Leander Kahney's Blog, page 1495

November 10, 2011

Are 'Appcessories' Headed to the Apple Store?

Photo by nabekor - http://flic.kr/p/8vGqTy

Appcessories. Just the word sounds cool, blending the popularity of apps with the omnipresent accessories for your Apple device. But can a word create a trend? You decide. The idea is being promoted by a hardware developer that iPhone apps controlling hardware devices could be as big as that watermelon-flavored case or the Nike+ iPod add-on. Indeed, the Apple Store could feature the category soon – or not.

"Appcessories are going to play a significant role in the future of smartphones and applications," Jawbone vice president Bandar Antabi, tells gadget blog T3. He believes "more and more companies" will integrate apps with accessories and hardware to enhance smartphone use. Additionally, he suggest "there is a lot of motivation for retailers" to create appcessory sections" at their stores.

Uh-huh.

Turns out, while pretty bizarre sounding, the term "appcessory" has been around for a while – at least since mid-2010. The North Carolina firm New Potato seems to have coined the word to describe its iPhone charging dock that also behaves like a one-armed bandit. Prior to that, the company also sold a device that turns your iPhone into a remote control. Why anyone would want to convert a $200 smartphone into a $20 channel changer, is beyond me, but it proves there is precedent for such a category of Apple products.

Of course, what the Jawbone exec wants to highlight is the upcoming release of its health monitoring app that connects to the iPhone.

While the company would love to promote its products, there does not appear to be any evidence Antabi has an inside track on Apple's retail plans. So, will we see more "appcessories" linking the iPhone, iPod or iPad? Maybe. Will Apple be rushing to promote the category? Not likely anytime soon.

View more on Leander Kahney's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 10, 2011 10:07

40% Of All Photos On Twitter Come From iOS

[image error]

Wow. Between Twitter for iPhone, the iOS 5 camera app and Instagram, a huge 40% of all pictures shared on Twitter actually originate from iOS. In fact, it could be more, since other Twitter clients are not broken down by platform.

No wonder Twitter struck a deal with Apple to integrate their micro-blogging service into iOS 5. If all of the iPhones suddenly disappeared from Earth in some sort of Cellular Rapture, Twitter would lose a devastating chunk of their user base!

[via The Next Web]

View more on Leander Kahney's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 10, 2011 10:03

T-Mobile: Lack of iPhone 4S Costing Us Subscribers

[image error]

Photo by Scoobyfoo - http://flic.kr/p/36jTkj

The inability to sell the iPhone is hurting T-Mobile USA. The only one of four U.S. carriers not offering the Apple smartphone, T-Mobile announced it saw a drop in new subscribers due to the iPhone 4S launching at Sprint, Verizon Wireless and AT&T in October.

The carrier added 126,000 customers during the third quarter, down from 137,000 new subscribers who joined the carrier during the same three-month period a year ago. The departure of contract subscribers "related to the iPhone 4S launches by competitors, will continue to be an area of concern," T-Mobile USA CEO Philipp Humm told reporters.

Soon after the news that Sprint — not T-Mobile — would be the third major U.S. carrier to get the iPhone, T-Mobile issued a perplexing statement seeming to put the onus on Apple. "Apple has not developed a version of the iPhone with technology that works on our fast 3G and 4G networks," said Senior Marketing VP Andrew Sherrard. The technology that Apple doesn't wan to support? A little-known wireless standard called Advanced Wireless Services, or AWS. Unlike CDMA and GSM, which are used by wide swaths of the globe, AWS is limited to parts of the U.S. and Canada.

As we've reported North America is no longer were the revenue is for Apple and others. Instead, China, South America and Asia are the hotspots — which use GSM and CDMA, not AWS. Little wonder, then that T-Mobile's plaintive comment that who Apple partners with is Apple's decision brought only the sound of crickets.

But you have to feel for T-Mobile. First they were passed over by Sprint, then C Spire Wireless, a company most consumers never heard of, gets the iPhone. One of its last hopes for the iPhone, to get the handset by being bought by AT&T, is then blocked – not only by the U.S. Justice Dept., but by iPhone sellers Sprint and C Spire.

