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Mon, 10 September 2012
Per Tradition here is the iPhone 2012 Rumor Bingo Card.
I do not expect to see all or even most of these - these are just a collection of the most spread rumors about the iPhone 2012.
Direct download: bingo_card_iPhone2012.pdf
Category: breaking news
-- posted at: 1:57pm EDT
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Fri, 7 September 2012
Direct download: tii_0239.mp3
Category: podcasts
-- posted at: 1:42am EDT
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Thu, 6 September 2012
Hi Rob,
If you have listeners or know anyone who needs help making passes, have them email us.
================================
Episode 239 Transcript
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As you know if you have the Tii - App - On Tuesday morning - not surprisingly Apple sent out the invites for the Sept 12th event thus making it official and a big Kudos goes to Rene Ritchie for calling that correctly.
In the Invite which is pretty plain there are the small words quote its almost here unquote - then a big 12 - with the shadow of the 12 showing an even bigger 5. Which leads many to think Apple is going to call the next iPhone the iPhone 5. Uggggghhhh.
I think I am just overly Anal Engineer - and that makes it really really difficult for me to accept that the 6th generation of the iPhone will be called the iPhone 5. So if this happens here is where we would be for iPhone names.
1st gen iPhone = iPhone the 2nd gen iPhone = iPhone 3G the 3rd gen iPhone = iPhone 3GS the 4th Gen iPhone = iPhone 4 the 5th gen iPhone = iPhone 4S and the 6th Gen iPhone = iPhone 5
Yeah - it all make sense now.
Ok - I have a had a few emails since the artwork came out chiding me on getting the iPhone name wrong - but hey don't count your chickens just yet - because there was a pick of an asian worker holding up what is supposed to be the box artwork pre folded for the new iPhone and it is called on the box the new iPhone
So maybe just maybe that 5 in the shadow is Apples way of tweaking all the rumor mongers. Or maybe the 5 means Apple will announce 5 new products on the 12th. iOS 6 launch date would be one, iPhone 2012 would be two, a new iPod Nano - that works with the iPhone like the pebble - would be three. 4 could be the 5th gen iPod touch - but I kind of think that is for October - but you never know. That leaves us with item 5 - and I just don't see that being the iPad mini. So maybe it is a service - say an NFC payment type service. Or maybe it is an update to the iPod shuffle - Yawn. In any case we will know on the 12th - and I will do my best to get an episode out that evening going over all the Apple announcement goodness.
Apple Insider had a piece recently saying Apple had 8 new devices that would be launched before the end of the year.
The iPhone 5 and iPod nano - which I think will be part of the event on the 12th.
The new iPod Touch - which Apple Insider thinks will be on the 12th as well.
Then there is the iPad Mini - which neither they nor I think will be on the 12th.
They also list a new Modified iPad with the new doc connector. Which could be announced on the 12th.
And there is the 13" retina Macbook Pro and new 21.5" and 27" iMacs.
The ladder 3 don't make much sense.
So again the 5 could mean
iOS 5
iPhone 2012
iPod Touch 5th gen
new iPod Nano
and a new 3rd gen in a half iPad with the new doc connector.
Or it could just mean the iPhone 2012 is going to be called the iPhone 5. Uggggggg
Into the email bag.
Hi rob,
The five in the shadow of the press invite has got to be apple messing with everyone. Apple knows how disappointed the public and media was that the last iPhone wasn't called iPhone 5. Wouldn't it be funny if the next released phone is named iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S?
Regards,
Bruce
Another email per the invite.
Hi Rob,
Haha! You been owned! 😂. Ok, I shouldn't laugh, you've been right more often than not, which is why it's so funny. 😉
- Jessi D
Well - Jessi - I have probably been owned - we will know for sure on the 12th. Per names - I have not been as accurate as specs.
Hi Rob,
Could you tell me again how Apple is "not going to call the next phone THE IPHONE 5"?
Regards,
Bob
Again - lets see where we are on the 12th.
A Report of a supposed memo to Apple Store Genius bar employees letting them know that the iPhone 3GS would be a in low or stock out inventory situation going forward. This not all that surprising - as it is not likely the iPhone 3GS was going to survive past the iPhone 2012 launch. It also likely means if you go in with an iPhone 3GS and it has issues - you might walk out with an iPhone 4 as a replacement. Something similar happened last time they phased out an iPhone.
Either way it looks like the iPhone 3GS is finally being put out to pasture.
Going forward this likely means a low or no cost iPhone 4. The iPhone 4S - becomes the $99 iPhone - and the iPhone 2012 starts out in the $199 slot.
This is all based on subsidized pricing.
Hi Rob, I called a couple of weeks ago wanting to find a way to assign the 30 second back function to a button while playing podcasts. The solution suggested this week via Instacast is working for me. Using Activator, I assigned a double tap of the sleep/wake button to be "previous track" and while Instacast is playing that rewinds 30 seconds. Perfect!
I also noticed that in Instacast you can assign "shake" to 30 seconds back as well. This means that when I get the new iPhone and lose my jailbreak I will still have a workable, if not perfect, solution.
