Archive | June, 2010
Analyzing iPhone 4 reception vs. signal attenuation
Brian Klug and Anand Lal Shimpi of Anandtech have posted a thorough analysis of the the iPhone 4 antenna and how the device’s signal is affected when held in various positions. Setting up the testing environment, however, was a bit tricky since Apple removed the Field Test from the applications directory in the iPhone 4 filesystem. Still, […]
Continue reading...Class action lawsuit in the works over AT&T’s updated data plans, iPad singled out
30. June 2010
In early June, AT&T updated its data plan pricing structure and did away with unlimited data plans for both iPhone and iPad owners. Users who had previously signed up for an unlimited data plan, however, were grandfathered in and were able to maintain their current billing set up. At the same time, iPad 3G owners […]
Continue reading...Apple looking to hire antenna engineers
30. June 2010
Comments Off on Apple looking to hire antenna engineers
Not surprisingly, Apple is looking to beef up its in-house antenna expertise. MacRumors points usto newly listed job postings at Apple looking for a slew of RF and antenna engineers to work on the antenna system for the iPhone and iPad. A few of the positions seek individuals with over 10 years of RF experience and at […]
Continue reading...iTunes U downloads surpass 250 million
30. June 2010
Comments Off on iTunes U downloads surpass 250 million
You might not have heard of iTunes U, but it’s certainly worth checking out. iTunes U is a special section within iTunes that provides users with an extensive amount of educational content (audio and video lectures, slides) from actual classes at a good number of prestigious universities, including Harvard UCLA, Princeton, and MIT. Though some content […]
Continue reading...A melted iPhone can still play music [Video]
30. June 2010
Comments Off on A melted iPhone can still play music [Video]
It’s become somewhat of a fad to destroy iPhones, videotape the destruction, and post the ensuing footage up on YouTube. While that’s all well and good, there’s only so many times we can watch an iPhone in a blender, or look at bored groups of teenagers smash an iPhone to smitherines using a hammer or […]
Continue reading...Leaked AppleCare document explains how to deal with iPhone 4 reception issues; Free iPhone bumpers not gonna happen
29. June 2010
Comments Off on Leaked AppleCare document explains how to deal with iPhone 4 reception issues; Free iPhone bumpers not gonna happen
Boy Genius Report this evening posted a leaked internal document from Apple instructing AppleCare employees how to handle complaints about reception issues on the iPhone 4. As you can tell from the snapshot below, Apple is maintaining the position that reported reception and signal issues are simply a fact of life for all celluar phones. […]
Continue reading...Another Verizion/iPhone rumor to add to the collection
29. June 2010
We have another Verizon/iPhone rumor on our hands, but instead of coming from some no-name analyst looking to attain free publicity, this one comes from Bloomberg. Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. mobile-phone company, will start selling Apple Inc.’s iPhone next year, ending AT&T Inc.’s exclusive hold on the smartphone in the U.S., two people familiar […]
Continue reading...Hulu announces “Hulu Plus” service for all iOS devices
29. June 2010
Comments Off on Hulu announces “Hulu Plus” service for all iOS devices
After months of speculation, Hulu today announced via its official blog the arrival of “Hulu Plus”, a new ad supported subscription based service available for $9.99. That’s right, even subscribers will have to deal with ads. But that’s not really important right now. What is important is what that $9.99 will get you.
Continue reading...Ron Wayne, the third and forgotten co-founder of Apple
29. June 2010
Comments Off on Ron Wayne, the third and forgotten co-founder of Apple
Contrary to popular belief, there were actually three Apple co-founders of Apple Computer. While everyone’s heard of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, not everyone is familiar with Ron Wayne. Wayne, who is now 76, initially met Steve Jobs while they were both employed by Atari. When Jobs and Wozniak up and decided to create Apple […]
Continue reading...Is Apple going to go on a shopping spree?
29. June 2010
Comments Off on Is Apple going to go on a shopping spree?
Apple doesn’t purchase companies outright very often, and when it does, they are often strategic additions to the company. Over the past two years or so, however, Apple has turned up the dial on its corporate acquisitions, and a recent report from Dan Frommer suggests that they may just be getting started. After moderating a […]
Continue reading...Ph.D in Electromagnetics explains the iPhone 4’s sensitivity to fingers
29. June 2010
Comments Off on Ph.D in Electromagnetics explains the iPhone 4’s sensitivity to fingers
“The technical explanation for the variation in signal strength found when closing the iPhone’s case gaps with one’s fingers is, that the antennas are being “loaded”. The loading from fingers, a material with a high relative permittivity of ~50 at 2 GHz, changes the input impedance and resonant frequency of the antenna resulting in loss. […]
Continue reading...iMovie for the iPhone ported to the 3GS
29. June 2010
Comments Off on iMovie for the iPhone ported to the 3GS
iMovie for the iPhone is too power hungry to run on the 3GS? Pish posh. Redmond Pie reader David Romhan Torres was able to port the iMovie app to the 3GS by downloading the app from iTunes, modifying the info.plist file, changing the minimum system version to 3.0.0 and front-facing camera to false. Sounds easy […]
Continue reading...
30. June 2010
Comments Off on Analyzing iPhone 4 reception vs. signal attenuation