2013 Holiday Gift Guide: Bracketron NanoTek Stand

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Features, Techies, Under $100, Under $25, Under $250, Under $50, Under $500,

Our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide needs more accessories, and we found a cool one for smartphones owners in the Bracketron NanoTek Stand. It securely grips your phone and desk without messy or sticky adhesives, and is forged out of durable, aircraft grade aluminum composite with an elegant matte finish. It'll hang onto your device in both portrait and landscape orientations, and the integrated cable management system keeps your cable handy for easy charging. They're available in both silver and black.

You can pick up the NanoTek Stand for $19.99 on Amazon.

Read More | Bracketron NanoTek Stand

Apple releases iOS 7.0.3 with iCloud Keychain, iMessage fix, Touch ID tweaks

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Software,

Alongside all the major news coming out of today's Apple iPad event, the company has also released an iOS update. iOS 7.0.3 bring a few new features to the platform, like iCloud Keychain, which works alongside the same feature in OS X Mavericks (which was also released today on the Mac App Store) to keep your account names, passwords, and credit cards synced across your devices, while protecting them with your Apple ID. Here is a rundown of all the changes in iOS 7.0.3:

• Adds iCloud Keychain to keep track of your on account names passwords and credit card numbers across all your devices
• Adds Password Generator so Safari can suggest unique hard to guess passwords for your online accounts
• Updates lock screen to delay display of "slide to unlock" went Touch ID is in use
• Adds back the ability to search the web and Wikipedia from Spotlight search
• Fixes an issue where iMessage failed to send for some users
• Fixes a bug that could prevent iMessage from activating
• Improves system stability when using iWork apps
• Fixes an accelerometer calibration issue
• Address is an issue that could cause Siri and VoiceOver to use a lower quality voice
• Fixes a bug that could allow someone to bypass the lock screen passcode
• Enhances the Reduce Motion setting to minimize both motion and animation
• Fix is an issue that could cause VoiceOver input to be too sensitive
• Updates the Bold Text setting to also change dial pad text
• Fix is an issue that could cause supervise devices to become unsupervised when updating software

You should be able to check the Software Update area on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to grab the update now.

iPhone 5s review

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews, Videos,

According to Apple, the iPhone 5s is the most forward thinking smartphone ever created. Of course, being that this is an S-model iPhone launching in a year that ends in an odd number, and that means that we'll find plenty of naysayers who dismiss Apple's flagship smartphone as simple and iterative. It looks just like last year's iPhone 5 on the outside, so what can be so different, right?

Well, being an S-class device, the iPhone 5s follows a now-familiar pattern. The iPhone 3GS in 2009 doubled the speed of the iPhone 3G from the year before and added video recording and basic voice commands. The iPhone 4S brought Siri, 1080p video, and dual-core processing. This year, Apple has highly focused the iPhone 5s on three big changes. The iPhone 5s is the first smartphone to ship with a 64-bit processor, and includes the first 64-bit version of iOS in iOS 7. It's also the first smartphone to ship with a capacitive fingerprint sensor, and includes a greatly improved camera system. Sure, these things may not be important to those who are just fine with their current iPhone (or competing device, for that matter,) but for Apple, these moves are a big deal and set up the future.

But is a phone so focused on a future worth your attention today? Join us for our full iPhone 5s review as we seek out the answer.

Click to continue reading iPhone 5s review

iPhone 5s Silver gallery

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Handhelds,

The white and silver iPhone 5s is the only model that maintains a color that was introduced with the iPhone 5, with the other two colors (gold and space gray) being brand new for this model year. Our iPhone 5s review is now live, but if you're interested in seeing the silver 5s up close, we've gathered a bunch of images of the silver iPhone 5 body for your perusal in our iPhone 5s Silver gallery. Be sure to also check out our iPhone 5s Space Gray gallery as well.

You can pick up the iPhone 5s now from Apple.

