It’s been a busy morning in Cupertino at Apple’s ‘Let’s Talk iPhone’ keynote. The big headline was the iPhone 4S, but no iPhone 5. Perhaps you had a hard time following all the news from Apple on the iPhone, iOS 5, other iOS devices and apps. Apple didn’t offer a live online webcast to the public. But the TechCrunch team, on two continents, has been busy tracking all the Apple news. Click inside the post for an organized summary of the headlines. → Read More
Rumors and speculation run wild prior to any Apple event and most often the announced product does not live up to the hype. That’s essentially what happened today. The Apple rumor mill promised an iPhone 5 with killer specs, a huge screen and nothing less than a built-in teleportation device. We got the iPhone 4S instead. Here’s what the interwebs got right and wrong. → Read More
“Let’s talk iPhone” reads the banner above today’s iPhone event in Cupertino. Newly minted CEO Tim Cook glossed over some pretty impressive iPhone statistics in introductory overview on the phone, namely that the iPhone 4 has sold one half of total iPhones sold since it was introduced late last June.
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If there was still some shadow of a question in your mind over whether or not the iPhone 4S is real, doubt no more. Apple’s Japanese online store has outted the iPhone 4S, along with a launch date of October 14. First spotted by MacRumors, the page offers a “Learn More” link, but unfortunately clicking through only gets you to iPhone 4 information. → Read More
Sprint is taking a huge risk by carrying the iPhone, if reports from the Wall Street Journal are to be believed. Details about Sprint and Apple’s quiet dealings have begun to emerge, and if true, the country’s third largest wireless carrier is stuck in a precarious position.
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has reportedly told the company’s board of directors that in order to nab the iPhone, they would have to commit to purchasing at least 30.5 million iPhones over the next four years. It’s a huge investment by any stretch — WSJ pegs it at around $20 billion at current rates — but it’s made worse by the fact that Sprint will be locked into the purchasing agreement regardless of whether or not the iPhones actually sell. The board was said to have accepted Apple’s terms. → Read More
Apple is less than 24 hours away from announcing the next iPhone. Unlike previous announcements, this show will be intimate and small, held at Apple’s HQ rather than a large venue like the Moscone Center. Most important, Steve Jobs isn’t headlining the show; although, if rumors are to be believed, he might make a cameo. Apple’s latest commander and chief, Tim Cook, is expected to lead the charge at what will likely amount to one of the biggest Internet traffic days of the year.
Apple is rather tardy releasing this latest iPhone, missing its traditional summer launch date by a good two months. However, if the rumor mills are to be believed, there, the new iPhone will be very similar to the old iPhone – except where it isn’t. We compiled all of the rumors here along with stating the viability for each. Some are wide-eyed, others are realistic, while some are pure fanboy fantasy. → Read More
Mobile device management company Zenprise is today introducing its new enterprise-grade mobile DLP (Data Leakage Prevention) that aims to help I.T. departments with the growing “bring your own device” to work trend. The Zenprise Enterprise Mobile DLP will be offered as an optional add-on to the company’s larger solution, the Zenprise Mobile Enterprise Security Framework, when it launches later this fall.
At first, the new product will specifically target iOS devices, including the Apple iPad, but an Android version is in the works. → Read More
If you had your heart set on taking some rad video of your skateboarding moves but spent your hard-earned dough on an iPhone 4 instead of a GoPro camera, you’re in luck. A graphic designer from California has designed a beefy enclosure for the iPhone that is compatible with all of GoPro’s action-friendly mounts. → Read More
It happened in the US a few months ago, and now something similar is about to happen in Japan, too: in one of Apple’s biggest markets, mobile carrier SoftBank is reportedly about to lose its exclusive domestic distribution rights for the iPhone and has to share the market with competitor KDDI.