Thanks to all the people who called or wrote in with ideas, and thanks to you for creating this rich forum for us to participate in.
All the best,
Michael from Seattle
Michael - thanks for the feedback on what worked for you.
If you believe rumors - It looks like the Apple ear buds are going to be a changing. This from a video on a Vietnamese site that has in the past received Apple wares prior to the official release date. These are unique looking ear buds - and well if they are more comfortable - great.
Also From the looks of the head phones and the slit on the stem - it also looks like they are noise canceling head phones. Which is even better. Guess we will find out on the 12th for sure.
One story reported by many and sent in by still more - is the story of the GooPhone i5 - this is an Android phone from a cheap Chinese manufacturer - and why am I mentioning them here - well because - they designed their phone after the rumored iPhone 2012 design - so yes - they looked at the leaked components and design and then built a real smartphone running Android. And if that was the whole story - it would kind of be a story. But nope this one takes a very big twist - Seems the folks behind the goo phone i5 - applied for a patent on the design - yes the design they stole from the leaked iPhone 2012. And now it looks like they may try to sue Apple per the release of the next iPhone - if it does indeed have the design that they ripped off to create their goo phone i5. Before you pass this off as not having much chance of being accepted by the courts in China - remember - Apple had to pay over $50 Million dollars to a chinese company over the iPad name - that being the same company Apple had previously legally purchased said name from once before.
So yes - it seems in China anything is possible - even a company piecing together illegally leaked components to figure out the design of the next iPhone and then building an android clone of the next iPhone and even getting a patent of the design they stole. Yup - China legal system - you got to love it.
Thanks to Chris in London for the heads up on this next rumor. And rumor might be pushing it. This is more about something that was going to happen sooner rather than later - and that is the integration of Chomp into the App store. Chomp is the company Apple purchased earlier this year - that has a product to make it easier to search through the app stores for the apps that you want. In any case expect some changes to the App store from your iOS device come the launch of iOS 6 - especially to how search results are presented to you.
Hi Rob,
In iOS 6 beta, In the Apps store app - the podcast app shows 5 stars on the App Store summary. Reality is it has only 2 stars. BTW AFAIK the stars shown for other apps are correct. Perhaps a bug or a Bad Apple…
Regards,
Sergio
Hi Sergio - actually if you search for podcasts - the first two results - Podcasts and TuneIn Radio both show 5 stars for the reviews. But when you tap on either one it shows the correct rating - in the case of Podcasts App - it has 2.5 stars in the App store app and 2.5 stars on iTunes on my computer - so once you tap through it does show the correct number of stars.
However the bug here is not per Podcasts - where Apple rigged the system - if you search for Tii - you will see it showing 5 stars as well. But tapping on it - you now see 4 stars and change. Same thing with Mac OS Ken App. So in this case don't blame on Malice which clearly seems to be a case of incompetence.
Hey speaking of malice - we have the following email.
Hi Rob. This is Scott, from Milwaukee. well, I think I'm finally going to leave AT&T. From the time of the release of the first iPhone, until last year, AT&T has always allowed me to upgrade each year, with just paying an activation fee and agreeing to another two-year contract. This year they told me that in order to upgrade, I not only have to pay the activation fee and two year agreement, but I also have to pay an additional, new this year, $250 fee. It is new carrier time for me. Regards, Scott
Hi Scott - I have a feeling this time around there will be more than few people jumping ship from one carrier to another.
Another Kickstarter project for a watch that works with you iPhone - that is funded - this one with over $215k pledged vs a $50k goal and it goes to Sep 30 th at 9:59 AM - It is called Touch Time - two words - and I would highly recommend you wait until after Sept 12th before pledging on this one - as Apple is likely to announce that the iPod Nano now integrates with your iPhone. Clearly there is a demand for this feature - the $10Mil plus that the Pebble received and again now at least 3 digital watches that talk to your iPhone reaching their pledge goals in Kickstarter. This all ads up to customer demand - and Apple is obviously in the best place to address this need. Lets hope they do so on Sept 12th. If not - remember the Touch Time Kickstarter project - as you do have until the end of Sept to pledge for it.
Just a reminder that iKid from Laura in Nashvile is running on Kickstarter now. She has until Saturday the 15th at 4:15 PM ET - and is half way to her goal of $7,000.
So help her reach her goal. The iKid is a shock absorbing kid friendly case for your iPad. Just search for iKid over at Kickstarter.
Did the FBI have a file with over 12 Million Apple UDIDs and other personal info with regards to iOS users on its computer and did that computer get hacked and the file taken. Well that is the question - and depending on what article you read the answer is YES / NO (READ TOGETHER - TWO TRACKS) Seems the FBI is saying they did not have said file - and it did not get stollen from them.
Apple says it gave no data to the FBI either.
But some how a hacker group - came into possession of at least 1 Million UDID's - as that is what they posted up on the web.
So if not from the FBI's computer nor from Apple where did the hackers get this info.
Guess the real question - is now that this info is out there - what does it mean if anything for those whose UDID was posted.