View more on Leander Kahney's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 10, 2011 09:09

Apple's Working To Build A Speaker Right Into The iPod Nano And Shuffle

[image error]

Introducing your friends to the hottest new bands on your iPod isn't much fun when you have to share one set of headphones. According to a newly-surfaced Apple patent, however, this may be a thing of the past, because future iPods could feature integrated speakers so that everyone can enjoy your music on the subway.

Apple's patent, simply entitled "Speaker Clip," was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and describes a method in which a piezoelectric speaker is built into a clip on an iPod nano or iPod shuffle.

The clip is similar to those on current models, but it features a grille that accommodates the tiny speaker underneath, allowing the device enough air to pump out your tunes. The speaker is wired up to the device through a conduit in the clip's spring-loaded hinge.

Apple doesn't specify how the speaker may be used, but it's likely that it would be used for music, and possibly simply feedback sounds when navigating the device's menus. Like the click sound found on older, click-wheel iPods.

However, a speaker of that size, which must be small enough to be built into an iPod's clip, is unlikely to produce a sound of any decent quality at all, which is one reason why you may never see the clip brought to market.

There is another interesting find in this patent, however. In the exploded diagram below, the iPod nano features a large hole in its clip which strengthens those rumors that claim an upcoming nano will boast a camera.

[image error]

[via MacRumors]

View more on Leander Kahney's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 10, 2011 08:33

Amazon Increases Kindle Fire Orders Again — This Time to 5M

Photo by witchnymph - http://flic.kr/p/8ZWKHq

Amazon is reportedly increasing its orders for its Kindle Fire tablet to 5 million units following continued "strong" early demand for the 7-inch device. But could greater demand for the iPad rival actually backfire on the e-bookseller?

Citing anonymous "upstream component suppliers," industry publication DigiTimes reports Amazon increased orders for the Fire "before the end of 2011." The news of continued strong pre-orders seems to dovetail with our report that Amazon was averaging 50,000 sales per day. The $199 Kindle Fire officially goes on sales November 15.

This is the second time Amazon has told its suppliers to produce more of the tablets. In the middle of the third quarter, the company increased orders to 4 million units, up from 3.5 million. The Kindle Fire could rival early demand for Apple's iPad 2. Leaked sales numbers suggest 250,000 of the Kindle tablets were pre-sold during the first five days, an amount that if continued could reach 2.5 million units already sold before the official launch next Tuesday. The demand would equal the 2.5 million iPad 2 tablets Apple sold during the first month, a level no Android-based alternative has been able to approach.

But such heavy demand for the Kindle Fire could come at a cost for Amazon. Each Kindle Fire could be sold for a $10 loss to the Seattle-based company, according to the MainStreet website. However, Amazon may be willing to eat the price in order to direct consumers its numerous cloud-based services tied to the tablet.

All of which comes down to another Apple advantage: it's tightly-controlled supply lines. This factor could become the latest — and most difficult hurdle — for Android rivals to cross.

View more on Leander Kahney's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 10, 2011 08:12

Apple Is Holding Back A Hulu Plus App For Apple TV [Rumor]

[image error]

A Hulu Plus application seems like the perfect addition to Apple's $99 set-top box. While the device already comes packing a native Netflix app, the only way users can access current TV shows is by using the iTunes Store. According to some sources, however, a Hulu Plus app is ready to go, but Apple may not release it.

The Cupertino company already has a final build of the Hulu Plus app, according to sources for 9to5Mac, but it's not yet ready to go public. There are no technical issues holding it back, but there are some political ones.

Apple reportedly feels that the launch of Hulu Plus on the Apple TV could damage TV show sales through the company's iTunes Store. Netflix already offers older TV shows, but the iTunes Store is the only source for fresh content. The launch of Hulu Plus would mean that's no longer the case, and those with a subscription may not be visiting the iTunes Store as often as they have been.

