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iOS 8 review

iOS 8 is the follow-up to last years radical redesign of Apple’s mobile operating system. After the visual overhaul, the company went to work on adding a bunch of features that would make its devices more open with features like extensions and third-party keyboards, yet more secure with improved permissions and more widespread Touch ID integration. With iOS 8, Apple looks to refine the experience that was introduced last year, while allowing features for the power users of the world to shine.

It’s been shown that Apple follows a two-step release process with its iOS device hardware and software. For example, one year the company will release a new design for the iPhone, and the following year it’ll keep that design and refine the device, releasing it as an “S” class upgrade. iOS seems to follow a similar pattern, especially this year, which follows last year’s big redesign. With iOS 8, Apple has introduced a layer of polish on top of its mobile operating system, bringing with it a bevy of new features. The question remains, do all the changes come together in a meaningful way? Join us for our full iOS 8 review as we explore the answer.

Click to continue reading iOS 8 review: A more powerful iPhone experience arrives

Gallery: iOS 8 review: A more powerful iPhone experience arrives


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iPhone 6

We've received a few emails over the last few days from readers asking about switching to AT&T Next so that they can get the new iPhone 6 on Friday for no money down. AT&T has been notifying some customers who are mid-contract that they can switch to a Next plan at no charge, doing away with contracts going forward. Of course, there are those who are still under AT&T's grandfathered "unlimited" data plan, but others simply want to know if programs like AT&T Next and Verizon Edge are worth it, or if they're rip-offs. The thing is, early upgrade plans like Next and Edge basically allow you to divorce the act of owning and paying for a phone, from paying for cellular service. If you play your cards right, you'll actually come out ahead financially, and you'll be able to upgrade to a new device whenever you want. Let's walk through a scenario of buying a phone with AT&T Next.

Background
All currently available mainstream plans feature two components: a data charge, and a line charge. We will ignore the data charge aspect from here on out, because it's the same regardless of what plan you choose.

AT&T Next offers you a lower monthly line charge ($15 less for data plans under 10GB, $25 less for 10GB and over) in exchange for them not giving you a large subsidy when you buy your phone. Next plans never involve a contract, and you can get out of them at any time, penalty free, by paying off the balance you owe on your phone.

Click to continue reading How to use AT&T Next and Verizon Edge to your advantage

Gallery: How to use AT&T Next and Verizon Edge to your advantage


iPhone 6 space gray

 

Apple will be bundling in all of its free iWork and iLife apps for buyers of the 64GB and 128GB iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, an Apple Retail training document reveals. The apps included are iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, and iTunes U. iPhoto isn’t included, as it is being replaced by the new-and-improved Photos app in iOS 8 that includes more advanced editing tools and support for the new iCloud Photo Library.

For those who pick up the 16GB model, all of the aforementioned apps will still be available for download, they just won’t be pre-loaded on your iPhone when sent from the factory. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus go on sale this Friday at 8:00am at Apple Store locations, as well as cellular carrier stores. Pre-orders started this past Friday, and Apple has announced that it has sold 4 million iPhones within the first 24 hours of pre-sale availability.

Gallery: Apple pre-installing iWork and iLife apps on 64GB, 128GB iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus


Yosemite Developer Preview 8

Apple has released OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 8, alongside OS X Yosemite Public Beta 3, the latest updates for the pre-release builds of OS X 10.10 Yosemite. Developers and AppleSeed customers that are part of one or the other programs will find the 917MB update available now in the Mac App Store Updates section. The public release of Yosemite is expected to come sometime in October.

Gallery: Apple releases OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 8, Public Beta 3


Apple iPhone 6 Plus sales

Silencing critics who said it was late to the party with larger smartphones, Apple announced that it sold over 4 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units in the first 24 hours of pre-order availability.  Apple hasn’t specified how many people pre-ordered the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 versus the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus (and we don’t expect them to, as evidenced by iPod and iPad sales numbers never being broken down by model,) but it is clear to see that many people didn’t just want a bigger phone—they wanted a bigger iPhone.

The 4 million figured is mind-blowing, as it equates to about 166,667 iPhone 6 smartphones sold per hour. To put it into even clearer context, prior to the iPhone 6, the biggest pre-order period for Apple was last year’s iPhone 5s and 5c, which saw “just” 2 million pre-orders in the first 24 hours. A year later, Apple doubled that number with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. With the iPhone 5s and 5c, Apple later announced that is sold 9 million units in the first three days. It will be interesting to see what the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus end up selling in the first weekend of availability in comparison.

Since the devices went on pre-order, the iPhone 6 is now sold out, showing a 7-10 day backorder. Meanwhile, the larger iPhone 6 Plus is showing a 3-4 week wait. If you want to get your hands on either of these new Apple smartphones sooner, you’ll need to wait in line at an Apple Store or carrier store and hope there’s enough stock this Friday morning.