Of course there is a site over at the next web - where you can put in your UDID and see if yours in the list. But I wonder if by putting in your UDID - you are not making it available to someone else.
Since really - you can't change your UDID - like you can a password - I am not sure it is worth the added risk of entering your UDID to find out.
But then again if you are someone that is really paranoid about these types of things - well you would be really paranoid now - as the only way to check is to enter your UDID into some other site. Well maybe just enter the last half of your UDID and see if it matches up.
I did check the UDID's for all 6 of my iOS devices and none were on the list.
Thanks to Tash for the heads up on this next one which is a review over at TUAW for an App called Instamail Photo - what the big thing about this app is - is that it does not limit you to 5 photos in your email like iOS does. And the App is FREE.
So all you do is launch the app - select your photo roll - and then you can pick 6 or 7 or even more photos to email to your friends.
But the more photos you include per email - likely the less friends you will have going forward. So be mindful of all those cute pictures of your 2 month old spitting up on you when emailing to someone that does not have kids and you want to keep as a friend. Again the app is called instamail Photo and it is free.
Another App heads up from Tash - is the App Pinnacle studio for iPad. This App now replaces Avid Studio - As Pinnacle was from Corel - and they purchased the consumer line of avid tools. So if you have Avid or not - right now - Pinnacle Studio - which is a video editing program with lots of great features - it is free - for a limited time. Link in show notes or search for pinnacle studio two words in the App store - and this app requires an iPad 2 or 3rd gen iPad running iOS 5.1 or later.
Hi Rob, a new discovery - for those who like Instagram or pinterest will love Mixel
To describe it wouldn't do it justice but basically it is sharing collages - which are very very cool
MY new addiction Regards, Tash
Hi Tash thanks for the heads up on Mixel - spelled M I X E L - Like Pixel but with an M. The App is Free in the iTunes App store.
From the description on iTunes Quote Mixel turns your photos into beautiful, fun collages with just a tap of a button. All you have to do is choose your pictures, tap SHUFFLE, and the app automatically lays them out. It's instant and incredibly easy. unquote
Again this is a free app.
So the past week saw a lot of new products announced by Apple competitors. New Kindles - including a large 8.9" Tablet - in direct competition with the iPad - as they made sure to actually compare it to the iPad on stage. To new phones from Google rola - using the Razar branding. To new Windows phone 8 phones from Samsung and Nokia - and it is the Nokia 920 launch that clearly went as bad as could be imagined - with Nokia launching a video to show off its new Video recording and stabilization technology. In the video there is no message about it being simulated - which means well it must be the video shot on the phone right - well that is what you would think right up until the point the video passed by a trailer and the reflection in the window clearly shows not someone on a bike shooting the video as you were lead to believe - but a guy in a van holding a big old camera on a stabilization platform. Oh my. Nokia has issued a formally apology - Hey on the bright side people are actually talking about the Nokia 920 which likely would not have happened if not for them maliciously faking and lying about the video they showed. This is one time where you can blame on Malice that which was uncovered due to incompetence. Just Saying.
Hi Rob,
Re: your listener looking for a group email solution. I use an app called, not surprisingly, Group Email which allows creation of multiple email address groups. Not sure about calendar integration though.
Regards,
Carl
Hi Rob,
Is there a calculator app for the iPhone that if I mistakenly erased my total (while adding numbers) I could still undo the mistake or atleast still get to my original total before the mistake? Regards Jesus.
Hi Rob,
I recently discovered your podcast and have found it very entertaining and informative. I love how you or your listeners always seem to find a solution to everyone's issues. So I thought I'd try to dip into your vast reach for some help. I am a restaurant kitchen manager and I am looking for an app that helps me place my food orders. I'd like to be able to have set lists for each supplier and be able to input a quantity for each item. After I'm done i'd like to be able to compile a list so that i could either email or place a phone order to my supplier of the quantities i need. I haven't been able to find something like it in the app store, so I'm asking your listeners if they know of an app that'd be able to help me.
Regards,
Peter
Hi Peter,
Thanks for listening and for the kind words.
I think you will need to use an app like Bento to create your own data base to manage this.
I think
That said - I will throw this question out to the listeners and see if anyone else has a better suggestion.
So anyone have a better suggest for Peter?
206-666-6364 that 206 moon-dog or email us at today in iOS at gmail dot com.
A quick warning for those out there - I got this from a few people - there are emails and posts out there about a service where by the company will permanently unlock your AT&T phone for a price. Rip OFF - not saying they will not actually do what they say - but you could do the same exact thing by making a phone call to AT&T . I have an iPhone 4 that is permanently unlocked - by AT&T for ZERO dollars - so save your money and don't fall for this rip off.
Thanks to James for this next one. Which is some more info on LTE and voice of LTE. It seems that only in South Korea - do they have voice over LTE live.
However Voice Over LTE is much different than both voice and data simultaneously. In the US how it works is that Data is on LTE and only Data. Voice still is on the 3G or 2G connection - depending on the area.
So it comes down to what can a smarthphone do technically to wether or not said smarthphone can support both voice and data at the same time.