Nikkei Business Online claims it has learned that KDDI au, Japan’s second biggest mobile carrier with 33 million customers, will provide the iPhone 5 starting next year. If the rumored roll-out of the phone next month will become reality in Japan, too, this means that SoftBank has a few months before its closest competitor can start tapping into their most important segment. → Read More
Bad news T-Mobile customers: you may have to cross the iPhone 5 off of your holiday wish list. According to a leaked document from T-Mobile’s OneVoice intranet, Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman has unequivocally said that T-Mobile will not get the iPhone 5 this year. → Read More
If you’re using Skype for iOS on your iPhone or iPod touch, consider yourself warned: a cross-site scripting vulnerability looms in the “Chat Message” window in version 3.0.1 and earlier versions.
The hole allows attackers to execute malicious JavaScript code that runs when a victim views a chat message, enabling theft of information, including a user’s address book (see video below).
Skype says it is aware of the security issue, and had issued the following statement: → Read More
Being the pedigreed gadget geeks that we are, most of us here at TechCrunch are always up for a good gadget tear-down. We’ve seen everything from phones, to tablets, to friggin’ FBI tracking devices get splayed apart, and we loved every second of it.
So when a tear down gives a glimpse inside of what very much looks to be the iPhone 5? Yes, please. → Read More
Oh, what’s this? Sprint is reportedly blacking out vacation days between September 30th and October 15th? For a “major phone launch”?
Major phone launch. Early October (right when the iPhone 5 is said to be launching.)
Yeah, the rumor mill just caught on fire. → Read More
Take it from a former retail drone: trying to give customers a good shopping experience can be tough when you have to jostle with other employees for open computers. In-store networks are slow, and more often than not, the computers are even slower. It’s enough of a process that a once free-flowing conversation can dry up into an awkward silence while the computer struggles to find the widget in question.
Thankfully, hardware retailer Lowe’s has decided to do something about that lackluster experience: they have (among other things) purchased 42,000 iPhones to make their employees walking, talking sources of home improvement information. → Read More
Reports of the iPhone’s forthcoming launch on Sprint just don’t seem to quit, and today is no exception. Sources close to the situation say that Sprint plans to retain their unlimited data plans for use with the iPhone when it makes it official debut some time in October. → Read More
The patent war between Apple and Samsung is continuing, and this time the battlefield is Japan: Japanese news agency Kyodo is reporting that Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung with the Tokyo District Court. According to big A, Samsung is infringing on (unspecified) patents on the iPhone and iPad with the Galaxy S Android phone (that carrier Docomo started selling in Japan last year).
If the report is to be believed (neither Apple Japan nor Samsung Japan have confirmed the news), Apple is seeking 100 million yen (US$1.3 million) in damages. A first hearing took place yesterday, and apparently, Samsung’s Japanese unit is ready for a long-term legal battle. → Read More
For the past few months, few things on the web have been hotter than Turntable.fm. The Stickybits pivot got so hot, so fast, that a “trough of disillusionment” was inevitable — and we’ve probably been seeing that the past couple of weeks. But something is coming very shortly that should supercharge the service once again: an iPhone app.
Yes, it was both obvious and inevitable that Turntable.fm would go mobile. But we’ve managed to obtain some details — and most importantly, screenshots. → Read More
Some people see Elvis in a potato chip. Some see the Virgin Mary in water stains.
Others, meanwhile, see the iPhone 5 hiding in the reflection of a plate. → Read More
Japanese stationery maker Kokuyo has come up with an easy way to digitize and permanently store what you jot down on paper notepads: all you need is a an iPhone (or soon Android handset), a special app called CamiApp (available for free and in English on the App Store), and notepads made by Kokuyo.
The company says that taking pictures of the notes is enough: CamiApp adjusts the quality through using AR markers or a black frame before it lets you tag, edit, email or store your notes on Evernote or Dropbox (as JPEGs). → Read More
In, according to Bloomberg, “anticipation of supply bottlenecks,” Deutsche Telekom aka T-Mobile is offering pre-order coupons to folks who call in asking for the next iPhone, whatever it may be.
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