The Fingerist finds fame, retail opportunities in Japan (video)
Japan tends to be on the weird side of any coin, and The Fingerist does nothing to undermine that reputation. This accessory for the iPhone and iPod touch was conceived at a “mutton BBQ restaurant” when one dude said to another that he needed an amp for his guitar app. Lo and behold, after an apparently successful CES appearance, the axe-imitating speaker thingie — replete with a guitar strap and line-out to jack into real amplifiers — is now on sale for ¥14,800 (or $150 for the rest of us). We can’t wrap our minds around such an expense just for the privilege of fingering our touchscreens, but then you can make some pretty sweet music using these things (video evidence after the break).
Continue reading The Fingerist finds fame, retail opportunities in Japan (video)
The Fingerist finds fame, retail opportunities in Japan (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Amazon Kindle Editions with video and audio added to iPhone / iPad app
No, Amazon didn’t just release a new Kindle capable of doing full motion video with embedded audio. Instead, Amazon just updated the content for the Kindle app running on Apple gear that gives a few books an inject of multimedia. For example, Rick Steves’ London Kindle Edition with audio/video features walking tours with Rick doing the narration while Rose’s Heavenly Cakes features video tips for… you guessed it, making delicious cake. Unfortunately, we’re only seeing about a dozen titles classified as “Kindle Edition with Audio/Video” so it’s hard to tell if the move is a first step in a wholesale Kindle change or just a toe in the water to gauge interest. We suspect the former, given enough time and publisher interest.
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Amazon Kindle Editions with video and audio added to iPhone / iPad app originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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White iPhone 4: early DIY edition, with a touch of black
Sorry, we couldn’t wait — having spent 11 hours on the streets waiting for the iPhone 4, it’s only natural to give our precious new toy some extra special care. With the help of iFixit’s teardown guide, we decided to take the plunge with our steaming hot Chinese delivery — a white front cover (with a shiny proximity sensor area above the earpiece), a white back cover (with “XXXXX” marked as the model number, ergo a prototype), and a Retina Display unit. Alas, there weren’t any white buttons in stock at the time, but let’s pretend this black-and-white combo is the new cool. Read on to find out how the surgery went.
P.S. — We’ve had many readers asking where we got the parts, but the link’s already in the post. Knowing some Chinese helps, too.
Continue reading White iPhone 4: early DIY edition, with a touch of black
White iPhone 4: early DIY edition, with a touch of black originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone 4 antenna problems were predicted on June 10 by Danish professor
Well, this must be one of the most epic “I told you so” moments in the history of consumer electronics. Professor Gert Frølund Pedersen, an antenna expert over at Denmark’s Aalborg University, managed to get his concerns about the iPhone 4’s external antennae on the record a cool two weeks before the phone was even released. In an interview on June 10, the Danish brainbox explained that he wasn’t impressed by Steve Jobs’ promises of better reception, describing external antennas as “old news,” and suggested that contact with fleshlings could result in undesirable consequences to the handset’s reception:
“The human tissue will in any event have an inhibitory effect on the antenna. Touch means that a larger portion of antenna energy becomes heat and lost.”
Machine-translated that may be, but you get the point. Researchers at Gert’s university have already shown that over 90 percent of any phone’s antenna signal can be stifled by holding it in the right place, but he’s highlighting the specific exposure to skin contact as a separate issue to be mindful of. Good to know we’ve got sharp minds out there, and as to his suggested solution, Gert says phones should ideally have two antennae that act in a sort of redundant array, so that when one is blocked, the other can pick up the slack. So, what are we going to do now, Apple?
[Thanks, Andrew]
iPhone 4 antenna problems were predicted on June 10 by Danish professor originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 18:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Daily Mail runs iPhone 4 recall story based on fake Steve Jobs tweet
Filed under: iPhone
I suppose, in a world where one of the most successful CEOs replies personally to customer emails complaining about their new phones, it’s not entirely outside the realm of the credible that the same CEO might announce a possible product recall on Twitter. By bypassing his entire corporate communications infrastructure, this CEO would defuse a tricky support situation and regain the trust of the marketplace.
No, wait — it’s not credible. Despite the fact that @ceoSteveJobs is 100% fake, which a casual reading of the account timeline shows, Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper still ran with a story yesterday that quoted the Twitter account as saying Apple might have to recall the iPhone 4. The story has been removed from the DM’s website, but it’s still posted on multiple syndication sites and scraper pages.
Meanwhile, MacRumors cites a newly received SteveMail that says “There is no reception issue. Stay tuned.” This lends credence to the AppleInsider post that anticipates an iOS 4.01 release to correct the signal problems associated with the ‘death grip.’ Never a dull moment!
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Daily Mail runs iPhone 4 recall story based on fake Steve Jobs tweet originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Daily Mail runs iPhone 4 recall story based on fake Steve Jobs tweet originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Worst Phone Ever chronicles dropped iPhone calls
Filed under: iPhone
I don’t know exactly how useful this site is, but I’ll let you check it out and decide for yourself. Worst Phone Ever is a site that purports to try and track all of the dropped calls being racked up on Apple’s devices and AT&T’s service. The idea is that you upload your dropped call log file, then they’ll flip through it, and add it to the data they’ve already compiled.
