How would you change Apple’s iPhone 4?

We know, half of you aren’t even going to read past the headline before you start angrily banging away about Apple’s admitted antenna gaff and the still-not-totally-fixed proximity sensor, but we’re urging you to look deeper. Think harder. Critique your criticisms. In all seriousness, Apple’s iPhone 4 garnered more attention (negative or otherwise) than any other phone released this calendar year, and for good reason — in fact, Apple itself had to hold an emergency press event just to announce what could’ve been announced in a PR blast: everyone’s getting a free case. That said, Cupertino has still managed to move millions of units in just a few months, and that demand doesn’t seem to be dropping off at any significant rate. If you’re one of the lucky (or unlucky) ones that have managed to procure Apple’s latest iPhone, we’re overly anxious to hear your thoughts on changing it. How would you have addressed the antenna issue? Would you have preferred a less drastic departure from the 3GS form factor? Would you have offered more colors than white and black? Thrown in Bluetooth 3.0 for kicks? Go ahead, the floor’s yours — just don’t abuse it, cool?

How would you change Apple’s iPhone 4? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple fesses up: Jobs emails not coming from Jobs

Cupertino, CA — With so many Steve Jobs emails making the rounds on the Internet this year, many wonder how the world’s busiest CEO finds the time. The short answer: he doesn’t.

Caught in the act last week, Apple was forced to admit that all customer and developer emails from Steve are actually written by “Steve mini” — and have been since October 2008.

The truth came to light at a recent meeting between Steve Jobs and Disney. As Steve spoke to the group, one of the Disney people sent him an email — and received his response before he finished speaking.

Steve not only confessed, he invited Steve mini to join the group for after-meeting refreshments.

“He’s utterly charming,” says Disney staffer Cynthia Borenstetter of the littler Steve. “He has this way of cutting you off and putting you on the defensive — you just want to hug him.”

Having written Steve Jobs’ emails for almost two years now, Steve mini is in certain ways a better Steve than Steve. He displays just the right amount of emotion, generously sprinkles his arrogance, and knows exactly when to snap. After averaging over 20 words per email in the early going, Steve mini’s current emails are down to 6.2 words. “Six is the sweet spot,” according to our Apple source.

Were it not for his drinking habits, Steve mini would have an even more stellar record. It was during the iPhone 4 launch party that he penned his now legendary “Just avoid holding it that way” email — which was actually a reference to the bottle of Merlot his tipsy date seemed unable to pour.

Fortunately, by that time Steve mini had already won Steve’s trust with several obscene and inflammatory emails to the CEOs of Google and Adobe.

Indications are that Steve mini is being groomed to take on more important duties, such as firing key executives. Only last week, Steve mini delivered the bad news to Mark Papermaster, the iPhone 4 executive run out of town as the result of Antennagate.

“He never saw it coming,” smirks mini, “until he looked down.”

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Apple fesses up: Jobs emails not coming from Jobs

Microsoft Store to open at 6:30 am Thursday, bracing for crowd of six

Scottsdale, AZ — The Microsoft Store here will open two hours early on Thursday to accommodate a surge of customers. Indications are that upwards of six people will appear — at the same time — when the doors open at 6:30 am.

Why all the excitement? Scottsdale chiropractor Marty Lippman tells Microsoft that he’s ready to replace his 12-year-old Gateway PC — and he’ll be coming in with his two pre-school children and brother-in-law Andy, who “knows a whole lot about computers.”

That’s four. But retail experts say the actual number could swell by 50%. The Jamba Juice next door is running a promotion on the same day, making it likely that at least two more people will wander in after they get their smoothies.

Microsoft is seizing this opportunity to outshine Apple in a big way.

When Ballmer sees Lippmans, he sees dollar signs

“Apple opened at 7:00 am for iPhone 4, right?” says Microsoft Store manager Wayne Brezillo. “We’ll be opening at 6:30 here.”

Needless to say, hearts are pounding amongst the Microsoft Store staff. “We’ve got the synchronized hand-clap, the mindless ‘woooo!’ shout, all that good stuff. We’ll be ready to go at dawn,” adds Brezillo.

The exact timing may be an issue, however. “I want to get there early,” says Marty Lippman, “but we’ll probably stop at Krispy Kreme on the way. Figure more like 8:00 or 8:30.”

Microsoft employees are tight-lipped about what surprises may be in store for customers on Thursday. Scoopertino has learned that the first two customers will receive a “Microsoft loves Lippman” T-shirt, leaving it to the Lippmans to fight it out amongst themselves.

