• android,  apple,  galaxy s,  google,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  samsung,  t-mobile

    Android and iOS – It’s a Personal Preference

    August 26, 2012 /

    I’ve been thinking a lot about devices running Google’s Android operating system lately.

    My long time readers shouldn’t worry, I’m not planning a defection any time soon.  I’m still an Apple fan boy and I still very much love using Small, Medium, and Large; more commonly referred to as my iPhone 4S, iPad 3 (ok, ok, ‘the new iPad’, sheesh!!), and my 17-inch MacBook Pro.

    So what’s with all of this Android mind share then?  It just seems that everywhere I look, there is an Android powered something or someone is asking me about whether to get a Samsung or an iPhone. And then there are the technology blogs, newspapers, magazines, podcasts, and all the rest that are talking about Android. Oh, and let’s not forget the little spat between Apple and Samsung that is going on right now.

    But the truth is, and by ‘truth’ I’m really talking about my ‘opinion’ here, is that copied or not, there are a number of interesting things going on with mobile devices running Google’s mobile OS.

    A good friend was over last night with his Samsung Galaxy S II and was talking about all the things that he does with it: file sharing, document and email printing, game playing, interfacing with the computers at work, and yes, the obligatory email and web surfing.  Granted, that he is what many of you would call a ‘computer geek’ and did ‘root’ his phone, still, the enthusiasm was there.

    About a week ago, a co-worker was asking me about whether or not to get an iPhone 4S or a Samsung Galaxy S III.  Connie has an iPad 2, and while she didn’t specifically say, I’m willing to bet that her high school age or older children both have iPod touches or iPhones too.  The query came from a desire to have the ‘best’ phone.  Since we were sitting in a conference room helping ourselves to a free pizza lunch, the other people in the room chimed in on the conversation.  After about a 10 minute discussion, we all agreed that the phone from Samsung was a good phone, that there was an ability to reuse applications from the iPad on the iPhone, but at the end of the day, it came down to costs and not features or vendor lock-in.  She had American Express card reward points to use and they were offering a free AT&T Samsung Galaxy S III.  Not amount of marketing and jockeying for customer mind share can complete with ‘free.’

    And there was an article I was reading about the Samsung Galaxy Note for T-Mobile.  Anyone else seeing a trend developing here?  Anyway, I was intrigued about the Note.  The device is massive.  It measures in at 5.78 x 3.26 x 0.37 inches.  (Not that I’m thinking about it, the Galaxy S III is almost just as big at 5.38 x 2.78 x 0.34 inches.)

    The interesting thing about this device is that it’s what I’d call a ‘tween’ device.  It fits in between a smartphone and a 7-inch tablet like the Google Nexus 7.  Who knows if that category of device will take off or not.  I’m sure many people will want to use a device that size, but the question is are there enough people to make it a viable market or not.  Will have to stay tuned to find out.

    The market has spoken and by and large, it’s a two horse race: Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android.  The device you pick is your choice to make.  For me, iOS will be my mobile OS of choice.  There are a lot of good things happening with Android, and it is just as powerful and functional as iOS.

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  • apple,  iphone,  rumors

    Rumor: First Fully Assembled iPhone 5?

    July 29, 2012 /

    The Verge is running an article with some photos from iLab Factory that reports to show what the fully assembled next generation iPhone from Apple could look like.

    We are assuming that the next generation iPhone will be called ‘iPhone 5’.  We expected last year’s iPhone, the ‘4S’ to be the ‘5’, however, once we found out that the next iPhone would ‘evolutionary’ rather than ‘revolutionary’, well, we all knew that the ‘next next’ iPhone would be the iPhone 5.

    So here it is, the latest rumor de jour: the iPhone 5.  I really like the form factor of the iPhone 4/4S/5 over the previous generation iPhones.  I also like the idea of the aluminum back plate as I’ll be much less worried about breaking it.  I’m even OK with the taller unit to accommodate a 4-inch screen.  I’m just not a fan of the two tone color scheme; black with a brushed metal.  I think I’d like to continue to see the iPhone back places all white or all black.

