Latest Gear Live Videos
Facebook introduces single sign-on for mobile
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Business Tools, News, Social Media,
This morning Facebook announced improvements to their iPhone and Android apps, as well as changes to how they handle their sign-on platform. First, the new Groups and Places features are now fully integrated into both apps, which also brings up the Android app to be on par with the iPhone one. This will allow you to take part of all those groups while on the go. Their mobile apps hadn't been updated in a while, so it's good to see the company commit themselves to the mobile space. As a side note, they did comment that Facebook had no plan to make a phone of their own, preferring to instead bring their platform to the devices that people use.
The second part of the announcement dealt with single sign-on. Mark Zuckerberg described the troubles and frustrations that entering usernames and passwords could be on a phone, and their approach to solving it. They are now providing developers with a way to integrate a single button that will log users to their services. Now, to log into any mobile site or service that supports this feature, all you'll have to do is click on the button "sign in with Facebook". No more username or password to remember. They showed the Groupon and Zynga apps which will support this feature soon, with many more on board.
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30 reasons to jailbreak your iPhone
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Mods / Hacks, Software,
So, you've heard all about this iPhone jailbreak stuff, but haven't ever taken the plunge? The folks over at ReadWriteWeb have put together 30 reasons why you might wanna consider it. While the team "jailbreak" might sound a bit scary, what you are basically doing by jailbreaking your device is enabling the ability to install apps that aren't in the App Store because Apple wouldn't accept them for one reason or another. In the video above, for example, you get a look at FolderEnhancer, a tweak that allows you to put as many apps into a folder as you'd like, swipe between pages in a folder, and even put folders inside of other folders.
Another of our personal favorites, BiteSMS, makes the list as well, and it's basically SMS the way Apple should have implemented it in the first place. You can reply directly from the notification, send an SMS from anywhere (without having to go into the actual Messaging app,) and much more. There are other tweaks that enable things like FaceTime over 3G (removing the Wi-Fi-only restriction,) and the fantastic SBSettings, which gives you access to toggle a bunch of buried iPhone features off and on from anywhere.
Head on over to ReadWriteWeb for the full list.
Read More 
| ReadWriteWeb
AGF Beetle iPhone 4 case review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Product Reviews,
The folks over at AGF have worked with AT&T on bringing their Beetle case for the iPhone 4 to market. We were sent an assortment of them to play around with and test on our iPhone 4 model, and we wanted to report back to you guys with some of our thoughts on the case.
Click to continue reading AGF Beetle iPhone 4 case review
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Apple working on embedded SIM for iPhone?
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,
Apple has gotten creative with SIM cards in the past. They've done it before with the iPad, which uses a MicroSIM to connect to a 3G cellular network, and then the iPhone 4 followed suit. While they didn't exactly invent the technology, it's the first time that this gets used in a mass market device. Now, this morning, sources inside of some European carriers say that Apple is ready to pull a similar stunt. Apple and SIM maker Gemalto are reportedly about to implement a new SIM technology which would live permanently inside of the iPhone, and wouldn't need to be removed to switch carrier. The new SIM could be changed from one network to the next by the software, removing the need for it to be a removable card.
This is only rumor at this point, and if it was any other company it would be a dubious one at best. However, Apple's already proved that they can make carriers bend to their will to a certain extent, and this may be no different. The main benefit for Apple would be the ability to bypass the carrier. Consumers could buy a phone online, without any need to be pre-attached to a carrier like AT&T or T-Mobile, and then choose themselves which carrier to configure it for, at will.
Of course it's not all good for the end user. This would remove some of the control from the cellular network, but that control would be put straight into Apple's hands. So it remains to be seen what they would do with such increased power. Nevertheless, if they do manage this feat, it's clear others would be tempted to do so. Time will tell if Apple breaks the smartphone mold once more.
Read More | GigaOM
Apple delays white iPhone 4 release for the third time
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Handhelds, Rumors,
Last night, Apple put out a statement saying that the white iPhone 4 would be delayed again, this time until Spring 2011. This would mark the third time that the white device would be delayed by the company due to manufacturing issues. Apparently, the culprit behind this is that the white glass lets a little too much light through to the inside of the phone, which leaks into the camera sensor and results in washed-out images. The odd thing here is that we all expect that the next iPhone, iPhone 5 or whatever it may be, will be launching around June. Will Apple really release the iPhone 4 in a new color so close to the end of its cycle?