Sources in Redmond say that an extra-large, sweat-resistant T-shirt has been printed, adding fuel to the rumor that Steve Ballmer himself may attend the event.

Microsoft Store to open at 6:30 am Thursday, bracing for crowd of six

Apple Peel 520 gets a white finish, odds placed on beating white iPhone 4 to market

If you’re gonna proverbially bear hug your iPod touch into a working cellular device, might as well get it in the trendiest color available, right? The Apple Peel 520 has now been shown off in white, a more stylish option for those wanting a case, extended battery, and freedom from the shackles of limited SIM options (at the expense of some functionality and ease of use, naturally). Still in production with no release date, but hey, if you’re the sort who likes to live on the outer fringes of consumer electronics, keep this import in mind. No promises it’ll work with whatever Apple has up its sleeve next, though.

Apple Peel 520 gets a white finish, odds placed on beating white iPhone 4 to market originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:51:00 EDT.

Apple patent application details iPod / iPhone bike integration system

Apple patent applications can be a little out there sometimes, but this one makes so much sense we have to wonder why it’s not a product already. Described as “Systems and Methods for Integrating a Portable Electronic Device with a Bicycle,” the application details what basically amounts to Nike+ for bikes. That includes the ability to relay data from bike sensors to your iPhone or iPod, which you’d be able to view on the device itself or on an external display of some sort — the application even goes so far as to mention the possibility of a heads-up display, although we wouldn’t get our hopes up for that. What’s more, the application also suggests that the system could communicate and share information with other nearby cyclists, and it would apparently include some fairly extensive GPS capabilities (on the iPhone, at least), including turn-by-turn directions to help you find a specific bike route, and maps complete with reviews from other cyclists.

Apple patent application details iPod / iPhone bike integration system originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:06:00 EDT.

iPhone 4 unlock available now (update: video!)

It’s the moment that many of you have been waiting for: the Dev-Team’s ultrasn0w carrier unlock for iPhone 4 is out. You’ll find version 1.0-1 of ultrasn0w in Cydia on jailbroken devices. If not, just add the repo666.ultrasn0w.com repository. It works for iPhone 4 baseband 01.59 and 3G/3GS basebands 04.26.08, 05.11.07, 05.12.01 and 05.13.04. If none of this makes sense then you’ve got no reason unlocking your device in the first place, buddy.

Update: No-nonsense video embedded after the break showing how to jailbreak and unlock. Easy peasy. Thanks, Adam

Continue reading iPhone 4 unlock available now (update: video!)

iPhone 4 unlock available now (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 02:40:00 EDT.

Apple introduces iHand: the right way to hold your iPhone

Cupertino, CA — Ladies and gentlemen, a big hand for iPhone. Literally.

Responding to complaints that the new iPhone 4 loses signal when held by a human hand, Apple today launched iHand — a synthetic appendage that makes it easy for anyone to “get a grip” on iPhone and remain connected.

iHand is so easy to use, it doesn’t require a manual. Simply insert iPhone 4 into iHand’s adjustable fingers, raise it to your ear and start talking. With iHand, you get all the functionality of the human hand, without the signal-sucking biology that encumbers most iPhone owners.

“If you’re serious about using iPhone, there’s a right way and wrong way to hold it,” Apple explains in its press release. “iHand guarantees the proper grip first time, every time.”

Featuring Apple’s unibody design, iHand is precision-carved from a single piece of European beechwood. So it’s lighter than a standard medical prosthesis, yet 12x stronger. You can grip iHand either of two ways: by placing your fingers around its palm, or by grasping the aluminized Extender that telescopes from the wrist socket.

iHand’s built-in Extender provides the perfect reach

The Extender adds up to 24 inches of reach, allowing the user’s biological hand to be positioned anywhere between ear and waist for maximum comfort. You can even use the Extender to hold your iPhone up to a friend’s or colleague’s ear.

iHand is available through the Apple Store for $69, and comes in ten popular pigmentations. Third-party “skins” for iHand offering additional colorings, beauty marks, scars and a “hairy hand” option will be available by the end of July.

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Apple introduces iHand: the right way to hold your iPhone

Beyond the Bumper: Apple introduces iDish for iPhone

Cupertino, CA — Apple today expanded its line of iPhone 4 performance enhancement products with iDish, the world’s smallest satellite dish. Designed to integrate beautifully with iPhone 4, it’s perfect for those who wish to improve reception without covering the device’s sleek design.