    [Via The Verge…]

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch

    iOS 6 Beta 3 Gets Rolled Out to Developers

    July 17, 2012 /

    Earlier today, Apple rolled out iOS 6, beta 3 to registered (read: paying) developers.

    According to sources in the know, beta 3 improves the stability of the mobile operating system, brings additional features to the new Maps application, and gives a clear indication that all things MobileMe are going away with the announcement that all @me.com email addresses will be converted to @iCloud.com email addresses.

    iOS 6 is slated to be released later this year in the September-October timeframe just in time for the newly redesigned iPhone 5.

    [Via AllThingsD.com…]

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  • apple,  exploit,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch

    Hacker Finds a Way Around In-App Purchases [Updated]

    July 14, 2012 /

    Alexey V. Borodin, a computer hacker from Russia, has figured out a way to implement a “man-in-the-middle” exploit in the Apple App Store that allows anyone who uses his technique a way to get free in app purchases.

    The exploit, which works mostly on games where you buy a new level, power ups, and the like, allows you to send traffic to Borodin’s web server that is setup to look like an Apple App Store server and then sends your iOS device a bogus acknowledgment that you’ve paid for the said app upgrade.

    At the time I’m posting this, the bogus server that Borodin setup is offline. I’m not sure if that is because he was ordered to take it offline or that it is so busy from people trying to exploit the hack, that the server is just too busy to respond.

    Update – 7/16/12
    It didn’t take long, but Apple has unleashed their engineers and lawyers. The service that allows free downloading of some in-app purchases has been shutdown and I’m sure the engineering teams are hard at work beefing up security features for the next version of Mac OS X and iOS.

    [Via MacWorld.com…]
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  • apple,  ipad,  iphone,  rumors

    Rumor: iPhone 5, iPad Mini Engineering Samples Surface

    July 11, 2012 /

    “Silly Season” is in full swing as we get closer to the rumored fall launch of the newest iPhone iteration and possible “iPad Mini” unveiling.

    Today’s rumor de jure is that engineering sample “bricks” have surfaced to allegedly validate recent rumors about the footprint change to the next iPhone and the moving toward mass production iPad Mini device that has been rumored ever since Steve Jobs walked off stage from the iPad launch event in 2010.

    Take these photos with a grain of salt.  A Morton’s salt canister is now taking up residence at the corner of my desk.

    Photos courtesy of GottaBeMobile.com.

    [Via AppleInsider.com…]

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  mac,  mobileme,  windows

    MobileMe Closed Down, iWork is Next

    July 2, 2012 /
    Yesterday marked an important milestone in Apple’s cloud strategy; the shuttering of MobileMe.  The iWork website is next on the chopping block and is currently scheduled to be shutdown on July 31.

    iCloud, introduced last year along side iOS 5 is the replacement for MobileMe and iWork.  MobileMe used to be a $99/year subscription service for synchronizing all sorts of information between your Macs, PCs and iPhones.  Even though the MobileMe service is, for all intents and purposes, “closed,” subscribers can still login to the MobileMe.com website and migrate their data over to Apple’s new iCloud service.

    iWork.com was launched in 2009 as a way for  iWork ’09 users to share their iWork documents with others.  Visitors to the iWork.com website are greeted a warning banner that the service is closing down at the end of the month.  iWork.com users were also notified via email that they will need to download their documents or risk losing them.

    MobileMe has not been the shining star that Apple had hoped it would be.  In Walter Isaacson’s autobiography of the late Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, it is recorded that Walt Mossberg’s headline regarding MobileMe was “Apple’s MobileMe Is Far TooFlawed to Be Reliable.”  Anyone who has followed Steve Jobs “second act” at Apple knows that a headline was not going to be allowed to stand. Mr. Isaacon also recounts Mr. Jobs f-bomb laced furry at the MobileMe team.

    I was never a subscriber to MobileMe, as the $99 annual price tag seemed a bit steep for an email account, cloud storage, and personal data syncing, especially since Google offered similar services for free. (And I was a Palm Pre/webOS user at the time.)

    MobileMe users can start their iCloud migration from MobileMe.com.
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  • apple,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch

    Surprise! Apple Releases iOS 5.1.1!

