Search Results for: apple

According to iSuppli, the company who estimate the build prices of smartphones and other devices, estimate that the iPhone 4 16GB model costs $187.51 to built. This puts the build price at more than the DROID and more than the previous iPhone 3GS model. The screen is believed to increase the costs a little.

It is expected that the 3.5 inch Retina display costs $28.50 per unit with the A4 processor built by Samsung costing $10.75. The new Gyro chip costs $2.60.

Of course iSuppli wont know the full details of how much each screen costs as huge bulk orders need to be taken in to consideration and Apple [AAPL] will have worked with the suppliers to figure out a price. [Read more…]

Over the weekend we reported that Apple [AAPL] could be launching iOS 4.0.1 which is a small update to fix reception issues that appear on the iPhone 4 when holding it a certain way. Basically, if you hold your iPhone 4 in your left hand and your skin bridges the gap over the black bar that separates the two antennae, the signal drops slightly. When in a low reception area the signal is lost completely.

The iOS 4.0.1 rumour started when a post on the Apple forums written by someone at Apple indicated that there was some lag when switching between frequencies on the iPhone 4 and that some calibration needed to be done. If this is correct, it could fix the issues although a number of people still insist it is a hardware fault. Until Apple respond with an iOS update, we’ll never know if it can be fixed by software.

Another iPhone 4 user emailed Steve Jobs asking if a free case would be provided. Having a case prevents your skin bridging the two antennae together. Normally Steve Jobs has responded with the same response to all saying that holding any phone makes changes to the antenna. His latest reply says the following though… “There are no reception issues. Stay Tuned.” [Read more…]

The Apple [AAPL] launch of the iPhone 4 appeared to be a huge success last week in terms of how many units were shifted. Over 600,000 pre-orders were taken on day one with Apple stores having large queues of people wanting to collect the new smartphone.

There have been reports of people dropping and smashing the glass on their new phones though, so iFixit has decided to upload a handy repair manual for the iPhone 4 to help users fix their own phone rather than sending it off to Apple (if warranty doesn’t cover the breakages).

iFixit uploaded 10 step-by-step guides which cover the following repairs… [Read more…]

The latest Amazon [AMZN] Kindle app for the iPhone and iPad brings embedded video and audio to certain books. The first books that take advantage of using embedded media includes Together We Cannot Fail by Terry Golway amongst a handful of others.

“We are excited to add this functionality to Kindle for iPad and Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch,” said Dorothy Nicholls, director, Amazon Kindle. “Readers will already find some Kindle Editions with audio/video clips in the Kindle Store today–from Rose’s Heavenly Cakes with video tips on preparing the perfect cake to Bird Songs with audio clips that relate the songs and calls to the birds’ appearances. This is just the beginning–we look forward to seeing what authors and publishers create for Kindle customers using the new functionality of the Kindle apps.”

[Read more…]

Many reports have come out since the launch of the iPhone 4 the other day saying that the device loses or drops most of the signal when holding the phone in a particular way. This is something we have seen ourselves and simply happens when bridging the gap on the bottom left of the device.

The response Apple [AAPL] has provided in the last couple of days ranges from advice to hold your iPhone 4 differently to blaming it on the network carriers side.

Rumours are now indicating that the problem could actually be fixed with a software update that could arrive as early as Monday. Around the internet, the reports seem to blame it on the construction of the antennae which basically use your body to bridge the gap between the two. This bridging the gap might not be the real cause of the problem and more of a symptom of a problem within the software that handles connectivity to networks. [Read more…]

Yesterday we managed to get hold of an iPhone 4 to test and see what it’s like compared to other phones such as Android devices as well as a comparison versus the older iPhone 3GS.

Apple [AAPL] has finally changed the design of the iPhone with the new iPhone 4. Previously the iPhone original, 3G and 3GS only had slight cosmetic changes. The iPhone 4 has a complete redesign and I happen to quite like it.