I would expect the iPhone 2012 to support this on any carrier offering up LTE that works with said iPhone. Of course we will learn more on Wednesday.
So maybe your are one of those that just can't get enough of the Apple V Samsung trial and you need more info - well actually you probably need more than info. That said there is a link titled - Jury foreman in Apple v Samsung - in the show notes - that goes over some of the thoughts from the foreman in said case - as well as at the bottom of the article where you can read 20 pages of the verdict. Again for those of you that just are in need (PAUSE) of more info.
Thanks for Michael S for this next one. Which is if you go to the Amazon site for electronics trade-in - and if you just type in iPhone 4s and click go - you get the following results in order of relevance.
1. iPhone 4S - 16GB White
2. iPhone 4S - 16gb white sprint version
3. Apple iPod touch 8 GB black
4. Apple iPhone 4S 32 GB black AT&T
and 5 - Samsung Galaxy S ii
Seems even Amazon is confused about what is an iPhone 4S.
Hi Rob,
FYI the census is the jury pool not voter registration. So if you are counted by your city or town you could get jury duty.
Regards,
Wayne P
Hi Wayne - Not in Kansas. In Kansas. Quote Every two years, the Jury Qualification Questionnaire is mailed out to over 70,000 Kansans whose names are randomly selected from the voter registration and state driver’s license lists unquote
So - Yes I do actually fact check before I put in jokes into the show. Just sayin.
Hi Rob
With all the talk of how much $$$
Apple has. Any thought on them doing the right thing, LIKE LOWERING PRICES!!!
what a concept...
Regards,
Joe
Hi Joe,
Not going to happen.
Reality is the iPad is already at a pretty low price - especially the iPad 2 - when you look at its margins vs other Apple Products. And the iPod line covers all price ranges.
The iPhone is subsidized for the most part - but even at the higher non-subsidized price - it is pretty much in line with other high end smartphones - with one big exception - the iPhone retains most of its value. A $700 iPhone a year later can sell for $500 - vs a Samsung which resells at $250 if that.
But Apple has never been about low prices - it has been about offering the best product and user experience - as such that requires a higher price - and one consumers have clearly shown they are willing to accept.
So no reason at all for Apple to lower prices.
Rob W
Hi Rob,
I came across this article from Bloomberg about software that apparently affects most mobile platforms. It seems like the author used "iPhone" in the title for clicks because they didn't really go over how iOS is infected specifically. I haven't seen this topic discussed elsewhere so I am curious about your thoughts.
Hope you enjoy the Labor Day weekend. regards. -Tim from Iowa
Hi Tim,
FUD - Plain and simple. FYI - FUD means Fear Uncertainty and Doubt.
This article is a crock with regards to the iPhone - sure in theory anything could be done.
But in reality - there is no evidence this has effected affected (or infected) iPhones to date.
NOW Android - that is a different story altogether - there is lots and lots and lots and ..... lots of Malware on Android - and that is where a story like this should have focused.
But it does not make as good of link bait when you talk about Android and malware as when you try to link iPhones to malware.
Sorry folks no link to this one out of principal - but google bloomerg and finfisher to find it.
Rob W
Hi Rob, Do you think the fact, that Samsung lost to apple the way they did, brings new value to the HP Web OS platform?
Joshua I
Ummmm - NOOOOOO!!!!!
Nice article over on AppyNation blog - where they list a bunch of sites that charge for reviews - or as they call it their Hall of Infamy.
So if you are someone that likes to read Apple App sites for app reviews - check out this post to see if any of your favorite sites are listed.
Sadly folks there are a lot of sites out there that do charge for reviews and more so than just the ones they listed.
There are also many others that do not - check out the Got OATS site - google got oats - two words - and it is a list of sites that believe in ethical standards for app reviews - and clearly stating any time they are compensated by a developer. And Yes this podcast is part of OATS - not that I really do much in the way of app reviews - I leave that up to your folks and the devs themselves.
Category: vip_Artwork
-- posted at: 10:30pm EDT
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Sat, 1 September 2012
Direct download: tii_0238.mp3
Category: podcasts
-- posted at: 4:01am EDT
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Sat, 1 September 2012
Hi Rob,
I took this pic looking down at the stairwell at work, then reflected it in an app called Reflections, edited with snapseed and the text added with FX Photo Studio
someone said it looked like Voltron.
Regards,
Jessi D
=======================
Episode 238 Transcript
---------------------------------
For those of you looking to trade in your iPhone 4S so that you can get the iPhone 2012 when it is released - there is one more new player in the buy back game - and that is Apple themselves. You can get up to $345 for an iPhone 4S - 64 GB model - that is pristine.
However that is not the best offering out there to buy back your iPhone - Amazon actually holds that spot offering as much as $500 to buy your iPhone 4S 64 GB unit. Of course that $500 is not cash but rather an Amazon gift card / credit.
There is a nice article on 9 to 5 mac titled iPhone Trade-in roundup. Where they go over 11 different places/ ways to sell your old iPhone 4S.
