Apple outs iOS 7.0.2 to address the lockscreen bypass bug

Less than a week after iOS 7 lockscreen vulnerability was discovered, Apple released an update to fix the problem. Released as iOS 7.0.2, the update is a small security patch addressing the issue.

The iOS 7 lockscreen bug allowed users to bypass the iPhone lockscreen and gain access to messages, email, photos, and social networks. Along with a patch for it, iOS 7.0.2 adds a Greek keyboard option for passcode entry.

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Unknown 09:42  No comment

Microsoft admits their iPhone parody videos were “off the mark”

A couple of days ago we wrote about the iPhone parody videos that Microsoft had uploaded on their Windows Phone YouTube channel. These amateurishly shot videos depicted two Apple engineers discussing ideas for the next iPhone with what looked like the late Steve Jobs and Jony Ive.

After almost universal negative feedback, Microsoft was quick to pull these videos from their channel but there was no official word from the company back then as to exactly why they removed them. However, the company has now revealed the reason behind the move.

While talking to CNET, a Microsoft representative said that the campaign “was intended to be a light hearted poke at our friends from Cupertino. But it was off the mark, and we’ve decided to pull it down.”

While it’s good that Microsoft was quick to pull these videos, it would be better if in future they run these through someone with good taste so as to not tarnish their own reputation while trying to make fun of someone else.

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Unknown 02:54  No comment

China Telecom puts up an iPhone 5S and 5C pre-order page

Rumors of the new iPhones going to China are heating up – they're so hot, in fact, that China Telecom just went and posted a pre-order page. It was quickly taken down, but the carrier's Sina Weibo account also posted about the two iPhones (this post was taken down as well).

So, here's what's going on – Apple has scheduled a dedicated event in China (a first for the company) for September 11, a day after the US event for the Western press. The rumor is that this is to announce that the two new iPhones will be available in China, including on the country's biggest carrier China Mobile (the only one of the top three that so far doesn’t offer the iPhone).

It appears that neither model will be exclusive to the carrier and China Telecom will offer them, too. September 20 is the launch date in the Apple Stores according to a post on Sina Tech (in Chinese), while Chinese retailer Dixintong will have the iPhones 5 days later, according to a leaked photo ofinternal documents (in Chinese).

  
The pre-order page for the iPhone 5S and 5C that China Telecom posted

The images show the gold iPhone 5S and also what should be the iPhone 5C in multiple color options. However, the 5C looks like the current iPhone 5 just with a different paint job, rather than the plastic-encased iPhone 5C that multiple rumors and leaks point to.

The China Telecom page contained more than images – the text read (according to Google Translate):

According page display, iPhone 5S using a larger screen, touch on the display panel, A7 processor, running iOS7 system, sapphire master keys, a gold version, support LTE-A technology to support wireless charging, larger battery capacity, support slow motion video capture, dual flash.

On a second look at the Chinese scrip, we also noticed NFC written in Latin, sitting there on the top row.

The larger screen is particularly interesting – with Android phones going over 5" in screen size, Apple may be feeling that 4" won't cut it and bump the size again. The rest of the such given specs also make total sense, so here we are with our fingers crossed that indeed there will be indeed, a larger screen iPhone. Though... on a second thought, we wouldn't hold our breath just yet.

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Unknown 23:34  No comment

Apple iPhone 5S retail packaging surfaces

Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C already look like one of the worst kept secrets in the tech industry. After appearing in leaked images, countless number of times, both smartphones are all set for an official unveiling on September 10.

We recently saw the images of the Apple iPhone 5C packaging and now, we have the leaked images of the retail packaging on the iPhone 5S.

 

It looks like the Apple iPhone 5S might come with a different packaging cover than the one we have with the iPhone 5. Somebody has also noticed there is a circle around the home button and if this indicates something, then the previous leaks would point us towards a finger print scanner option.

Also, the user interface of the iPhone 5S on the retail pack looks a bit different and it could as well be the iOS 7, which is expected to start seeding soon.

However, since the images are bit blurry, we are not quite sure if this is the real deal, it might as well be faked. Anyways, the wait is almost over, as Apple's event is just 4 days away. Do remember to check back with us as we will be bringing you all the latest news from Cupertino.