As of this writing, the site has already parsed over 1.5 million calls, and claim that 5.52 percent of them were dropped, costing users over $154,448 (you can see more about how that’s all calculated on their FAQ page).
Now, the paranoid in me has to warn you against actually sending them any logfiles — while the FAQ claims that no “personal or uniquely identifying information” is in the files, they do say they’re tying them to your email address, and I find it hard to believe that there aren’t at least area codes in there for Apple’s information. Their FAQ, again, admits that they’re “going to do everything we can” with the data, and I can’t really recommend you give them something from your computer under that agreement.
But if nothing else, the site might turn out to be a nice compendium of information on just how many calls AT&T is dropping. If these averages from earlier this year are any indication, it might be just as high as frustrated customers think it is.
Worst Phone Ever chronicles dropped iPhone calls originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Worst Phone Ever chronicles dropped iPhone calls originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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YouTube uploads from iPhone 4 are downsized
Filed under: iPhone
Yesterday when we posted that iMovie for iPhone 4 was available on the App Store, we mentioned an important limitation on the resolution of the videos you can share with the iPhone. An Apple support document specifies that while iMovie can export a full 720p HD video if you send the video via email or import it back to iPhoto, movies uploaded from YouTube, MMS or MobileMe Gallery will be downsized to a maximum resolution of 568×320.
Since then, users like Chris Pirillo have started using the app and have confirmed the restriction. Chris asked us if there are any iPhone-only workarounds that don’t require transferring the video off to your Mac or PC. Unfortunately, it looks like the only way you will be able to share a full 720p HD version of iMovie videos is to transfer the file to your computer before uploading it to YouTube or any other sharing service from there.
Ironically, while a second support document mentions this limitation is in place to improve upload performance, you are still restricted to 568×320 even when you’re connected to WiFi — perhaps the very same WiFi connection you will now use to upload the video from your computer.
Chris also mentioned he and other users are reporting issues logging into YouTube with both YouTube and Google credentials on a number of iOS devices. We’re not sure why this issue is happening, but a few people on the Mac Rumors forums are suggesting that you make sure your Google credentials are associated with your YouTube login. You may also want to verify that your email address is confirmed in the email options to possibly eliminate the problem.
YouTube uploads from iPhone 4 are downsized originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
YouTube uploads from iPhone 4 are downsized originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone 4 vs. Galaxy S, part deux: HD video playback (video)
We just couldn’t leave this face-off of superscreens alone, and went back for another bite at the cherry. Admittedly, we found out the Galaxy S had a browser-specific brightness setting that we hadn’t maxed out before setting off our camera hounds, so we’ve gone and remedied earlier comparison shots with the gallery below, and just as a bonus, we’ve now also run a HD video clip on both phones. This was to see how the Hummingbird and A4 SOCs, considered close siblings, handled some taxing video work and also to again compare performance deep down on the pixel level. What we can tell you now is that both handsets chewed through the 1080p clip with ease and that both gave results we have no hesitation in describing as sublime. Click past the break for the up close and personal video comparison action.
Continue reading iPhone 4 vs. Galaxy S, part deux: HD video playback (video)
iPhone 4 vs. Galaxy S, part deux: HD video playback (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple spotlights apps ready for iOS 4.0
Filed under: iPhone, App Store
We already spotlighted a few big apps that have made the jump to iOS 4 (and I’m sure we’ll have more coming up soon), but Apple has gone ahead and put a few of its favorites on a page in iTunes for you to browse through as well. There are some excellent games on the list (PopCap didn’t waste any time, and Ngmoco has a few, along with both Firemint titles). Art app Brushes and TUAW favorite Dropbox are there too, along with a bevy of other popular titles. This list definitely isn’t definitive (iBooks is obviously ready for iOS 4, though it’s not on there), but if you want to see what the Retina Display is like or check out multitasking on an app like Pandora, you can do so.
One interesting note on what’s not on there: Apple hasn’t yet updated its official Remote app, and Texas Hold ‘Em hasn’t been updated since it first came out back on September 1st, 2008. So even Apple isn’t worrying about compatibility with all of its apps — if you have a favorite app that’s not updated often, you might be waiting a while to get full functionality with the new OS.
[via DF]
Apple spotlights apps ready for iOS 4.0 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple spotlights apps ready for iOS 4.0 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple sells 1.7 million iPhone 4s through Saturday, June 26
There you have it. 600,000 pre-orders turned into 1.7 million iPhone 4 sales through this Saturday — the Sunday transactions haven’t even been tallied up yet. One more reason for Steve and company to look smug. That eclipses the 3GS’ already phenomenal 1 million units sold over a weekend, and stands pretty much head and shoulders above any other launch the mobile world has yet seen.
Continue reading Apple sells 1.7 million iPhone 4s through Saturday, June 26
Apple sells 1.7 million iPhone 4s through Saturday, June 26 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.