Apple Releases iOS 4.3.3 With Location Tracking Bug Fixes

Apple today released iOS 4.3.3, bringing several fixes and improvements to Apple’s operating system for mobile devices, including addressing bugs cited in the recent location-tracking controversy. The build number is 8J2 for the majority of devices, with the CDMA iPad 2 receiving Build 8J3. A separate iOS 4.2.8build 8E401 is also available for the CDMA iPhone 4.

This update contains changes to the iOS crowd-sourced location database cache including:

– Reduces the size of the cache
– No longer backs the cache up to iTunes
– Deletes the cache entirely when Location Services is turned off

This Is The iPhone 4 Case For Hipstamatic Junkies

By Adrian Covert on April 29, 2011 at 10:40 AM on Gizmodo

If you spend half your day snapping Hipstamatic photos on your iPhone 4 or sharing your on Instagram via stylised photography, the HipstaCase was made for you.

Hipstamatic teamed up with accessory maker Agent 18 to fashion the HipstaCase, which takes on the likeness of the toy cameras that inspired the photo app to begin with. It also comes with a tripod mount and a loop to add a japanese charm to your phone, which some of us love. It’s $US40, and if you pre-order before May 5, shipping is free. [Mashable]

Your Current Xperia Phone Won’t Be Getting Froyo. Ever.

By Nick Broughall on January 25, 2011 at 1:30 PM on Gizmodo

2010 was a huge year for Android, but one problem kept recurring – getting an update to the latest version of the operating system was far from guaranteed, regardless of manufacturer, or mobile carrier. What is guaranteed is that current Sony Ericsson Xperia owners will never be moving beyond Android version 2.1, with the company confirming that Froyo is definitely not an option for future upgrades.

Sony Ericsson’s official statement below explains that they believe their proprietary enhancements to the Eclair version of Android is competitive enough make the upgrade more effort than it’s worth. They still plan on rolling out smaller updates over the coming months – including adding multitouch – but the core OS will remain as version 2.1 for all current Xperia phones.

We’re planning another upgrade to bring new features (such as multi-touch for Xperia™ X10) to the current family of Xperia™ smartphones in early Q1 (ie: very shortly), however we will not be upgrading the current Xperia™ range beyond Android 2.1. We believe that with the current hardware platform an overhaul of the underlying core OS wouldn’t drastically improve the user experience. Android OS 2.1 coupled with Sony Ericsson’s proprietary upgrades and superior entertainment hardware (8.1 mp camera and HD video recording) delivers a user experience that is on par with, and in many cases better than, a vanilla installation of Android 2.2. Obviously in an ideal world we would keep producing new updates for existing phones forever. However, replacing the base Android version again on the 2010 phones in our view simply doesn’t improve the user experience enough to make it viable.

Our priority right now is to keep enhancing the user experience of the existing products through coming updates and to deliver a fantastic range of smartphones in 2011 that are all on the latest possible version of Android – that is a target we are determined to hit!

Given that one of the reasons it took so long to move from Android 1.6 to 2.1 was the proprietary software running on top of the OS, we’ll have to wait and see whether anyone picking up the Gingerbread-running Xperia Arc will be subjected to the same delayed upgrade path. According to TechRadar, it hopefully won’t be as big a problem, with a Senior Sony Ericsson executive confessing that they weren’t able to “uncouple” the Timescape UI with Android on the X10, but have managed to do it with the upcoming Arc.

The question now is whether or not this move from Sony Ericsson will sway potential customers away from future Xperia handsets?

White iPhone 4 Appears in Best Buy Inventory System With February 27th Launch Date

posted by Eric Slivka on Tuesday January 18, 2011 11:50 AM on MacRumours

We’ve received information today from a source sharing the above screenshot claimed to be from a Best Buy inventory database showing both 16 GB and 32 GB white iPhone 4 models listed with expected in-stock dates of February 27th. The SKU and model numbers associated with the entries are identical to those previously used by Best Buy when it was taking pre-orders for the white iPhone 4 prior to last summer’s launch, pre-orders that were canceled when Apple delayed availability of the white versions.

The discovery comes as Engadget notes that the white iPhone 4 has similarly showed up in the inventory system of Vodafone Germany. That report’s source also indicated that a launch is expected “soon”.

