T-Mobile to offer unlocked iPhone users additional support starting Jan. 30
by Jordan Kahn on Jan.28, 2012, under iOS Devices
T-Mobile will begin offering more than one milllion unlocked iPhone customers additional support starting January 30, according to a report from TMO News who obtained internal documents. The documents said the new support offerings would include, “common procedures, information about feature and specifications and other basic device questions.”
The carrier is also updating its iPhone page within the Community so it fits in with the rest of the T-Mobile supported device pages and “Integrated Scope of Support” for reps.
Big Bang Theory Asks ‘What If Siri Was A Sexy Real-Life Woman?’ [Humor]
by John Brownlee on Jan.28, 2012, under iPhone 4S, News, Siri, television
I’m not a huge fan of The Big Bang Theory, but this clip from the latest episode is too good not to post.
What if Siri wasn’t just Wolfram Alpha stapled onto a smart text-to-speech program, but instead an actual woman, working a call center, and just as slinky and sexually promiscuous as any bro showing off in front of his drunken friends by asking for a blow job could ever hope?
That’s probably not many people’s fantasies, but it is the hilarious chimera of Big Bang’s Raj, who is as cripplingly shy as he is addicted to his new iPhone 4S.
Similar Posts:- Woz Is a Scream on Dancing With Stars
- Game Center Beta Gets Updated With Felted Game Table Look
- Change Settings, Launch Apps And Dial Friends Through Notification Center, No Jailbreak Required
- iPhone Weekly Digest: Quality iPhone Pinball, More One-Joke Apps, and Bowling by a Legend
- Survey Says Verizon iPhone Users Experience Less Dropped Calls
 |  |
Civil Suit Against Google, Apple and Others Over Employee-Poaching Ban Can Continue
by Jordan Golson on Jan.28, 2012, under Front Page
[Judge] Koh didn’t take issue with the allegations about the agreements between individual companies, Joseph Saveri, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in an interview after the hearing. Instead, Koh has questions about “how it ties together,” or claims of an over-arching conspiracy between all the companies, he said.The case goes back more than 5 years, according to the lawsuit, which alleges that "no solicitation" agreements appeared in 2005 between Apple, Adobe, Google, Intel, Intuit, Lucasfilm, and Pixar. The agreements prevented companies from contacting employees at other companies who were party to the agreement, though employees were free to apply for jobs at other institutions.
The agreements were investigated in 2010 by the Justice Department. The claims were eventually settled, with the companies agreeing not to form no-solicitation agreements for five years.
The current lawsuit is a class-action civil suit brought by employees who said they were harmed by the anti-competitive actions of the defendant companies.
Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Apple Offers Statement on Warranty Disclosures to Italian Customers
• Valve Releases Steam Companion App for iPhone
• When iPhone Apps Are Reduced In Price, Sales Go Up 22%
• Google Signs Off on Motorola Lawsuit Seeking Injunction Against iPhone 4S and iCloud
• Stephen Fry Narrates The World of Dinosaurs
This Is The Ultimate Steve Jobs Tattoo, But Feel Free To Show Us Yours
by Buster Heine on Jan.28, 2012, under apple, News, Steve Jobs
Getting ink inspired by your favorite company is a huge commitment. Our Portuguese friend Francisco decided he was ready to take the plunge and recently got this Steve Jobs portrait inked on his forearm. We’ve seen quite a few Apple tattoos over the years but Francisco’s is one of the best.
So what would compel someone to get a Steve Jobs portrait tattoo?
“I’m not afraid or ashamed to say that Steve Jobs was my hero and an amazing human being. Man, I loved him! .He has surely inspired me, he will, for life. I can’t really find proper words to describe what I felt about him. You can call me a ‘crazy one’ —I think that is what I really am. I’m crazy but aware of things. As an Apple and Steve Jobs fan, I can only happen to say that, Steve Jobs was probably one of the most important people in my life and I will never forget him. He’ll be missed. I want to share this with the world unpretentiously; that is truly my main purpose here.”
Do you have an Apple or Jobs inspired tattoo? We’d love to see it and hear your story too, so (sorry, you need Javascript to see this e-mail address).