It’s completely flat on the back unlike previous models. The back is covered in hardened glass and has a transparent bit of glass where the 5 megapixel lens and the flash can be found (note the improved camera and the addition of a flash… more on this later in the iPhone 4 review that we will be posting soon). [Read more…]

Quite a few people are posting on the internet that they are having problems with holding their iPhone 4 and losing signal. I have experienced this too and it isn’t just something that happens occasionally, it actually happens each and every time I hold my iPhone 4.

The problem essentially is to do with the part of the antenna around the black bar on the bottom left of the phone. If your hand bridges that gap between the two antennas then the signal just dies. For me, I bridge that gap each time I use email, send a text message and browse on the web… basically every time I use the phone for anything other than making calls. When making calls it doesn’t effect me just because I grip the two edges of the phone and not the area around the black bar. [Read more…]

Apple [AAPL] launched the iPhone 4 today. Along with that launch the iMovie app for the smartphone was also launched. The iMovie app is for iPhone 4 only and costs $4.99 to buy.

The app allows you to create HD movies and edit them whilst on the move. A number of transitions have been included allowing you to create effects between two videos or between two segments on a video.

Made for Multi-Touch.

* Tap to add or record video right into your project.
* Drag to trim the lengths of video clips and photos.
* Pinch to zoom the timeline and get a closer look.
* Slide to scrub through the video in your project.

[Read more…]

Swype is an alternate text entry system for mobile phones. The system works by you sliding your finger across a virtual keyboard to spell words. The company claim it is far quicker to do text entry with Swype than it is with a standard virtual keyboard.

We now hear that the company expect to see Swype on 50 smartphones by the end of 2010 with about 90% of those being powered by the Google [GOOG] operating system called Android.

Earlier reports today indicated that Swype was on it’s way to the Apple [AAPL] iPhone although this isn’t happening just yet and it isn’t clear if Apple would approve such software as it replaces one of the main features of the device. [Read more…]

Since the deliveries of the iPhone 4 started a couple of days ago, a few people have been reporting problems with a yellow band or yellow spots on their screen.

We now hear that these yellow spots are actually fading with time. It appears that it takes a day or two for the spots to go and from what we understand, it is just the bonding agent that needs to dry fully. The reason the glue isn’t 100% dry is due to how fast Apple [AAPL] are having the iPhone 4’s manufactured.

Apple is using a bonding agent called Organofunctional Silane Z-6011 to bond the layers of glass. Apparently, Apple (or more likely Foxconn) is shipping these products so quickly that the evaporation process is not complete. However, after one or two days of use, especially with the screen on, will complete the evaporation process and the yellow “blotches” will disappear. How do I know? I was involved in pitching Z-6011 to Apple.

[Read more…]

Reports of the iPhone 4 having signal problems are starting to arrive according to BGR. iPhone 4 users mention today that when picking up their iPhone 4 the signal drops, perhaps due to holding on to the antenna.

We just got back from the Apple [AAPL] store with our iPhone 4 (read the iPhone 4 review later today) and have to agree that when holding the phone it is common to see the no service or searching message. After putting the phone down the signal strength jumps back to 3 or 4 bars (for the area I am in).

Some users are suggesting that putting the iPhone 4 in a case might be one good way of solving the problem although we hope a firmware fix will arrive soon to some how fix the problem. [Read more…]

A while back Farmville was announced at the Apple [AAPL] WWDC event and allows users to use the Facebook game on their iPhone. Farmville has now arrived and can be downloaded from the iTunes store right now. It appears that a number of countries now have the application with the UK getting it early hours of this morning.

‘Plow, plant and harvest on the go 24/7! FarmVille, the most popular game on the web, is now available on your iPhone. Current FarmVille players can access their existing Facebook farm, and new users can create a farm.

Choose from a variety of seeds to grow beautiful fruits and vegetables. Earn coins and XP to decorate your farm or expand your acreage. Work faster with vehicles like tractors and seeders, and rear livestock including cows, sheep, and pigs. The more you help your neighbors, the faster you’ll level up. Exclusive iPhone/iPod items available!

[Read more…]