November 23rd, 2009

AT&T, Apple to Verizon: 'Can your phone and your network do that?'

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 3:21 pm

Categories: AT&T, Apple, Mobile, Cell Phones and Smartphones, Verizon Wireless, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS

Tags: Food, Phone, Network, Verizon Communications Inc., AT&T Corp., Apple Inc., Food & Beverage, Smart Phones, Manufacturing, Consumer Electronics

The battle between AT&T and Verizon just won’t cease.

Shortly after AT&T debuted Luke Wilson noting that Verizon’s only winning attribute against it was the letter “V” comes a pair of iPhone commercials that end with the phrase, “Can your phone and your network do that?”

I don’t think they’re talking about Sprint and T-Mobile, if you catch my drift.

The ads, after the jump:

Read the rest of this entry »

November 23rd, 2009

Apple iPhone sales rise in Europe after end of exclusivity agreements

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 8:38 am

Categories: AT&T, Apple, Mobile, Cell Phones and Smartphones, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS

Tags: Apple iPhone, France, Europe, AT&T Corp., Apple Inc., Agreement, Sales Strategy, Smart Phones, Sales, Consumer Electronics

For those who think Apple iPhone sales will fall in the U.S. after its exclusive agreement with AT&T ends, think again: sales of the device in Europe are actually rising thanks to wider distribution.

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November 19th, 2009

Users should be smug, and why the Apple iPhone makes you feel smarter

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 3:05 am

Categories: Apple, Feature, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone original

Tags: Apple iPhone, Apple Inc., MAYA Design, Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Andrew Nusca

Manufacturers build an awful lot of complexity into their gadgets, but very few of them take pains to hide it — leaving users confused, bewildered and angry.

Who the heck wants to page through a 300-page instruction manual?

That kind of attitude can hurt a company’s bottom line when customers return products before bothering to figure out how to use them.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

MAYA Design’s Mickey McManus says products should be so intuitive that a customer feels silly explaining to another how it works.

And by silly, I mean smug — as in, “Isn’t it obvious?”

That’s why the Apple iPhone is so popular…it appears so obvious to use that you feel a little smug using it.

On SmartPlanet’s Smart Takes blog, McManus explains why such innovation is necessary as technology grows more complex and our brains stay exactly the same. Who doesn’t want to be a little smug?

November 9th, 2009

Australian iPhone worm won't give some users up

Posted by Rachel King @ 2:59 am

Categories: Apple, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone original

Tags: Apple iPhone, Phone, Worm, Virus, Cyberthreats, Smart Phones, Telecom & Utilities, Viruses And Worms, Security, Consumer Electronics

Jailbroken iPhone users beware: Rick Astley could be appearing on your phone soon, and he’s never going to give you up. So at least the new worm crawling around down under says. Read the rest of this entry »

October 16th, 2009

Gadget Gal's daily deals: Acer Aspire One netbook, Sony CyberShot digital camera, KEF PicoForte 1 iPod speaker

Posted by Jennifer Bergen @ 7:30 am

Categories: Acer, Cameras, Camcorders and Software, Computers, Digital Cameras, Gadget Gal's Daily Deals, Home Theater, Laptops, MP3 & portable media players, Netbooks, Sony, Toybox Highlights, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone original, iPod classic, iPod nano, iPod shuffle, iPod touch

Tags: Sony Corp., Apple iPod, Speaker, Digital Camera, Acer Inc., Sony Cyber-Shot, Camera, Netbook, KEF PicoForte 1, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs

A KEF PicoForte 1 iPod speaker system, an Acer Aspire One netbook, and a Sony CyberShot 12.1-megapixel digital camera. Here are your daily deals for Friday, October 16, straight form the Gadget Gal:

1. Get the KEF PicoForte 1 Speaker System for iPod for $99.88 at OneCall.  The KEF PicoForte 1 has a list price of $399.99. It features two 35-watt KEF 1001 speakers and an amplifier base with integrated iPod Dock connector. It doesn’t support the iPod shuffle, but you can plug the shuffle another players in through the auxiliary input. There’s a $15 fee for shipping, but you’re still saving a major chunk off of the original price. The deal expires at the end of the day.

[read the review] [find the deal]

2. Get a refurbished Acer Aspire One D150 10.1-inch netbook at Woot.com today for $229.99. The netbook has a list price of $499.99. It has an Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, 1GB DDR2, a 160GB hard drive, a six-cell battery for up to 6.5 hours of life, and comes with XP Home. It comes in black, blue, red, or white.

[read the review] [find the deal]

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October 8th, 2009

How much is too much for an iPod speaker dock?