Hulu Plus is already available on Apple's iOS devices, but it's one of the few video streaming apps that doesn't offer AirPlay compatibility, which means you can't send content to your TV unless you hook up your iPad via HDMI.

View more on Leander Kahney's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 10, 2011 05:27

iOS 5 Has a Secret Autocorrect Keyboard Feature Just Like Android

[image error]

It seems that panoramic camera feature isn't the only thing that Apple is hiding inside its latest iOS 5 software. There's also an autocorrect keyboard feature just like that found on Android devices, which suggests words as you type making it quicker and easier than ever to type on an iOS device.

The feature was discovered by iOS hacker Sonny Dickson, and just like the hidden panoramic feature, the autocorrect keyboard can be enabled without jailbreaking. Here's how to do it:

Download iBackupBot Backup your iOS device using iTunes Open the iBackupBot applications and find your latest backup, then open it Navigate to Library/Preferences/com.apple.keyboard.plist and open up the file, then add the following code:
KeyboardAutocorrectionLists Yes Now save the changes you have made and restore your device using the backup you just edited and the iBackupBot software. You must use this application — you cannot restore using iTunes

Now you're all done. You should now have the autocorrect feature shown in the screenshot above.

Did it work for you?

[via 9to5Mac]

View more on Leander Kahney's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 10, 2011 04:29

November 9, 2011

Akitio Releases New MyCloud Duo Cloud Storage Device

[image error]

Yes, cloud computing is all the rage these days; question is, d'you plonk all your stuff down on a distant server, or keep your digital junk safe and dry inside your own home, with your own personal cloud? If you picked the latter, Akitio's new NAS device might appeal to you.

Just like the Pogoplug and it's ilk, the MyCloud Duo ($149) provides you with a place to store stuff (in this case, you install hard drives directly into the enclosure), and then stream it remotely on a local network throughout your house, or access it from the Internet over the web, or through Aktio's apps — in fact, Akitio has no less than four apps, and frankly, we weren't sure which one works with what or how.

The MyCloud Duo comes with UPnP-AV and is compatible with DLNA-supported gadgets (but not AirPlay), supports up to three TB and can be set up in a RAID arrangement.

View more on Leander Kahney's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 09, 2011 19:16

Hide From Creeps With RingShuffle's Extra Phone Number [Daily Freebie]

[image error]

Ever faced with one of those situations where you need to give out your phone number, but you feel a bit iffy about doing it? RingShuffle is a free app that's ideal to have on your iPhone for exactly those occasions.

It works pretty simply: Pick one of three numbers RingShuffle makes available to you, and give that number out; you can even pick a number from a different area code. Then when someone calls your RingShuffle number, it'll automatically be forwarded to your iPhone — with the other side none the wiser.

The number will expire after a week, but you can renew the number, or grab a completely different one. The only problem is that you can't call out with the number. Oh, and you might want to change your voicemail message if you announce your number.

View more on Leander Kahney's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 09, 2011 19:10

Thirty Days With Sonos Play 3: A Letter From Music Heaven [Review]

[image error]

The Sonos Play 3 also comes in Black with a graphite grille. image: Sonos

I could tell what Sonos and its PR firm thought about the product as I walked in.

Festooned over a thousand square feet of penthouse atop one of San Francisco's finest boutique hotels were samovars of fresh coffee, pitchers of fresh-squeezed juices and a banquet table overflowing with edibles under picture windows filled with panoramic views of Union Square and the San Francisco skyline. The layout was also outfitted, front-to-back, in a couple thousand dollars worth of Sonos gear — including the subject of this review, the Sonos Play:3 ($299).

The Setup

Ambling through a tour of the suite, the product manager explained that the demo was designed to show how Sonos products performed "in the real world," something a cramped convention hall meeting room at Macworld or CES could never achieve.

Starting in the plush, bookcase-lined "study" at one end of the suite, the product manager introduced another Sonos rep, who sat at a desk clacking away at her MacBook Air.

"What kind of music do you like?"