Similar Posts:
- This Guy Really Loves Steve Jobs [Photo]
- Incredible Steve Jobs Portrait in Apple Typefaces
- Here’s to the Crazy Ones – Including Steve Jobs [Video]
- This Ex-Apple Employee Turned Rock Star Tattooed Steve Jobs’ Face Right On His Arm [Gallery]
- AdWeek Thinks Different, Adds Steve Jobs to the Crazy Ones
| |
Samsung probably sold the most smartphones in 2011
by Erica Ogg on Jan.27, 2012, under apple, iphone, Samsung Group, Smartphones
Trying to count who sold the most smartphones is a difficult business. That’s mostly due to Samsung’s decision to stop releasing unit sales figures for its smartphone sales. The company has taken to releasing sales growth percentages, and it is on these figures that market research firms are basing projections of how many phones Samsung shipped last quarter and all of last year.
On Friday, IHS iSuppli is the latest to weigh in. The firm says that while Apple came in first place in the last calendar quarter of 2011 in smartphone sales with 37 million, Samsung actually took the crown of world’s largest smartphone vendor of the year with 95 million shipped. (That’s not “sold,” so this is not a great way to compare, as we’ve previously discussed, but it’s what we’ve got.) Apple sold 93 million iPhones during the year.
IHS iSuppli is basing its Samsung numbers on information gathered when the company announced its quarterly earnings earlier Friday. I asked iSuppli analyst Wayne Lam how he arrived at the number and he said he was basing it off the “approximately 30 percent growth” figure that Samsung publicly announced. He interpreted that as “under 30 percent but over 27 percent.”
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.
- NewNet Q4: Platform mania and social commerce shakeout
- Connected world: the consumer technology revolution
- Flash analysis: Steve Jobs
The Best From Macworld’s RapidFire Event [Macworld / iWorld 2012]
by Mike Vardy on Jan.27, 2012, under iOS, mac, News
SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD/IWORLD 2012 — One of the closing events from the first day at Macworld / iWorld was the RapidFire session. If you wanted to learn about one cool thing about a variety of Apple-related stuff, it was the place to be.
Each presenter delivered a quick-paced talk that offered information, tips and tricks that shed some light on a little known or understood piece of software or hardware. The scope of the talks ranged from unconventional uses of Photo Booth to how to fix some of your Apple devices on your own, but here were the ones that I felt were the best of the bunch.
- Serenity Caldwell: 5 Things You didn’t Know About your iOS Device. Highlights of this RapidFire demonstrated how you could make Spotlight an app launcher by adjusting your iPhone’s settings, implementing Text Shortcuts that both solved “weird words” and fixed autocorrect issues and how to get Safari links to open open links in background. A lot of what was offered involves spending a bit of time in the Settings area of the iPhone, but the results you get by spending that time is worth it.
- Karen G. Anderson: The 10 Wildest Things People Do With Their iPhones. From navigation on bodies of water to discovering where Girl Guide cookies are being sold near you with the Cookie Locator app, this RapidFire had the audience not only paying full attention, but laughing at some of the things people do with their iPhones. A fun presentation that added some levity to the mix.
- Dan Frakes: 20 LaunchBar Tips That Will Make You 20% More Productive. I’m a big fan of LaunchBar — and of applications that enhance productivity as well — and this RapidFire was by far the most useful for me. I’d wager that a lot of people who were in attendance are either getting much more out of whatever launching utility they use, and others are finally starting to use one because of the tactics that were suggested.
There were a lot of talks that were delivered during the RapidFire session, many of which are either available online now or will be shortly.
Similar Posts:- Why Macworld Is Being Rebranded As iWorld
- Macworld Expo Changes Name, Opens 2012 Registration
- Macworld/iWorld 2012 Preview: What You’ve Got to See
- How to Clear Your Browsing Info in Mobile Safari [iOS Tips]
- Hands On: Keep Your Business Relationships Close at Hand With VIPOrbit [Macworld / iWorld 2012]
| |
These Apps Take Your iPhone Photos From Banal To Bliss [Macworld /iWorld 2012]
by Nicole Martinelli on Jan.27, 2012, under iphone, iPhone Apps, News, Photography, Top stories
@Jonathan Marks. The "before" photo is on the right.
SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD / iWORLD 2012 — If you want to create great photos from your iPhone, start by shooting everywhere. Including the dentist’s office or out the window of a friend’s bathroom.
Photographer Jonathan Marks has snapped his evocative pics in both those places, plus waiting at a traffic light and at a Whole Foods parking lot. He shoots and processes everything directly on his iPhone, thanks to a handful of key apps.
@Jonathan Marks. Another before and after shot from his Tumblr account.
“There’s never been a more exciting time to be making photos than right now,” he said after slide show presentation of his photos accompanied by New Age instrumental music during a talk titled “Zen and & the Fine Art of iPhone Photography.” The aim of his presentation, he said was “to inspire you to shoot and take part in this moving meditation.”
Marks finds his inspiration in the spotted muzzle of a friend’s dog, the vitreous eye of an old doll, washroom graffiti and the bevel of a Best Buy roof against a blue sky. He encouraged photographers not to question what they are attracted to, but use the fact that they have iPhone cameras handy to shoot the hell out of whatever catches their eye.
@Jonathan Marks.
What had most of the packed room scribbling furiously, however, were Marks’ must-use apps. He has somewhere between 60-70 on his iPhone but reckons he heavily uses a handful or so.
His Tumblr account is a testament to the magic that apps can work; Marks shows a starting shot and a final result every day. His standard procedure for editing – and all of his processing is done via the iPhone — starts with the crop function and adjusting levels for the horizon, black and white and the curve level for contrast where needed.
Here are some of his app picks:
- SlowShutter (Get slow shutter effects – trails – with this app. “Really fun.”)
- Best Camera
- Face Cam (“If you shoot portraits – you gotta get this, it’s amazing.”)
- Camera Genius
- Dynamic Light
- Perfectly Clear
- Filterstorm (“Small version of Photoshop, to me.”)
As a parting shot, Marks reminded aspiring shutterbugs to get the photos off your iPhone to “share the love,” and because your iPhone will crash sooner or later. (He uses Phone view to transfer his pics to the computer.)
And remember to use that iPhone as a phone sometimes, too. Your mom will be grateful.
Similar Posts:- Easily Access Your Camera Roll While Taking Photos In The Camera App [iOS Tips]
- Photography App Of The Week: Nofinder
- How To Take Great Action Photos With Your iPhone 3GS
- The iPhone Is Killing Point-and-Shoot Cameras
- Woz Confirms White iPhone 4 Delay Due to Camera Light Leakage
| |
Time to Move On
by Ed Sutherland on Jan.27, 2012, under News
Photo by anujraj - http://flic.kr/p/6mTXWA
This is my last regular news post for the Cult of Mac. Since my arrival at the site’s inception, there have been many changes in the Apple landscape — and on these pages. It’s time to move on.
When I first began here, the iPhone was new, Steve Jobs was still on the sick-leave roller-coaster and the Cult of Mac was just breaking away from its nest at Wired. Today, we are writing about the iPhone 5, getting comfortable with Tim Cook as Apple CEO and looking forward to the next stage of Cult of Mac as the news source for all things Apple. For myself, as Apple becomes a mainstay in business, I leave my duties as the unofficial Cult of Mac business editor for other tech news endeavors.
I want to thank my friend and boss Leander for bringing me onboard way back when. Also a hat tip to Deputy Editor John Brownlee for his patient working turning my Wall Street wonk into more interesting tech tabloid. I enjoyed working alongside a great bunch of news writers, their names well-known to readers.
But I especially want to thank the readers for supporting the idea that the Mac world is one cult you never want to escape.
Editor’s Note: We’ll miss you, Ed!
Similar Posts:- Meet Cult Of Mac’s CES 2012 Super Team And Make Sure To Follow Our Coverage Next Week! [CES 2012]
- Rupert Murdoch: The Wall Street Journal Is More Profitable On The iPad Than On Kindle
- News of the World to Launch iPad Subscriptions
- More Companies Let iPad Beyond IT Velvet Ropes
- Steve Jobs Authorized Biography Scheduled for 2012 Release
| |
Apple Could Eliminate The 30-Pin Dock Connector With MagSafe Data Cables
by Killian Bell on Jan.27, 2012, under data, Dock Connector, iOS, News, patent
We already know from previous reports that Apple is working on a magnetic charging system for iOS devices, similar to the MagSafe connectors on its MacBooks. But one hurdle that stood in the company’s way was the MagSafe’s inability to transfer data.