Posted by Jennifer Bergen @ 1:54 pm

Categories: Apple, Home Theater, MP3 & portable media players, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone original, iPod classic

Tags: Apple iPod, Bose, Speaker, Bose SoundDock 10, SoundDock 10, Digital Music, Digital Media, Personal Technology, Consumer Electronics, Jennifer Bergen

I realize it would be nice to have the finer things in life — champagne wishes and caviar dreams –, but how much would you pay for an iPod dock? Bower & Wilkins just made its new Zeppelin Mini iPod speaker dock (pictured above) available for pre-order on Amazon for $400. Bose, who’s known for continually releasing high quality, but expensive, products, also just released a new iPod dock, the Bose SoundDock 10 at $600.

The Bose SoundDock 10 boasts a pair of proprietary Twiddler transducers, also known as a speaker, which is the secret behind the high fidelity sound. The SoundDock 10 is available now.

The Zeppelin Mini streams digital data straight from the iPod and uses an internal digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) to bypass the DACs in the iPod itself. Of course, it works with any MP3 player, but B&W claim that by using the internal DAC, the sound is unparalleled by any other iPod speaker system. The Zeppelin Mini will be available in November, but is available for pre-order now at Amazon.

With all that said, how willing are you to dish out $600 just to have something to plug your iPod into? With digital music becoming more and more of the norm, and CDs and vinyl taking a backseat, then maybe it is worth the extra money to get the best out of your digital music.

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

September 30th, 2009

Bravo Gustavo iPhone app puts conductor's baton in your hand

Posted by Jennifer Bergen @ 1:11 pm

Categories: Gaming, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone original, iPod touch

Tags: Apple iPhone, App, Music, Bravo Gustavo iPhone App, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jennifer Bergen

Maestro, if you please. For those of you who think games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band are full of the devil’s music, with all that crazy rock and roll, then this new iPhone app will be music to your ears. The Los Angeles Philharmonic has released Bravo Gustavo!, an iPhone app that lets you conduct a full orchestra.

Now, don’t get all Sorcerer’s Apprentice on us. The free app puts you in the shoes of Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil’s new music director, and transforms your iPod touch or iPhone into a conductor’s baton. You can then wave your phone around and pretend your conducting a symphony orchestra (or just look crazy). Also, you can set the tempo by tapping the screen.

If you don’t have an iPhone or iPod touch, you can play an online version, which is more like Guitar Hero. There’s only one song there too, but it’s a pretty fun way to pass a few minutes.

Hopefully both the online game and the app will add more songs soon! Check out both here.

September 28th, 2009

Apple App Store apps top 2 billion; that's 6.6 million downloads per day

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 7:21 am

Categories: Apple, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPod shuffle

Tags: Apple Inc., App, Smart Phones, Mobile Operating Systems, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Andrew Nusca

Apple on Monday announced that more than two billion apps have been downloaded from its App Store, far and away the largest applications store in the world.

That’s about 6.6 million app downloads per day.

There are now more than 85,000 apps available to the more than 50 million iPhone and iPod touch users in 77 countries worldwide.

There are more than 125,000 developers in Apple’s iPhone Developer Program.

The milestone reinforces the powerful business model Apple has created in which it sells hardware that survives and thrives from an endless stream of downloadable content, paid and free.

It also shows just how far behind Google’s Android, Palm, RIM and Windows Mobile are in securing this content (and profit) pipeline.

September 25th, 2009

Apple iPhone, Palm Pre price drop: How low can they go?

Posted by Jennifer Bergen @ 10:03 am

Categories: AT&T, Apple, Mobile, Cell Phones and Smartphones, Palm, Sprint Nextel, iPhone 3G

Tags: Apple iPhone, Palm Inc., Apple Inc., Palm Pre, Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jennifer Bergen

If you’re looking for a smartphone, but you just don’t want to fork over all that cash for a brand new iPhone, for example, then there’s good news: both the Palm Pre and the Apple iPhone have dropped in price.

First, the iPhone: AT&T is selling the refurbished 8GB iPhone 3Gs for $49.99 with a two-year contract. Gizmodo said it well: “That’s cheaper than a lot of dumbphones.” Check out AT&T for more details.

As for the Palm Pre: You can get it for only $99.99 at Amazon with a new two-year service plan. The phone itself has a list price of $499.99, so you’re getting quite a deal by starting a new plan with Sprint. Unlike the iPhone listed above, the Palm Pre being sold here is new, not refurbished. Visit Amazon for the full scoop.

September 25th, 2009

Texas Instruments debuts business calculator for iPhone, iPod touch

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 9:10 am

Categories: Apple, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS

Tags: Apple iPhone, Apple iPod, Texas Instruments Inc., Apple iPod Touch, App, Mortgages, Smart Phones, Digital Music, Digital Media, Financial Accounting

Texas Instruments on Wednesday announced its business calculator app for the iPhone and iPod touch, the BAII Plus App, is now available on the App Store. T

The app is targeted at business professionals and students who need a financial calculator but don’t want to carry around an extra device.

The app is equipped with all the original calculator’s features, and solves accrued interest, amortization, cost-sell-margin, depreciation and time-value-of-money calculations, such as annuities, mortgages, leases and savings.

The BAII Plus App is now available for $14.99 at the App Store.