I said, "how about some Allman Brothers?" and with a couple of clicks on the laptop trackpad, the tiny room filled with the rich, lonesome tones of Greg's B-3 and Dickie Betts's piercing guitar.

Nice.

But it's not hard to fill up a hundred square feet of carpeted study, even with a single speaker no bigger than a loaf of bread. Moving back out to the main sitting area, the product manager whipped out his iPhone and with a couple of swipes, "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" filled that room, too.

A look around revealed just two more of the Play 3 speakers, communicating wirelessly with the network connection set up back in the study, and powering a full-range sound with depth and definition one would more likely expect from speakers three or four times the size — and at least twice the price of the Play:3.

Heading back to the master bed and bath, the iPhone controller made those rooms come alive, too, again on the strength of just two more speakers that fit comfortably on a bedside nightstand and the dresser across the room.

I was stunned at the quality of the sound and soon impressed by how easy it was to change the music, to separate the selections — playing Beethoven in the bedroom, The Allmans in the public area and They Might Be Giants in the little study — with no bleed-through from one space to the other, and no glitches switching from one source to another. A Sonos app on the iPad in the bedroom, another on the iPhone walking back and forth from room to room, or the desktop app on the MacBook Air in the study could each control one or all three zones with full access to playlists and volume settings for each.

Impressive.

And yet, a luxury penthouse suite outfitted with nearly two grand in sound gear is "real world" for none but a very few, and decidedly not for the many who make do on salaries akin to that of a mere scribe; so the PR folks sent over a pair of Sonos Play:3 speakers to install in my more pedestrian digs on the south side of town.

The Real Test Drive

There are plenty of speaker systems on the market designed to work with iTunes, to work with iOS devices, and with the Cloud — even to rope in pay services such as Sirius, Spotify, Rhapsody and more. But none does it as well, as seamlessly, or with sound quality comparable to the Sonos Play:3.

The heart of the matter, as mentioned previously, is a speaker about the size of a loaf of bread, albeit one weighing nearly 6 pounds.

And though one speaker provides enough full-range sound to fill a 500-600 square foot room, the fact that two Play:3s can be configured to act as independent left and right channels of a stereo pair means for about $600 the music lover in you can have a phenomenal wireless Internet sound system that would cost hundreds of dollars more to match in sound quality — and which you couldn't match for features — with components from an audiophile store.

And a pair of these babies has power enough to keep your house party rockin' in up to 1500 square feet of space.

Aside from the first-rate construction of this little box, which includes a three driver speaker system — one tweeter, two mid-range drivers, and one bass radiator, with each driver individually powered by a dedicated Class D digital amplifier — there are other features to admire about the Play:3.

There's the ease of set-up: plug one speaker into an open ethernet port on your network switch or router (or spring $49 for a Sonos Bridge to anchor the network connection) and as many additional speakers as you'd care to power connect wirelessly and become configurable and controllable by the Sonos desktop app or its iOS counterpart.

The interface on everything is clean, clear and intuitive and — like the Apple products the Sonos experience calls to mind — just works.

A Sonos system gives you access to your iTunes library, to all the music stored on your Network Attached Storage device (as long as it supports CIFS, a common file management system), to your paid accounts at nearly a dozen Internet music streaming services and to Internet radio stations across the globe.

In 30 days with a pair of Play:3s set up in stereo in the living room, I worked in my office fifteen feet away, enjoying more of my own music collection than I had listened to in a year, gaining newfound appreciation for Pandora and Spotify, and discovering a dozen new favorite Internet radio stations — all because the sound was exquisite and controlling it all was an effortless joy.

A word about Sonos customer service: early on, a set-up snafu revealed the company had sent a defective speaker unit. One phone call and 24 hours later, a replacement unit arrived at my door with a pre-paid label for returning the bad box. Everything about Sonos, from the company's marketing, to the design-build aesthetics of its products, to its friendly and efficient customer service makes it clear that user experience drives the company's mission — much like the ethos of another company readers of this article may be entirely familiar with. And that seems to be guiding Sonos and its customers to a sweet-sounding future.

Rating: ★★★★½