Category: I-phone

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If you enjoy word searches then I think you’ll love Lexagram. Do you like crosswords? Do you enjoy completing a challenging sudoku puzzle? If so, then you’ll love the three-dimensional challenge of Lexagram. Lexagram is a word search where rearranging the game board is part of the challenge. Move letters around. Rotate rows and columns […]

It’s been a while since I put Sir Lamorak’s Quest on the app store so I thought I’d share how the downloads have been doing. Apart from this blog I’ve performed zero advertising for SLQ which is most likely why the downloads have just been ticking over. The best day of downloads saw a staggering […]

As a little bit of an off the wall question, I’m wondering what people would like to see mobile operators do for app developers. Most of the time app developers don’t even need to really consider the mobile operator being used as they are simply carrying data and is transparent to the developer. Also tying […]

OK, I’m official confused now with an odd problem with Particle Designer. The rendering of particles is perfect as long as I apply a 90 degree rotation clockwise to the particle textures. Without that all the textures are rendered on their left side. THIS IS MADNESS. I’ve debugged the living hell out of this and […]

iPhone 4 has been unlocked. That’s the news coming via Twitter from the developer of Linux on the iPhone, who tweets under the alias planetbeing:

The iPhone 4 unlock software allows you to use your iPhone on any GSM carrier. The only problem: Planetbeing’s iPhone 4 unlock solution has not been released to the public. Furthermore, iPhone 4 has not yet joined the list of jailbreak solutions.

The tweet that bore the news about the iPhone 4 unlock achievement also boasted this photo of the unlocked iPhone:

Watch planetbeing showing off “the world’s first and only carrier unlocked American iPhone 4″ in this YouTube video he recently posted:

Will you attempt to unlock your iPhone 4?

iPhone 4 Unlocked is a post from Apple iPhone Review.

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If you are like me and many other AT&T iPhone customers, you have logged on to Apple.com to find out how much a new iPhone 4 will cost you, and you have been startled by the exorbitant price tag. Apple ads say the iPhone 4 starts at $200/$300, but the fine print reveals that this discount price applies only to new AT&T contracts.

If you’re like me, your heart stopped as an unanticipated $700 price tag forced you to reconsider your iPhone 4 purchase. Well don’t get discouraged just yet. There is still hope for getting a cheaper iPhone 4, if you’re willing to ask a friend or family member for a favor.

Read on to find out how to save $200 on an iPhone 4 with the help of a close friend or family member:

Disclaimer: This story is for entertainment purposes only. I encourage everyone to abide by all the terms and conditions of their AT&T contracts. This article is not to be construed as counsel or advice. Attempt any of the following at your own risk.

First, let me outline some of Apple and AT&T’s iPhone rules and regulations.

Apple’s rules for iPhone 4 sales in the US:

• As most of you know, iPhone remains exclusive to AT&T as of this writing. That means you are not officially allowed to use another carrier on your iPhone. Note: It is not against the law to use another carrier. You can do so by jailbreaking then unlocking your iPhone, but be aware it will void your warranty.
• If you purchase an iPhone at your local Apple Store, you must activate it (i.e. link it with an AT&T account via iTunes) in the store at the time of purchase.
• If you are on a family plan, the primary account holder must go to the Apple Store to purchase iPhones for any of the other family members on the account.
• If you purchase an iPhone online, it must be shipped to the address of the primary account holder.

AT&T’s rules for iPhone 4 sales:

• AT&T will subsidize the cost of an iPhone 4 and offer it to new contract signers at $200 for the 16gb model or $300 for the 32gb model.
• AT&T offers “early upgrade” eligibility to certain users, meaning they can get a reduced price on a new iPhone 4. Early upgrade eligibility is determined by several factors in addition to your contract length, according to ZDNet’s guide to iPhone upgrade policies:
  

  AT&T takes into account your spending level, whether you are a good customer who pays his bill on time, and how far you are into your contract to determine whether you can upgrade early. AT&T has said that it will allow existing iPhone customers who are eligible for an upgrade between June 7 and the end of this year to get the best pricing for the iPhone 4 with a two-year term commitment.

