting some cash for it instead. Apple’s recycling program will now give you an Apple gift card worth as much as $345 for your old iPhone. The gift card can be spent on anything Apple sells, online and in its retail stores, including a shiny new iPhone 5.

Some examples I tested were a 64GB iPhone 4S in perfect condition, which netted a $345 gift card. My slightly scratched iPhone 4 32GB netted $135 (see image below). Of course, these are only initial estimates and the company can change the amount once they get the actual product in their hands.

Offer from Apple Recycling for my Used iPhone 4

Apple is not handling the recyling themselves but rather contracting through a trade-in company called PowerON to handle the process. There are many other trade-in services out there as well. Probably the most popular is Gazelle, which offered me $165 for my iPhone 4 32 GB, which was $30 more than Apple’s offer. Gazelle will send you a check, Amazon gift card, or credit your PayPal account.

You can quickly get a quote on Apple’s site here by tweaking a few options in drop-down menus.