Read More | Apple

Gallery: Apple shatters record with 4 million iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders in first 24 hours


iPhone 6 pre-order

The Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are now available for pre-order. You can head over to Apple’s Web site now to grab the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 or 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. Just be sure you know which carrier, color, and storage option you want so that you can get the iPhone 6 in your cart and check out quickly, as the site is getting hammered with traffic that may result in errors:

Carriers:

  • AT&T
  • Sprint
  • T-Mobile (requires full price purchase)
  • Verizon Wireless

Colors:

  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Space Gray

Storage Options:

  • iPhone 6: 16GB ($199) / 64GB ($299) / 128GB ($399)
  • iPhone 6 Plus: 16GB ($299) / 64GB ($399) / 128GB ($499)

Good luck! Let us know what you ended up getting!

Read More | iPhone 6 Product Page

Gallery: Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus now available for pre-order


iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Excited about the announcements of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus from today's We Wish We Could Say More event? If you are wondering when you can get your hands on one, you won't have to wait long. As we reported a couple months ago, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will both go on sale on September 19th in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, and Singapore. That's the day you'll be able to go to an Apple Store, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, or your local wireless service carrier and buy an iPhone 6 (as long as it's in stock.) If you'd rather have it sent to you so that you can avoid the lines, you can pre-order the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus starting this Friday, September 12th. It may be an exercise in patience though, as iPhone pre-orders in the past have resulted in crashed Web sites, lost orders mid-checkout, and other frustrations.

Gallery: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be released September 19, pre-order September 12


iPhone 6 plus

The iPhone 6 wasn’t the only larger smartphone that Apple announced today at the We Wish We Could Say More event—meet the iPhone 6 Plus. Featuring a 5.5-inch 1080p Retina HD display, the iPhone 6 Plus is the biggest smartphone that Apple has released to date. It’s got a display that’s a full 1.5-inches larger than that of the iPhone 5s. Be sure to check out the details on the iPhone 6, since the iPhone 6 Plus has a fairly similar feature set.  However, there are a few key differences other than size.

The iPhone 6 Plus display has the same 16x9 aspect ratio as the iPhone 6, 5s, and 5c, but packs in more pixels due to the 1920x1080 resolution. The result is a 401 pixel-per-inch density, resulting in 185% more pixels than the iPhone 5s. That means it’ll be a lot sharper. It’s also thinner at 7.1 millimeters, compared to 7.6 for the iPhone 5s.

Click to continue reading iPhone 6 Plus: 5.5-inch Retina HD display, optical image stabilization, bigger battery for $299

Gallery: iPhone 6 Plus: 5.5-inch Retina HD display, optical image stabilization, bigger battery for $299


iPhone 6

During it's We Wish We Could Say More event, Apple unveiled the iPhone 6. The updated smartphone sports a new 4.7-inch Retina HD display with a resolution of 1334 x 750, resulting in a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch. Apple is calling this a Retina HD display, and aside from the increased size and ppi, it also has the full sRGB wide color gamut. On front is ion-stengthened cover glass that is curved at the edges--so, no sapphire crystal display after all. Apple has developed the new A8 processor to power the device, bringing with it a 25% speed bost. A new M8 coprocessor can now measure distance and steps climbed thanks, in part, to a barometer. It can also decipher between running and cycling to better track your movements. The iPhone 6 measure in as just 6.9mm thin, which makes it the thinnest device Apple has ever made.

LTE is updated to 150 Mbps, and it supports 20 LTE bands, which is the most in any smartphone. VoLTE is also built-in, which will allow voice call data over an LTE network. 802.11ac Wi-Fi finally comes to the iPhone 6, giving it a 3x faster wireless connection. Wi-Fi calling, allowing you to place calls when connected to a Wi-Fi network. The first networks to support VoLTE will be T-Mobile in the US and EE in the UK.

Click to continue reading Apple iPhone 6: 4.7-inch 1334 x 750 Retina HD display, A8 processor, NFC for $199 on September 19

Gallery: Apple iPhone 6: 4.7-inch 1334 x 750 Retina HD display, A8 processor, NFC for $199 on September 19


U2 Songs of Innocence free

At the end of Apple’s We Wish We Could Say More event, U2 hit the stage to play their new song “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)” for the crowd. At the end of the performance, though, it was announced that U2 had a new album called Songs of Innocence. After a bit of banter that saw Bono telling Tim Cook that he thought it would be cool if Apple distributed the album to all iTunes subscribers, Tim Cook said it was a deal. The end result? Anyone with an Apple iTunes account gets a copy of Songs of Innocence completely free. Even better, you don’t even have to redeem the offer. If you have an iTunes account, you’ll find that the album has already been placed in your account under Purchases.

The offer is available in 119 countries for iTunes and Beats Music users until October 13th, when the album will be sold for a fee, and show up in other stores as well.

Gallery: New U2 album Songs of Innocence available now for free on iTunes


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