    May 8, 2012 /

    I was completely unprepared for what I will call today’s surprise arrival of iOS 5.1.1.

    Available for the iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS, iPod touch 4th and 3rd generation, and all three generations of the insanely popular iPad, iOS 5.1.1 addresses the following five areas:

    • Improves the reliability of HDR photos taken from the Lock Screen shortcut
    • Addresses a bug with the new iPad (3rd generation) switching between 2G and 3G networks
    • Corrects bugs in AirPlay
    • Improves the reliability for syncing Safari bookmarks and Reading List items
    • Resolves an issue where an “Unable to purchase” alert is displayed after a successful purchase

    You can install the update in one of two ways: directly from your iOS 5.x device or by syncing your iDevice with a Mac or PC running the latest version of iTunes.

    To perform the quicker “delta” update over the air right from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, do the following:

    1. Tap the Settings icon.
    2. Tap General.
    3. Tap Software Update.
    4. Tap Download and Install.
    5. Follow the on screen directions.

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  • apple,  apple store,  genius bar,  iphone,  retail

    Genius Bars Upgrading Select White iPhone 4 Models

    April 14, 2012 /

    I just read over at 9To5Mac.com that Apple has instructed employees working the Genius Bar to upgrade select 16GB white iPhone 4 models to the newer iPhone 4S due to limited parts availability.

    “According to multiple sources, Apple has notified Apple Store Genius Bars that inventory of white iPhone 4 16GB replacements units is heavily constrained, and until further notice, stores lacking white iPhone 4 16GB replacements units should upgrade customers seeking a replacement phone to an iPhone 4S.”

    Sounds like a good deal for Apple customers who need to get their 16GB white iPhone 4 repaired.  Apple’s always been pretty good to their customers in this regard.  I had what I believed to be a battery problem with a 17-inch MacBook Pro and the good folks at a local Apple Store swapped out the battery and my T-style power brick at no cost.
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  • app store,  games,  ios,  iphone,  ipod touch

    Infinity Blade II Gets Bumped to 1.1

    April 12, 2012 /

    This morning, I woke to find that Chair has bumped Infinity Blade II to version 1.1.   Whoo-hoo!!

    NEW CONTENT PACK! Infinity Blade II: ClashMob™!

    • Jump into the all-new, globally social battle mode: ClashMob, featuring dynamic challenges that will test your strategic mettle.

    • Recruit friends and team up together in MyMob and earn special perks as well as unlock new achievements & rewards!

    • Upgrade your weapons by crafting the most powerful gems available in the all-new Gem Forge.

    • More than two dozen new weapons, magic rings, gems and equipment to collect, wield and master.
    • Fully supporting iOS 5.1, with gameplay enhancements and updates for overall optimized gameplay.

    • All for free! Infinity Blade II is now better than ever!
    For a limited time, you an buy Infinity Blade II for $4.99 from the App Store.  If you have perviously purchased Infinity Blade II, the update, as always, is free.

    Infinity Blade II is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
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  • app store,  games,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch

    Max Payne Mobile “Hits” iOS

    April 12, 2012 /

    Just a short while ago, Max Payne Mobile just “hit” in the US iTunes App Store for iOS devices.

    [Parental Warning: Parents, you’ll want to check out this game before you outright buy it for your kids.  It’s a violent game.]

    For those who may not remember Max Payne on the PC platform, here’s a brief summary from the App Store.

    “A fugitive undercover cop framed for murder, hunted by cops and the mob, Max is a man with his back against the wall, fighting a battle he cannot hope to win. Max Payne is a relentless story-driven game about a man on the edge, fighting to clear his name while struggling to uncover the truth about his slain family amongst a myriad of plot-twists.”

    I remember Max Payne for it’s famous “Bullet Time” gimmick.  Bullet Time became a popular game mechanic because it was similar to the slow motion bullets whizzing by Neo in “The Matrix” films.

    Max Payne Mobile is available now in the US iTunes App Store for $2.99 (App Store Link).  This universal app runs on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 4, iPad 1, iPad 2, the new iPad.

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