Remember if you have an iPhone 4S - you have had it less than a year - and you will most likely be paying full price for the iPhone 2012. Unless you cancel from your current provider and then pay the penalty or ETF as they call it. Then you could go to another carrier to get the subsidized price. How much your ETF is - will depend greatly on who your carrier is and when you purchased your iPhone 4S.
Me personally - I just can't get myself to sell my old Apple gear - much to the chagrin of my wife.
Of course the main reason people are selling off their old iPhone now is that a new iPhone is just around the corner - which means more and more new rumors coming out all the time. The Ones that now seem like they are done deals. LTE - which if this iPhone does not have I will be shocked. A Bigger Screen - likely an elongated 4 Inch screen. A new design - which you kind of need for the new screen. A new smaller dock connector. The Head phone jack moved to the bottom of the device. And a new faster processor with more RAM on board as well. Those are the items that most of the rumor sites seem to all agree on at this time.
Items that seem up in the Air and likely will not happen. A Better Camera - One I don't really see as far as Meg Pixels - But as far as improved sensors for taking better pictures in low light - that I do see happening.
A new Nano-Sim Card - which I guess is likely - but really not all that exciting - unless you are trying to take your current sim from your iPhone 4 or 4S and move it over.
Enhanced Bluetooth capabilities - is another rumor I see mentioned - but usually that is as far as they go - they don't really break down what is enhanced. To me this seems more to do with software improvements than say improving from Bluetooth 4.0 which the iPhone 4S already has.
And NFC.
With regards to the iPhone 2012 and NFC rumors - this past week first we saw some photos supposedly of the innards of the iPhone 2012 - and what is supposed to be the NFC chip. Well is it really a chip or just a component that they can not identify - that was not very clear - but heck lets call it the NFC chip for this moment. And the moment is gone.
And then rumors this past week said no - there will be no NFC in the iPhone 2012. This at least according to Anandtech based on the next iPhone having a metal back - which is not conducive with NFC - and then Jim Dalrymple giving his trademark Yep with regards to NFC being a no show in the iPhone 2012. And that is Yep as in Yes it will not be there - not Yes it will. So at this point the Rumor pendulum with regards to NFC is it will not be in the iPhone 2012. Of course this could change before Sept 12th.
On the last episode we talked about the iPad Mini likely not being introduced at the Sept event - but rather at an event in October. This based on speculation from John Gruber and Jim Dalrymble. And now Apple PR - umm - I mean All Things D - quote confirms unquote - that the iPad Mini will be announced not in September - but rather at another event in October.
Of course the confirmed part comes from unnamed sources. And no date in October was given. But I am guessing it will be October 19th with a launch of the device around 10 days after the US elections - Which would be Friday November 16th. Which also happens to be the date of the next Kansas City Start up weekend. So yeah - that would be a lousy time for me for them to release it on. So definitely the 16th of November to start shipping the iPad Mini.
FYI - Expect all those saying the iPad Mini will ship in October to later report that due to manufacturing issues or component shortages - the iPad Mini was delayed until November. Just sayin.
I also so love when sites use the word Confirmed when talking about an Apple rumor not only did All things D use that word with regards to the introduction date but so did Tech Soure with the following quote iPad Mini Name confirmed unquote as part of their post title. Who was it confirmed by - well not apple. But rather by the ever popular unnamed source. I think for Halloween this year I am going to dress up as an unnamed source. Well that or Big foot or the Lockness monster or someone from Americas got talent that has a college degree.
I want to thank today's sponsor which is Audible. If you go to audible podcast dot com slash today in iPhone - you can get a free audio book of your choosing.
Audible is the internets leading provider of audio books - with over 100,000 titles to choose from. If you like listening to audio Audible has a ton of great content to choose from covering every genre you can think of.
In the past I have talked about Cloud Atlas and Hunger Games - as two books that either are out as a movie or are about to be. Two other novels that recently were picked up to be made into a movie - 50 Shades of Grey - which I imagine will not be PG13 - and Gone Girl - which Is a really interesting story about a wife that suddenly goes missing and is told from two perspectives one from the Wifes and one from the husbands. This is a best selling Thriller and one soon to be made into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon - but you can get the story now - all 19hours and 11 minutes of it as your free audio book download when you go to audible podcast dot com / today in iPhone - thats audible podcast dot com / today in iPhone for your free audio book download - offer good to just those in the US and Canada. Thanks Audible for sponsoring the show.
On the last episode we had a question about doing group emails. Thanks to Cheryl for the recommending app with the very brief title of Groups SMS, Mail and Manage Contacts App. We also got the following email on this .
Hey Rob,
MailShot works really well to create group lists. Also as a side note iGone is a great app to access and change your out of office from the iPhone. It took a little tweaking with the dev to get my enterprise settings right for work but he was really great and very helpful.
Thanks for the show,
Ian from WV
We also had questions about a bluetooth headset under $100.
Here is an email on this.
Hi Rob, I heard the call for a bluetooth headset under $100, here's my pick and review:
The Nokia BH-505 For the most part this is a discontinued product but it's readily available on ebay and other outlets on the web.