However, a newly published patent entitled “Programmable Magnetic Connectors” seems to confirm that Apple is making progress on a magnetic connector capable of transferring power and data, which could spell the end of its 30-pin dock connector and even the headphone jack.
The patent, entitled “Programmable Magnetic Connectors,” was picked up by Apple Insider earlier this week.
Apple explains that the disadvantage to its existing 30-pin dock connector and headphone jack is that they precent a device from being properly sealed. This is why Apple places liquid damage indicators in those ports. Furthermore, the male end of these connectors is left exposed when it’s not inside your device.
However, a magnetic connector would allow Apple to seal the device, making it more difficult for moisture to penetrate through its ports. And not only would the system work for data and power transfer, but also as a replacement for the headphone jack.
Apple’s solution is a new universal cable that features programmable magnets unique to each device. When you attach a cable, it would automatically recognize the device it’s hooked up to and “reconfigure itself accordingly,” the filing reads.
In one embodiment, Apple details a headphone jack that is concealed within a plastic casing at the end of its cable. When the user attached it to their device, a magnet pulls the jack out of its housing and into your device.
But Apple explain that these magnets could also be used to “repulse, eject, and/or precent coupling of certain cables.”
This is very exciting stuff for those who use iOS devices. As much as I love mine, I hate the 30-pin dock connector, and I’d much prefer a universal solution — especially if it’s got magnetic powers.
[via Apple Insider]
Similar Posts:- Apple is Working on an All-In-One Data & Power Cable for Your Mac & iOS Devices
- Patent Shows Apple Dock Connector With USB 3.0, Thunderbolt
- Apple Patents MagSafe Connector That Can Also Sync Data
- New iPad Patents Show Off Dual Dock Connectors and Smart Bezel Button
- Apple Is Working On Tinier Audio Jacks To Make iPods Even Smaller
| |
Brazil Foxconn To Begin Producing iPads As Tax Hurdle Overcome
by Ed Sutherland on Jan.27, 2012, under Brazil, Foxconn, iPad, iphone, New York Times, News
A Brazil-made iPad has been in the offing since July 2011. However, plans by Taiwan’s Foxconn to build the tablet in South America were held up by negotiations surrounding taxes that could double the cost of Apple’s tablet. Now comes word the government has exempted the iPad, freeing Foxconn to begin churning out iPads stamped “Made in Brazil.”
The tax issue was an important hurdle to overcome as they raised the cost of Apple doing business in Brazil as well as hiked the price of Apple products for South American consumers. The tablet and other keyboardless devices weighing less than 750 grams will forego Brazil’s Excise Tax, Social Contribution Tax and Federal Contribution Tax, according to the Portuguese-language news site FOLHA.
In September, Foxconn decried the taxes, warning they could threaten the $12 billion deal to build iPads in the South American country. The agreement, announced Monday in the Brazil’s Inter-Ministerial Decree 34, apparently suggests the parties have settled their disputes. A government minister in 2011 was quoted as calling Foxconn’s concerns as “crazy demands.”
The deal could also be seen as relieving some pressure from both Foxconn and Apple. The Cupertino, Calif. company was recently criticized for the working conditions at plants run by Chinese suppliers. Apple CEO Tim Cook refuted a New York Times front-page article about how iPhones are built, saying he was “outraged” about the report which he described as “offensive” and “patently false.”
Similar Posts:- “Crazy” Foxconn Demands Means Your iPad Might Not Be Assembled In Brazil Any Time Soon
- President Of Brazil Drops Taxes To Guarantee Your Next iPad Is Made In Rio
- Foxconn To Start Building iPhones and iPads In Brazil By Year’s End
- iPhone 4S Launches In Brazil Today With Jaw-Dropping 47% Import Tax Attached
- Brazilian iPads Will Be Born By December
| |