It is unknown whether these outlets have actual information on an upcoming release of the white iPhone 4 models or if they are simply preparing their internal systems in anticipation of Apple’s most recent claims of a “spring” release for the long-delayed white versions. February 27th is a Sunday, which would be an odd choice for an Apple product release, as the company typically targets its launches of highly-anticipated products for Thursdays or Fridays in order to generate high-volume sales over the launch weekends.

The potential impact of a white iPhone 4 has likely lessened as the months have gone by, with customers who had been interested in the white version in many cases having moved on to second-choice handsets and consumers already looking forward to the expected release of a fifth-generation iPhone in the middle of the year. Rumors surfacing just after Apple’s October announcement of the latest delay in availability had even suggested that the company has no intention of releasing the white iPhone 4 and will simply announce another delay sometime early this year that will lead into the release of the fifth-generation devices.

This is what happens when you don’t pay attention whilst texting!

Check this out, a women in a US shopping mall was oblivious to where she was walking whilst furiously texting on her mobile.

Well she walked right into a fountain and well got a bit wet! So much for her mobile phone!

‘Google Places’ With Hotpot Reviews Debuts for iOS

posted by Eric Slivka on Wednesday January 12, 2011 11:46 AM on MacRumours

Google today announced the launch of a new Google Places application for iOS devices, offering users the ability to search for nearby places and incorporating the users’ own ratings in the results algorithm.

In case you aren’t familiar with Google Places, it lets you quickly search for places nearby and personalizes the results based on places you’ve rated. We get you started with a few popular search categories, but you can also tailor the list by adding your own favorite searches. This makes it fast and easy to find the best places for you with little fuss.

The new Google Places app also integrates the company’s “Hotpot” social ratings and reviews functionality, allowing users to easily rate restaurants and other places right from the iPhone app while they are at the locations. These ratings and recommendations over time are used to inform Google’s own recommendations for users.

Just fire up the app and hit “Rate now.” It will use your location to guess your current place and let you post a Hotpot review right from your phone. But it’s not just about getting to say what you think – the more you rate places, the more you’re sharing about your tastes and the more we can give you personally tailored recommendations.

Google Places is currently English-only, but new localizations and features are coming “soon”.

HTC to Use USB Port for HDMI Video

By Janko Roettgers Jan. 10, 2011, 8:00am PDT on Gigaom

HTC will be one of the first mobile device manufacturers to embrace a new standard that makes it possible to connect mobile phones straight to a TV’s HDMI port without adding any extra ports to the phone itself, according to a report from heise.de. The technology, dubbed MHL, uses a phone’s Micro USB port and a special converter chip to transmit HD video to the TV set. It could put further pressure on handheld HD cameras like Cisco’s Flip, which tend to offer Micro HDMI ports for easy playback of HD footage on the TV screen.

MHL, which stands for “Mobile High-Definition Link,” has been developed by Silicon Image, one of the companies also involved in the development of the HDMI standard. MHL was first demonstrated at CES three years ago, and eventually led to the foundation of a consortium, which finalized the technology’s specifications last summer. The MHL Consortium is finalizing the certification of first mobile phones and TV sets in the coming two weeks, according to heise.de, and first devices could reach the market as early as this summer. HTC is reportedly one of the companies that will be part of this first wave of MHL-compatible mobile devices.

The new technology supports playback of 1080p HD video and 7.1 audio. End users will simply use a USB-to-HDMI cable to connect their phone to the TV, and MHL chips in the phone as well as the TV set will do the rest to properly transmit the video signal. MHL can also be used the charge the phone, and the technology even offers a control channel that will make it possible to control the phone via your TV remote. Existing TVs that don’t offer an integrated MHL chip will be able to utilize video from MHL mobile phones through external adapters.

If successful, MHL could have a couple of interesting implications: Mobile phones are increasingly competing with the Flip and similar consumer HD camcorders. However, even phones with HD recording capabilities oftentimes don’t offer any easy way to actually share the HD footage. Apple is trying to solve this with Airplay, but what if you didn’t even need an Apple TV to watch HD video on your TV screen?