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Unknown 23:34  No comment

Apple adds China Mobile to iPhone 5C carriers list

According to the latest report by Wall Street Journal China Mobile has already signed or will very soon sign a deal with Apple for the low-cost iPhone 5C. Apple has asked Foxconn to add China Mobile to the list of supported carriers for the iPhone 5C.

It is not yet clear if the deal is complete so we can't be sure if China Mobile will participate at the Chinese iPhone launch event in Beijing on September 11.

According to the rumors, China Mobile's iPhone 5C will ship in November. The carrier is still waiting for approval to launch its LTE network and that may be the reason for the delay. Meanwhile China Telecom has already put up pre-order pages for the iPhone 5S and 5C.

Apple is holding a press conference next Tuesday, September 10, where it is expected to announce the iPhone 5S flagship and the low-cost iPhone 5C.

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Unknown 23:31  No comment

Golden iPhone 5S casing leaks in a video alongside white 5C

A video has surfaced which shows the rumored iPhone 5S' golden casing and compares it side by side with the silver iPhone 5.

The prominent differences are the dual-LED flash cutout on the iPhone 5S casing, the different third microphone pinhole shape and the fact that the chamfered edges on the sides aren't colored and are instead just plain aluminum.

We've seen pictures of the champagne-gold casing more than once. Also a grey SIM tray points to a possible fourth color option.

The video also features a comparison of the would-be iPhone 5S casing with the would-be iPhone 5C one.

If these rumors are true and this actually becomes a reality on September 10, alongside iOS 7 we could expect pretty minor updates on the latest Apple gadget compared to the current iPhone 5. The screen and body would be all but the same.

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Unknown 22:36  No comment

Images of Apple iPhone 5C shells in red surface

We have already lost count on the number of leaks we saw for Apple's alleged budget iPhone also known as iPhone 5C. We've heard that the C in iPhone 5C might stand for color, and that might just be the case as now we see the alleged red version of the smartphone. As with the previous leaks there's no way to confirm the trust-worthyness of these shots, so take it all with a healthy dose of skepticism.

   

If the rumors pan out, the Apple iPhone 5C will be up for grabs in Red, Yellow, Green, Blue and White paint jobs. The alleged pricing details of the affordable iPhone have also emerged and suggest that the smartphone will carry a price tag of around $490.

Apple will also be launching its next-generation iPhone along with its cheaper variant. Now, we have a new set of leaked images, which suggests that the upcoming iPhone will be named iPhone 5G and not as iPhone 5S as previously rumored.

  

The leaked image shows us a box containing an alleged spare digitizer and screen for the next iPhone.

The good news is the leak marathon is now entering its final stages - the next iPhone and its budget counterpart should be announced at the start of next month.

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Unknown 01:05  No comment

Kantar: iOS usage grows 3.5% in the US, gets closer to Android

A market research conducted by analyst company Kantar Worldpanel shows that iOS has grabbed 41.9% of the smartphone market in the US for the three-month period ending in May. That's an increase of 3.5 percent points over the same period of last year.

This gets Apple's mobile OS closer to Android, which managed to add the negligible 0.1% to its user base. Google's mobile OS now runs on 52% of the smartphones sold for the period.

As far as mobile carriers and their smartphone sales are concerned, Verizon is in the lead with 34.6%, AT&T is second with 29%, and Sprint gets the third spot with 12.7%. T-Mobile remains fourth with 10.1% slice of the smartphone sales, which is 3.4 percent points down compared to the same period of 2012.

AT&T owes 60.5% of its smartphone sales to the iPhone 5, while the phone's sales at Verizon mark 43.8% for the three months ending May 2013. Despite its late arrival over at T-Mobile, the Apple iPhone 5 was still the best-selling smartphone for the carrier. Overall, iPhone sales accounted for 31% of T-Mobile's smartphone sales

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech global consumer insight director Dominic Sunnebo reckons that T-Mobile manages to attract first time smartphone buyers, who are upgrading from a feature phones. "Of T-Mobile consumers who bought an iOS device since it launched on the carrier, 53% had previously owned a featurephone, well above the market average of 45% of iOS owners who previously owned a featurephone, he adds."