• Upon purchasing the iPhone 4, you must select a data plan for your account. All iPhone customers must have a data plan.

As you can see, Apple and AT&T make it considerably difficult and nearly impossible for people to buy iPhones that are not linked to your own AT&T account. But there are ways to get around this.

How to Get a Cheaper iPhone 4

Imagine this scenario:

You have a friend or family member who is one of those “non-tech” people that is perfectly content with a modest cell phone with basic functionality. In my case, this person could be my mother. She has a basic camera phone that she is happy to continue using with her AT&T account, which has always served her well.

If you have a spouse, family member, or close friend who fits this description, they may be able to help you get a $200 discount on the iPhone 4, assuming you are in the position to pay $600/$700 with your own AT&T account.

Now imagine my mother has early upgrade eligibility and is allowed to purchase the iPhone for $400/$500 instead of $600/$700. I send her a $427 (with taxes) check for a 16gb iPhone 4, she purchases the iPhone and links it to her phone number, mails it to me and I place my SIM card in and activate it with my phone number.

As a result, I get an iPhone 4 for $200 cheaper, and she goes back to her old cell phone.

A couple of caveats:

1. She has added a $15 data plan to her account, which she doesn’t actually need. To remove the data plan, we will call AT&T and simply tell them she has switched back to her old phone and no longer has any need for the data plan.
2. This may prevent her from getting an AT&T-subsidized cell phone in the near future.

Does This Work?

Yes. Although the thought never occurred to me in previous years, my friend recommended I do this after learning about it from one of his friends who works at AT&T. Many people are on family plans, so it is easy to do this “bait and switch” with a family member who does not care to get a fancy phone. Even if you are not on a family plan, this should still work. My friend has successfully reduced his iPhone price with this method a couple of times already.

Is This Allowed?

To the best of my knowledge, the above strategy is not illegal, though it may technically go against your AT&T contract (who knows? did you actually read the whole thing?). According to ZDnet’s iPhone upgrade guide, this is a tricky issue:

Let’s say that I have an iPhone 3GS. I’m not eligible for an upgrade, but my husband who is on my family plan and has an LG flip phone is eligible for an upgrade. Can I use his upgrade to get a new iPhone 4 for $199 or $299 for myself?
This is tricky. Technically, the answer is no. The upgrade is only for the subscriber whose contract is expiring. But a way to get around this is to “replace” the old LG phone with the iPhone 4. Then you can switch the phone numbers and continue to use the LG phone and reduce the service on that line.

Source: Demistifying AT&T’s iPhone upgrade policies (FAQ)

Who Should You Ask for the Favor?

It takes a generous person to do this for you, and that’s why I recommend only asking people who are close to you and who you think would not mind doing you the favor. Ask someone who is not tech savvy and is perfectly content with a basic cheap phone. I have a few friends and family members who just don’t care to have an iPhone or a new cell phone. These are the perfect candidates to ask.

Conclusion

Again, please attempt this at your own risk. However, it is a shortcut that has worked for a friend of mine and that I expect would work for me, based on the research I have done.

Let me know if this works out for you and if you have any other tips for saving money on a new iPhone.

How to Get a Cheaper iPhone 4 With the Help of a Friend or Family Member is a post from Apple iPhone Review.

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Whether by intention or not, Apple is failing to crank out iPhone 4s fast enough to supply the millions of potential customers who demand one. How else do you explain the high prices that iPhone 4s are selling for on eBay?

An Advanced Search of the completed listings for “iPhone 4″ on eBay turns up results for over a thousand iPhones that have recently sold for anywhere between $985 to $2,650.

I estimated about 1,200 iPhone 4s were sold between June 29 and July 12 in the price range of $999 to $2,650. The vast majority of those sold for somewhere between $950 and $1,200.

The ones selling in the $2,000 ballpark usually claim to be unlocked or “unlockable.” It remains tricky (if not impossible) to jailbreak and unlock an iPhone 4, so be wary if you expect an unlocked iPhone from an eBay seller.

I have yet to receive my iPhone 4 in the mail, and will be waiting until August 5, according to my purchase confirmation email from Apple. If the eBay iPhone market is any indication, my patience will save me a considerable amount of money.