In the meantime though, we've had our white iPhone 4 for a while now, and we've seen no image quality differences between the our white model and black model. In fact, if you wanted one, you could get a white one yourself. Have a look at our white iPhone 4 video coverage for details.
Click to continue reading Apple delays white iPhone 4 release for the third time
Read More | Reuters
Bleeding Edge TV 368: A look at the White iPhone 4
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Apple, Cell Phones, Design, Features, Podcasts, Videocasts, Videos,
We've got our hands on a white iPhone 4, and we give you a look at the device in this episode. Apple delayed the white iPhone 4 at launch, and then delayed it a second time due to manufacturing issues. We go over some of those issues in this video. We also tell you how you can get your black iPhone 4 converted to white, or how you can just get a white one outright. If you're interested in getting your black iPhone 4 converted, or buying a white iPhone 4, here are the details:
Contact Joshua Drenter at whiteiphoneconversion@yahoo.com The base conversion is $300. The full conversion, which includes the white dock port and headphone jack (so the phone is identical in every way to the white iPhone) is an additional $120. Anyone who mentions Gear Live gets 10% off!
Big thank you to JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like.
Game Boy Color decals for iPhone 4
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Accessories, Apple, Smartphones, Design, Video Games,
If you ever looked at your iPhone 4 and thought “hey, I wish this were a Game Boy Color instead!”, then you are in luck. Etsy can bring your fantasy to life with their vinyl Game Boy Color stickers. These are no ordinary stickers, as they have an outdoor life of 5 to 7 years. Other colors and plenty of unique designs are also available from Etsy.
Read More | Etsy
Beyond the iPhone: Why Paying Attention to the Diverse Mobile Devices and Channels Pays Dividends
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Editorial, Features, Software,
With more than 45 million smartphone and tablet users nationwide and ABI Research predicting that 6 billion mobile applications will be downloaded this year alone, businesses, especially those looking to reach consumers, have been frenzied about launching mobile offerings. In the past several years, much of the buzz surrounding the mobile space has been about the iPhone. With the debut of the iPhone 4 earlier this year, many businesses continue to focus their mobile strategy resources solely on this much-hyped operating system. In fact, a recent Kony Solutions survey of Fortune 500 corporations found that a staggering 85% of respondents ranked the iPhone as their top priority device for mobile support.
However, the current mobile landscape is quite fragmented - given the sheer number of handsets available to consumers - and the market isn’t necessarily dominated by the iPhone. A 2010 Gartner report estimated that the iPhone holds just 2.7% of the mobile market share. Notably, Android has surpassed Apple’s iOS, and comScore recently reported that RIM actually continues to capture the most smartphone market share (although Apple just announced that they've surpassed RIM for Q4 2010.) As such, the true market share of the iPhone doesn’t warrant the resources and strategy being dedicated solely to this device by Fortune 500 corporations, and companies in this position stand to lose more than 97% of mobile customers.
Apple sells 14.1 million iPhones, iPad outsells Mac
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Handhelds, PC / Laptop,
Apple is in the midst of their quarterly financial results call, and the impressive numbers are in. The big one here is that Apple sold 14.1 million iPhone in their Q4 2010 quarter, which is almost double what they sold in Q4 2009, and is just...wow. In addition, for the first time iPad has outsold Macs with 4.19 million units sold, despite Apple selling more Macs this quarter than any other quarter in history (3.89 million.) This all leads to Apple bringing in over $20 billion for the quarter, and profiting over $4 billion.
The most interesting thing here to us is that these numbers are before the holiday season began, and you just know the Q1 2011 numbers will very likely be even higher. Full press release after the jump.
Click to continue reading Apple sells 14.1 million iPhones, iPad outsells Mac
Limera1n iOS 4.1 jailbreak now available for Mac
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Mods / Hacks, Software,
Limera1n, the first jailbreak tool compatible with iOS 4.1 is now available for the Mac. When first released five days ago, it was Windows-only, and wouldn't even work inside of a virtual machine. Now Mac owners can get in on the action. Limera1n works with all iOS devices.
Read More | Limera1n