It's a "neckband" style headset that goes around the back of your neck (not over your head). On the left ear there is a dedicated pause/play button and toggle switch for forward & reverse (on the iPhone this just skips to the next track or previous track), and the built-in mic. On the right ear is the dedicated answer call button and toggle switch for volume control.
Of all the bluetooth headsets I've tried and tossed this is the one I keep going back to, they are good. It's lightweight and comfortable once you've used them a few days. The weakest part is at the bend the goes over your ears. I've found that after many months of daily use it will start to crack and will eventually break. To it's credit it, the headset still works after the plastic has broken. It just doesn't fit as tightly with a diy a repair. Phone calls are generally clear on both ends . You can get a full days use from a full charge. Genuine units come with 6 sets of ear cushions ( s / m / l) in a regular rounded shape and a flat shape for those that don't want the ear pieces going inside the ear canal. And a power cord for charging.
An overall a good lightweight bt headset that won't kill your wallet. Just handle with a little care and they'll last quite awhile.
Hope this helps
Regards,
Robert B
Another email on this
Hi Rob,
The best stereo bluetooth headset under $100 is the Plantronics Backbeat 903+ The sound is really great for the price. I love the sound and the controls. The mic is in the earbud and of course it could be better. Under $100.00, this is the unit to buy.
Regards,
Kevin
And here is another review of the backbeat 903+
Hi Rob,
I like the Plantronics backbeat 903+.
For music and phone it's good. For some podcasts in noisy sorroundings it's not loud enough. Some podcasts not loud enough anyway. The mics are on each side, it's ok for phone but weak on some VoIP applications like echolink.
Retail $100 but $70 at Frys and cheaper online. 7 hours music. 2 hour recharge.
Many features.
Regards,
Mike R
And another email on bluetooth heads sets.
Hi Rob,
I have a couple of suggestions for under $40:
1.) Tenqa Remxd $40
These are "DJ" style headphones. Both myself & my partner have these and have been very pleased with them.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006LADLLS
2.) Kinivo BTH220 $30
I haven't had any personal experience with these but they have great Amazon reviews:
Regards,
Matt G
And one last email on this
Hi Rob, I recommend the LG HBS-700 for around $50 on amazon. It has a mic as requested and it is incredibly comfortable to wear thanks to its unique design, I use it all the time for doing things around the house and listening to podcast and don't feel like I am wearing anything. It is also good when I have to use one earbud and keep an ear out for the kids waking up. I know it looks weird but I think anyone looking for a Bluetooth stereo headset should try it. Oh and it's great for the office, I can hide it underneath my collar.
And it's water resistant which makes it good for working out.
Regards,
Javier from Miramar, FL
http://www.amazon.com/LG-Tone-Wireless-Bluetooth-Packaging/dp/B0052YFYFK/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3lklcKd0JY&sns=em
Hi Rob,
I just finished listening to your most resent podcast and was wondering if you heard anything in the rumor mill about this feature on iPhone 2012 with Verizon. As you know, the iPhone on Verizon cannot do simultaneous voice and data over its 3G network (CDMA). So have you heard whether or not this will be possible on the LTE network with Verizon? This is the MAIN selling point for me on AT&T. So if Verizon were to offer this feature I will get rid of my AT&T iPhone and a hot minute (once all phones on Family Plan were off contract)!
TIA
Grace & Peace, Brian
Hi Brian - thanks for the question - which I thought was straight forward - Yes LTE can support voice and data at the same time - I thought it was straight forward - but the more I searched the more convoluted the answer became - some claiming all 4G LTE phones on Verizon support voice and data at the same time - others saying this feature is not available until 2013. And verizon on their site - nothing about this.
I know there are a few Verizon employees that listen - so I am sending this out to them - Can LTE phones on Verizon support simultaneous Voice and data. Because I could not find anything official about it on your site.
Here is a title of an article I just came across it is quote Apple's iPad will finally see competition this fall" unquote. Ok quick trivia question was that Article from A August 2010 or B August 2011 or C August 2012 or D - All of the Above.
If you picked D All of the Above - you would be a wiser man or women than those that wrote the articles in question. Yup seems that is an article we likely will also see in August 2013.
It just seems like yesterday we were wishing Bob Mansfield a happy retirement. And now He's Back. Ok - technically he never left - but apparently Bob realized spending more time with the family was not as appealing as first thought and he cancelled his retirement. However Dan riccio who was moved into Bob's job - well he seems to not want to give up his new job and Mr Mansfield will just report to Tim cook and quote will work on future products unquote. Well Bob We wish you a happy un-retirement.
Hi Rob,
A few shows back I remember someone asking about a PDF app that you could also insert pages into. There is an App called PDF Pen that I just read a great review of it by James Ford Kelly for Wired, and one of the features was creating PDFs right from the app, as well as all standard markup and editing options available for PDFs in general, and I thought that it might work to save that person from switching to a dreaded Windows tablet.
Regards,
- Jessi D
Hey Rob,
the 5.1 update months ago that had the 4G logo in the status bar even though there is no 4G of any kind in my area. Nor did my iPhone4S did not magically turn into 4G - but the logo is saying it is. So when Real 4G comes out & is active will they call it 5G since all the carriers lie one evolution ahead when they have mostly enhanced 3G or hspa+ & such. How will I know if I'm on 3G or 4G ish connection in the next 2 years I wonder?