What’s the highest you would be willing to bid for an iPhone 4 on eBay?

iPhone 4s on eBay Selling for $1,000 to $2,500 is a post from Apple iPhone Review.

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Update #2: Congrats to the winners: Ryan, Kristina, Ritchie, The Junk Monger, Rob, Zack, Mike, Benjamin, Chris and Mary. I have sent you emails requesting a mailing address. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Update #1: Amanda of CraftyGalDecals has offered to donate 10 single packs of the iPhone 4 decal wraps. Leave a comment on this post to receive yours. Let me know if you have a color preference.

Not satisfied with Steve Jobs’ answer to the iPhone 4 antenna issue? To avoid blocking the antenna signal when holding the iPhone 4 left-handed, Jobs says simply “stop holding it that way” or use a case. Gee, thanks. Jobs’ suggestions are not ideal fixes for many people, including Etsy seller CraftyGalDecals, who came up with her own smart solution to the iPhone 4 reception issue.

CraftyGal has devised a simple vinyl strip that blocks the conductivity from your finger from interfering with the iPhone 4 antenna. Although I have not tested the decals myself, they should theoretically work, considering an iPhone case has the same effect. As someone who sometimes likes to go without a case — to get the “real” iPhone experience, as Apple intended — I appreciate this alternative solution.

The decals come in a multitude of colors, and add style to your new iPhone without the need for a case. Plus they will protect the bezel of your iPhone 4. You can purchase them from the CraftyGalDecals Etsy store in single packs or in sets of three.

The seller has offered to donate a few decal sets to my readers, so leave a comment if you want one and I will select the winners by Tuesday, July 6. In exchange for the gift, I simply ask that you come back here and comment to tell me if the decal solved your iPhone 4 antenna problem.

Leave a comment below for a chance to win.

[Free Giveaway] Solve the iPhone 4 Antenna Issue With These Decal Wraps on Etsy is a post from Apple iPhone Review.

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iOS4 brought some much-needed improvements to the iPhone in terms of app management. Now, apps can be grouped into folders and a multitasking panel lets you switch among active apps (for 3GS users only). The problem is, these features are underwhelming additions to a platform that should have had these capabilities as soon as the App Store was introduced.

Apple should have added folders to iPhone two years ago. What they should be doing at this point is paying attention to the details and making the app management process more fluid.

App Management & Notification Handling

As I began to drag app icons from page to page to organize my folders, I wondered why that process is so difficult. I had to move each app, one by one, across pages to its destination folder. Why can’t Apple simply apply the same select/copy/paste system to icons to make organizing apps a cinch?

Another thing that’s sorely missing from the iPhone is a notification handling system. The iPhone is far too advanced to be missing this feature. Right now, if I get a notification for an item in my Todo list and I close it, I will never see that notification again. iPhone is in desperate need of a notification handling system (like Facebook) so that I can keep track of my many notifications. If I choose to be notified about something, then it’s obviously important enough to me to be kept in a list of recent notifications.

Too Little, Too Late?

It seems to me that Apple did not think ahead when it introduced the App Store. When the iPhone came out, everyone cried for third party apps and Apple told us to use web apps.

Then, the App Store hit the iPhone and you quickly had a mess of icons cluttering pages and pages of your iPhone. Furthermore, to this day you are still forced to keep Apple’s default apps on your iPhone, even if you don’t need them. I never use Stocks, Contacts or Weather yet I can’t delete them. How arrogant of Apple to force us to keep their rarely-updates junk apps.

Conclusion

Folders and multitasking are great, but Apple, please give us the following to make using the iPhone a better experience:

1. Let us grab and drag multiple apps at once to organize into folders.
2. Let us choose to delete default apps that are useless to us, like Stocks, Weather and Contacts in my case.
3. Give us a history of notifications so that we can keep track of our important items.

These are the features I hope to see in the iOS 4.1 iPhone update.

What Say You?

Are folders enough or does iPhone still need some app handling improvements?

iPhone Still Needs Better App Management, Notification Handling is a post from Apple iPhone Review.

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