Like Apple’s popular iHand, iDish solves iPhone reception woes, but does so by taking a very different path — straight to the heavens. Miniaturizing the technology enjoyed by millions of satellite TV users, iDish receives five bars of signal from the source 22,000 miles up.

iDish is engineered to get you up and running quickly. Just plug it into iPhone’s earphone jack, align with magnetic north, calculate azimuth and elevation angles for your geographic location, enter data into the special iDish app, aim iDish toward an unobstructed view of the western sky, and make your call. (Apple recommends avoiding body rotation greater than 5% when connected.)

To make things even easier, the Apple Store will offer a special seven-week One-to-One iDish course, led by telecommunications engineers and astrophysicists.

Initial reactions to iDish are generally positive, but the wolves are already out. Some criticize Apple’s choice to mount iDish in the earphone jack, making it impossible to use earphones. But the inconvenience is only temporary.

“Earphone users are actually a small percentage of our iPhone customers,” says Apple spokesperson Marie McDonald, “but we want to make everyone happy. So the iPhone Earphone Jack Splitter Adapter will ship by the end of August.”

Apple later clarified that only the black model of the Splitter will ship this month. The white model will ship “sometime in the future.”

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Beyond the Bumper: Apple introduces iDish for iPhone

Apple begins iPhone 4 Case Program: apply for your free case or Bumper now

Well, there’s nothing like masking bad news with good news, right Apple? Just moments after quietly announcing that the white iPhone 4 is now scheduled to ship sometime between tomorrow and your New Year’s Eve party, the company has also fired up its iPhone 4 Case Program. Just as Jobs promised last week at an emergency press event, this program will ensure that anyone who purchases an iPhone 4 prior to September 30th will be able to receive an iPhone 4 Bumper or select third-party case from the company at no charge. ‘Course, you need to be located in a country or territory that Apple actually ships to, but if that’s all squared away, feel free to hit up the App Store to download the iPhone 4 Case Program app. Once there, you’ll need to sign into your iTunes Store account, select your Bumper or case and wait oh-so-patiently (read: “3 to 5 weeks”). Better hurry — wouldn’t want the servers to get overloaded, now would we?

Oh, and if you happened to have already purchased a Bumper, the company should be hitting your credit card with a full refund (including any applicable taxes and shipping) momentarily. As for the case / Bumper choices? Every single option is available in any color you like… so long as it’s black, of course. There’s a black Apple Bumper option, an Incase Snap Case, Belkin Shield Micra, Griffin Motif, Griffin Reveal, Speck Fitted and Speck PixelSkin HD, but again, don’t go in hoping to select your favorite hue. Yeah, you’re free to bicker about free things — we won’t judge.

Update: If you’re one of those wise guys who purchased an iPhone 4 right away just to sell it, you can forget about getting a free case for the handset you no longer own. Apple has arranged this so that only one case can be ordered per iPhone 4, so even if you ordered two under your account name, you’ll need two phones to place both of those orders. Check out the error message below if you still don’t believe us.

There’s a catch: “free” iPhone 4 bumpers to be adorned with ads

Cupertino, CA — Just when you thought it was safe to put a free bumper on your iPhone 4, Apple has announced one little “gotcha.”

To help defray the $175 million cost of the giveaway, those free bumpers will be emblazoned with promotional messages from a variety of companies — a list that currently includes Roto-Rooter, Hormel Ham and Cruex.

“We said our bumpers would be free,” says Apple spokesman Nicolas Bikel, “we never said they’d be advertising-free. Somebody’s got to pay for these things.”

The program, dubbed “BumperTalk,” has produced such intense bidding amongst advertisers, some analysts predict it will rival iAds as a new Apple profit center.

Apple, of course, maintains strict control over BumperTalk content. All messages must be 30 characters or less, appear in Apple’s proprietary Myriad font, and contain neither sexually suggestive words nor words that rhyme with sexually suggestive words.

Despite the restrictions, advertisers are squealing with delight.

“With Apple, we can put our brand where it needs to be,” says Maria Beckinworth, VP of Product Marketing at Cruex, “right at the intersection of telecommunications and antifungal spray.”

And brace yourself, Apple purists. iAds and BumperTalk are just a taste of the future. With Apple determined to put ads everywhere Google can’t, new ad-encrusted computers are already rumored to be in the works. iMacDonald’s, anyone?

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There’s a catch: “free” iPhone 4 bumpers to be adorned with ads