Regards,
Michael S
Hi Michael - Yeah my iPhone is one that constantly shows it as a 4G connection as well - and you bring up a good point - will they now also have an LTE logo? or a 4G+ logo - I don't think they will do 5G however - but if they don't do something other than 4G for LTE - how will you know when you are connect to what - other than the fact the internet does not suck that is.
Thanks to Rose Clark via Google+ for this next one. Which is a kickstarter project with a goal of 90k and pledges of 126k and has until Oct 3rd at 4:56 PM ET for you to pledge - As they are over their goal they will be taking your money if you pledge for it. How much money - well they will start with $155 bucks of yours and go up from there. So what is said device - well it is the CruxSkunk one word. c r u x skunk - And it is another iPad case with keyboard. whannt whannt whaaa. Ok - well not just any case and keyboard - it has a 360 hinge so you can open it up and fold it out of the way. It offers a full size qwerty key board and is very thin - so yes it makes your iPad look like a mac book air kinda sorta. Anyway if you are looking for a keyboard case combo for your iPad - check out the cruxSkunk at kickstarter.
Hi Rob
I though you should take a look at this cool project. A friend of mine at work that knows the developer told me about it and I am sold. Regards, Hector
And this is with regards to the Foundation Dock. Two words - It has 10k pledged towards a goal of 37k and funding goes on until Oct 2nd at 4:36 PM ET.
So looking like it has a good chance of hitting its goal.
This is one of those kick starter projects with a few too many pricing options - 17 to be specific.
Ok - to be fair this one product is really three products - There is the foundation dock itself and there is a Flex Cable with 30 pin dock connector or the new iPhone 2012 connector and there is an aluminum USB car charger. If you want to get all three it will cost you $114 or just $99 for the dock and one flex cable or just 30 for one flex cable or just $15 for the USB car charger.
Still not sure what it is yet - well they call it the best charging, syncing, bending, holding, music listening, face timing, video watching, self portrait taking device for the iPhone - And ummm Yeah.
Ok so by flex cable they really mean bend it into a specific shape with some force and it will stay in that shape and that lets you adjust the iPhone to stay where you want it and face how you want it.
The foundation dock is an aluminum CNC machined base with a built in speaker, a microphone, audio line out, one usb port at the top and 4 additional powered USB ports in the back and a mini usb port. The flex cable plugs into the USB port on the top or you can disconnect from the Base and plug it into the Car Charger or any other USB port.
It is an interesting project and one you can learn more about by searching for Foundation Dock - two words on kickstarter dot com.
Thanks to Richard for the heads up on this next Kickstarter project that had a lofty goal of $250,000 and I say had because they already have over $525k in pledges. Not bad for something that only has pledge levels now starting at $174. This one will be live until september 22nd at 5:06 AM ET.
What is this project it is called Smartthings - one word. And Smartthings is a device to help connect things in your house to the internet. So you can monitor, control and automate the things in your house. And do so anywhere you want via the iOS App. So say you want to have it where you turn off your lights or turn them on when you are away from the home. You can do that. Say your wife constantly keeps forgetting to turn off her curling iron - well in the past a solution would be to hang the curling iron by the front door to remind her she almost burned down the house again by leaving her curling iron turned on and right next to the rubbing alcohol - or you could just turn it off said curling iron from your App. You can also have sensors to see if your doors have been open or is open. you can have a sensor on your dog to see if it has left the house or yard. The video even shows it sensing when you get out of bed and turning on the coffee pot for you - Hey Wait I think I saw that in a Wallace and Grommit Cartoon. So I guess you can say if you like Wallace and Grommit and want to live in a house like they have SmartThings will get you one step closer.
For the $174 while it lasts you get a smart things hub and 3 things this year - yup they are planning on a December delivery.
This is an interesting one and I recommend watching the video to learn more - over at kickstarter dot com - search for smartthings - One word.
Do you have a favorite old printer and wish you could print to it from your iOS device with Air Print like you can with the ePrint printers. Well now you can for just $100 - with the Lantronix XPrintserver Home Edition. XPrintServer being one word. I have a link in the show notes for a review done over on Wired which goes in to the good and slightly not so good i.e. setting it up can be a pain for some printers - but the good news is once it is set up you should be golden. And better news it seems to set up easily for most printers - which I usually find means it sets up well for most printers other than the one I have.
But in any case rather than spend a few hundred on a new printer and a few hundred more on ink for the new printer - you can use your current printer and ink with your iOS device for just $100. Look for the link in the show notes for Episode 238 over at today in iOS dot com.
Ok in addition to all the leaks / rumors about the iPhone 2012 and iPad mini - every so often we get a leak per the iPod touch - this current one comes via GizChina - who shows a picture of a case for the next gen iPod touch - which is a longer body than the current one - suggesting that whatever screen size the new iPhone gets the iPod touch will be getting as well - which you know kinda makes sense. The strange thing was the two holes on the back - as if it is going to have two different cameras for taking pictures and video in 3d. Which would be a huge one more thing - especially for the iPod touch.