I’m also looking forward to the day that someone comes out with a Roku or a Boxee Box powered by your TV. One less device to plug into that power strip, and also, one less device that’s adding to your power bill while in standby mode. But the real kicker here seems to be that phones could become a kind of HD media center in your pocket. Imagine you’re in a hotel room. You plug your phone into the TV, and immediately have access to HD movies via Netflix, while your phone is charging up for your next work day. What’s not to like about that?

Optus To Offer 24-Month Warranties With Contract Mobiles

By Angus Kidman on January 7, 2011 at 2:30 PM on Gizmodo

Just yesterday, we mentioned that new consumer laws meant that items sold on a contract should be covered by a warranty for the life of that contract. Proving the point, the ACCC has negotiated a court-enforceable undertaking with Optus that means phones sold on a 24-month deal will be under warranty for that entire period — even for iPhone owners.

The ACCC already had similar deals in place with Telstra and Vodafone, which means a large portion of the market is covered by a proper warranty arrangement that lasts the length of the contract. (Note that the Optus deal doesn’t extend to other companies which use its network such as Boost or Virgin Mobile, since it doesn’t deal directly with consumers or supply phones under those arrangements.)

What’s particularly interesting about the deal is that it includes the iPhone, something which didn’t happen with the Telstra and Vodafone arrangements, much to the ACCC’s chagrin. Optus is generally reckoned to have the largest share of the Australian iPhone market (something which might be at least partially explained by the fact that it has the cheapest contract deals), so getting Apple included for the full 24 months is definitely a win for consumers. We’ll watch to see if similar concessions are extended by Vodafone and Telstra.

LG Optimus Black Coming To Australia In May

By Seamus Byrne on January 7, 2011 at 2:45 PM on Gizmodo

LG’s Optimus Black is their hero handset for 2011. It’s sleek, it’s bright, and it’s expected to land in Australia around May.

The LG Optimus Black is seen as the hero handset for LG’s fresh push for 2011. It’s a sleek 9.2mm at its thickest point, running Froyo, and features a screen LG is calling NOVA. Yep, everyone has a name for their screens these days.

The killer feature for NOVA is its daylight mode that pumps up the brightness to 700 nits, far beyond most handsets and into a brightness level that makes it genuinely usable in daylight. Compare that with its indoor brightness of 280 nits. But it’s also smart with its screen’s power usage, running about 40% more efficient than other screens. And where AMOLED screens would draw 530mA power while viewing a bright white screen like the Google search page, the NOVA screen draws a standard 160mA power whether it is viewing black or white screens.

LG sees this power saving as a major battery win, with expected life between charges pushing out to two days where many current smartphones run a day or a day and a half before they dry up.

LG expects the Optimus Black to launch in Australia around May. While they are still in discussions with carriers, they feel this is likely to launch with more than one carrier and it will launch in either the $79 or $49 cap range.

 

AirStash is a Wireless USB Drive For Your iPhone or iPad

Tue, Jan 4, 2011 | by Andy Boxall on iPhoneFreak

The AirStash has been around for a while, however it’s being re-launched at CES 2011 with a few tweaks and the promise of a new app coming later in the month.  The AirStash is a USB flash drive which uses removable SD cards for storage, that creates its own Wi-Fi network ready for your iPhone, iPad or just about any other wireless-capable device to connect to.

Once you’re connected, you can stream video and music or view photos, and the latest WebDAV enhancement makes it possible to wirelessly save and then share documents created on your iPad in Pages, Numbers, Keynote or other similar apps.  The AirStash can be used to store all these files too, a useful feature given the size of most digital copies of movies these days.

The SD card can be a maximum of 32GB, and the AirStash itself doesn’t cost anything to use, has its own rechargeable battery, password protection and even supports up to eight devices at the same time.

The new application is waiting to be approved by Apple, and is designed with photographers in mind, as it allows browsing and bulk import of photos directly to the iPad from your camera’s SD card.

You can buy the AirStash direct from the manufacturers website, where it costs $99, but you’ll have to add your own SD card.  It’s only available in the US and Canada at the moment, but AirStash say they’ll be adding other countries soon.  If you grab one now, you’ll have to wait for a firmware update to activate the WebDAV feature.