Gallery:

iPhone 5s Space Gray gallery

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Handhelds,

The space gray iPhone 5s replaces the black & slates iPhone 5 color that Apple released in 2012. Some users complained about how easy it was for the slate anodization to peel, wear, or chip off of the aluminum, so Apple made the call to go with the gunmetal gray hue, which is easier to anodize, and should result in far less complaints. Our iPhone 5s review just went live, but if you want a look at some images the gray iPhone 5s body for your perusal, they're in our iPhone 5s Space Gray gallery. Be sure to also check out our iPhone 5s Silver gallery while you're at it.

Gallery:

iPhone 5s Space Gray vs. Silver gallery

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Handhelds,

You've likely seen and heard all about the gold iPhone 5s. It's all the rage. But hey--there are two other great colors available as well! In fact, we think that the silver and space gray versions are far superior to the champagne bore, so we've given both colors the spotlight here, putting them head-to-head. The space gray iPhone 5s replaces the black & slate iPhone 5 color that Apple released in 2012, while the silver color is the same as the one found on the white & silver iPhone 5 from a year ago. Check them both out in our iPhone 5s Space Gray vs. Silver gallery. Be sure to also check out our iPhone 5s Silver gallery and iPhone 5s Space Gray gallery, and then pop over and read our iPhone 5s review!

Gallery:

iPhone 5c review

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews,

The iPhone 5c is Apple's first mid-range iPhone handset to be introduced as a new model alongside a higher-end version. Available in five distinct colors, the device sports last year's internals with a fresh coat of external paint. As such, it's clear that the iPhone 5c is going after a different demographic than the top-of-the-line iPhone 5s--one that isn't necessarily looking at the specs of the device, and instead cares about the look and feel, and wants access to Apple's App Store without breaking the bank. That said, don't think of the 5c as the cheap iPhone--in fact, we'd bet that the "c" is gonna stand for cash, because Apple is poised to make a lot of it with the introduction of the 5c.

Is the iPhone 5c the right phone for you? Join us as we answer that question in our full iPhone 5c review.

Click to continue reading iPhone 5c review

Silver and gold iPhone 5s to be severely constrained at launch

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds,

The iPhone 5s goes on sale tomorrow, and if you're hoping to pick up a gold or silver model on launch day, you may wanna wake up early and get in line at your nearest Apple Store location. According to 9to5Mac, both the silver and gold iPhone 5s models will be severely constrained at launch, with carrier partners sharing that they will likely only have the Space Gray iPhone 5s for sale. This means that if you are hoping to pick up a gold or silver iPhone 5s, your best bet is to head to an Apple Store, and get there well before the 8:00am opening. If you head to somewhere like Walmart, Target, AT&T, Verizon, Spring, T-Mobile, and others, Space Gray may end up being your only option.

Of course, if you don't have to have your iPhone 5s on day one, you can simply order the color of your choosing from the Apple Store Online beginning tonight at midnight.

Read More | iPhone 5s [Apple Store]

Here’s where to pre-order your iPhone 5c right now!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds,

Excited about getting your hands on the iPhone 5c? If you're ready to pay now, you'll be happy to know that pre-orders are now available at the Apple Store online, as well as through the sites of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. When you pre-order, you'll ensure that the iPhone 5c arrives and is in your hands on launch day, September 20th. Here's where you can pre-order the iPhone 5c:

• Apple
• Sprint
• T-Mobile
• Verizon Wireless

Those looking to pre-order the iPhone 5s are out of luck. Apple won't be offering pre-sales on the new flagship. Instead, interested parties can order one online on September 20th for delivery within a few days, or line-up early that morning to grab one on day one.

Read More | iPhone 5c Pre-order

Apple releasing Lightning docks for iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, Smartphones,

When Apple released the iPhone 5 last year, it did so without offering a dock. WIth the upcoming release of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, it seems the company has learned from the error of its ways. When the two new Apple smartphones go on sale in ten days, Apple will be offering a Lightning-compatible dock for each, and in fact, they're already available to view in the Apple Store online:

• iPhone 5s Dock
• iPhone 5c Dock

Each dock will cost $29, and will be available on September 20th.