Lastly, there's Windows Phone, which stands in third place with 4.6% market share. Notably, that's 1 percent point increase compared to last year's result. However, the WP suffered a decline compared to the three-month period ending in April, when the mobile OS snatched 5.6% of the smartphone sales.

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Unknown 07:51  No comment

Apple seeds iOS 7 beta 3 to registered developers

Apple has started seeding the third version of the developer preview of iOS 7 to registered developers. If you have it installed on your device, you should have gotten a prompt to update it by now.

As usual, there are several minor changes across the board but by far the most noticeable is the change of system fonts. The first two versions of iOS 7 beta used Helvetica Neue Light, which at times was bit hard to read. The latest version changes it to Helvetica Neue Regular, which is a lot more legible. Light and Ultra Light are still visible in certain places in the UI but less frequently than before.

Other changes include bigger status bar on the lockscreen, new animation for app downloads, dots in Calendar app to indicate events on particular days, new music player controls and much more.

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Unknown 07:44  No comment

Latest Nokia Lumia 925 ad shows an iPhone 5 turning people into flash zombies

The recently released Nokia Lumia 925, which is basically a Lumia 920 in a new thinner and lighter shell, but also a supposedly improved camera lens. The last bit is probably why Nokia chose to focus on the imaging capabilities of its new flagship in its latest ad video.

Featuring a bunch of zombies, we have to admit the promo clip is quite cool.

The new Lumia 925 ad makes fun of the zombie faces (white faces and red eyes) that other smartphones’ flashes cause in low light. Good thing that the Lumia 925 itself has OIS, so it doesn’t always need to activate the flash. Now the benefits of the OIS for shooting low-light portraits are dubious, as the technology is better suited for other tasks, but that’s not the point here.

Enjoy the video!

You can check our preview of the Nokia Lumia 925 right here.

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Unknown 02:26  No comment

Call-blocking to finally make its way to the iPhone with iOS 7

A feature that’s been missing in iOS for quite some time is set to finally make its way to Apple’s mobile platform with its most recent version.

Call-blocking in iOS 7 will not only block calls, but also prevents messages and even FaceTime calls from numbers you add to the list.

It’s anyone’s guess why iOS was missing such a basic feature for so long, but it’s good to see Apple finally doing something about it. For an in-depth look at what else is set to come with iOS 7 this fall, check out our coverage of the announcement. You can also get info on how to get the beta version of iOS 7 here.

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Unknown 04:41  No comment

Apple iPhone 5 vs Galaxy S4 destruction tests are a pain to watch

We’ve seen all sorts of comparisons between the top dogs of the smartphone world, Apple’s iPhone 5 and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 in the past couple of months, but nothing quite like this.

This destruction test aims to show how sturdy the hardware of the two devices is – even going as far as getting run over by a car! Lets just say things didn’t go well for either contestant.

One of the many digs against the new Galaxy flagship is its supposedly low quality plastic construction. Whether that’s the case or not, it fared very well – dare we say better – than the aluminum unibody on the iPhone 5, especially when it comes to dipping its toes in the water.

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Unknown 04:40  No comment

Apple puts up '7' sign banners at WWDC, confirms next iOS version

Apple is expected to announce its next iteration of iOS in its upcoming World Wide Developers Conference, which will kick start on June 10.

   

Apple has begun to decorate its Moscone Center in San Francisco, the venue for WWDC 2013, and the banner used in the process shows the number '7'. This more or less confirms that the Cupertino giant will be announcing a new version of iOS.

Moreover, the much anticipated iOS 7 recently appeared in a GFXBench database and confirmed its presence. The upcoming iOS version is expected to feature a major UI redesign with a flat new look under the leadership of Apple's Senior Vice President of Industrial Design - Jony Ive.

Apple's official WWDC 2013 app for iOS is already available and, in case you are not able to attend the event, stay tuned to our website, as we will be bringing you all the latest happenings from the developer's conference live.

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Unknown 05:04  No comment