Hi Rob,
Switchy is a new JB app I found today - it gives you an extra row for the 'opened apps' . When scrolling to the left it also has a kill-all-apps button ( though I think kill backgrounder is better for this tweak). There's also a slider for brightness and the settings app is available. Regards, Tash
Hi Rob,
I use Instacast for my podcast listening and it supports the 30 second jump back. This feature works with the "previous track" button on the lock screen with this app however. I'm not jailbroken at the moment, so i can't test, but I suspect that activator assigned to "previous track" on the power button would achieve what your listener was searching for. Regards, Jared
Santa Cruz, CA
Hi Rob,
Why Can't Siri Call 911?
Jessi D
And Jessi sent a screen shot of siri saying it can not call 911 - and I have to say I have not heard of this before. I would say we would need to ask Apple - but maybe it is some FCC rule that an automated assistant can not call 911 or maybe apple did that on purpose so that people don't accidentally call 911. I am not sure. If anyone know for sure - please let us know.
An interesting article from Bloomberg - in that Apple tried to throw a whole bunch of money at Taiwan Semiconductor to lock up production - this is something Apple has done in the past with great success. Except this time Taiwan Semiconductor - said thanks but no thanks. The said the same to Qualcomm who also was trying to lock up inventory.
It seems we are starting to see news coming in from the component side that is indicating that future growth of the Smartphone world may be limited by capacity issues at component vendors. Again in the past Apple has done a great job of locking up capacity just for them - that was probably more than anything the biggest piece Tim Cook brought to the table at Apple - the incredible supply chain management - that allowed apple to dominate in the Mp3 market.
So the question is will Apple be able to find someone else who they can lock up capacity from to ensure no major shortages this fall. My feeling is there will be both record sales this fall but there will also be more demand than there will be supply of apple products. Expect the iPad mini to be harder to get than Tickle Me Elmo back in its day.
Recently I said I thought T-Mobile was going to get the iPhone - Recently in this case being last show. Well now comes a leaked screen shot from T-Mobile for employee training which shows starting on Sept 21st here is how you sell against the iPhone. So the question obviously is why would you need to sell against that which you are getting unless you are not getting it.
It is possible that only select number of people at T-mobile know if they are getting the iPhone - and this item was written by someone not in the know - just assuming it is business as usually on Sept 21st and they are not getting the iPhone.
Well - I still think it was strange timing about their new network upgrade announcement.
We shall see.
Here is some feedback on my Rant about the Apple v Samsung verdict.
Hi Rob,I could not disagree with you more. Apple is not a villain. If you follow your logic why have patients at all? Since when does stealing make you a good guy. Especially when you do it as Samsung did. This is the right thing both in the short and long term. There is no way at the present time for Apple not to use Samsung. Apple does need the money, what company does not need a billion dollars. And it will be much more with licensing. If you think not, talk to the stock holders. Doesn't Apple need to have clear title to there hard earned technology rights? You can't just keep developing at a pace that is faster than what another company can copy. It takes time to develop. As for 3 years, how often have I heard that. And believe you me, others like Microsoft already know they need to find a way to be first. Wonder how long it would have taken Samsung to copy the iPhone 5 when it comes out or a change in the ios. The people you are hearing from now didn't not like Apple to begin with. And if you didn't like this court case. Wait until the bigger ones with Google, the prince of stealing and coping. I am proud that Apple stood up and spent the money to win this case. Not because it was Apple, but because it was right.
Regards,
Richard
And my reply - Hi Richard,
I did not say Apple "IS" a villain - just that Apple will be looked at as one by many.
I stand by my comments. I do not like the legal case (or really any legal case) - and I think Apple being the biggest customer of Samsung, was in a position to put pressure on them in another way.
Legal protection from a competitor is not a good long term protection.
The best protection is in out innovating - Apple did that on the iPod side - with no use of Legal lawsuits and was able to dominate there.
I do agree that Samsung slavishly copied the iPhone - like I said in the rant that was pretty clear.
Per Apple not needing the $1 Billion - that is 100% true - they don't need the money - they just gave away a lot more than that in the form of a dividend. Apple 100% does not need the $1 Billion dollars. They already have over $100 Billion in Cash (or equivalents) as it is. Not saying they don't "want" the $1 Billion - but they definitely don't "need" it.
Thanks to Mark H for this next one. Which is one of those articles that I save to the end and tell you to go check out - which is what I am doing here - it is an article titled - Your Smartphone's So Smart It Takes 14 Gadgets to Match It - which goes over all the different single use gadgets you would need if you did not have that iPhone in your pocket. From the obvious - Phone, Camera, MP3 player to the not so obvious - calculator, alarm clock and dictionary. It is a fun little article to remind you why your iPhone in comparison is a very good spend of your money as all the devices together cost over $1,200 - but more importantly it is a big saver on your back for the road warrior - just one device and one charger. Sure wish I had an iPhone back in my travel 75% of the time for work days.
Category: vip_Artwork
-- posted at: 12:30am EDT
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