If you’re going to buy an expensive electronic device from someone you met online or in a gas station parking lot, don’t close the deal until you’ve opened up the boxes and made sure that they really contain an iPhone, and not rocks, pieces of wood, or… fruit. There’s a report out of Australia that a woman bought two iPhones and opened the boxes to find apples instead. [More]
iphone
The New Nokia Lumia May Have A 41-Megapixel Camera, But That Doesn’t Mean It’s The Best
July 25, 2013
A lot has been made about the 41-megapixel camera inside the Nokia Lumia 1020, but our tech-head twins at Consumer Reports say that you shouldn’t be swayed by the impressive number of megapixels, and that the camera is good but still outperformed by the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4. [Consumer Reports] [More]
My Target Advertises Great iPhone Deal, Doesn’t Stock iPhones
By 7.10.13
Rob heard about a great deal at Target: the retailer was running a sale and an iPhone trade-in deal for one weekend only. He made a trip over only to find that the deal was on, but there were no AT&T phones to be had. [More]
Did Your Kid Make In-App Purchases On Your iPhone Without Asking? You Might Be Due Some Cash From Apple
By 6.24.13
A couple years back, Apple came under fire from parents and regulators after reports that kids were making in-app purchases, sometimes to the tune of four figures, on their folks’ iPhones and iPads. The company has since changed its policy to prevent children from draining their parents’ wallets in this fashion, but that didn’t stop the class-action lawsuit from the people who’d lost money before the policy change. [More]
2.8 Million Reasons Why Smartphones Need To Come With Kill Switches
By 6.12.13
Earlier this week, Apple made a lot of customers happy when they announced that the next iteration of its iOS operating system for iPhones would integrate a so-called “kill swtich” technology that enables the owner to cripple the phone remotely when it’s lost or stolen. And that’s a good thing, because a lot of you are being careless with your wireless devices. [More]
Apple To Reportedly Offer Its Own Trade-In Program For iPhones, Other Products
By 6.6.13
While retailers and wireless carriers have long offered trade-in programs for iPhones, and Apple has an existing recycling program to take your old wireless devices, iPods, and computers off your hands, but now the electronics company is reportedly set to launch an in-store trade-in program that pays customers cash for used Apple products. [More]
My Fifth Replacement iPhone 5 Doesn’t Work Either
By 5.24.13
Usually, it’s owners of Android devices who get cast into the terrifying outer circles of Smartphone Replacement Purgatory, but owners of Apple devices aren’t immune. Reader Stephen first wrote to us back in February as he got his third replacement iPhone 5. Since then, he’s received two more phones. It’s nice that his phone is under warranty and all, but he’s on a two-year contract. Will he be stuck getting replacements every few months the entire time? [More]
Woman Files $5 Million Class Action Over Broken iPhone Power Button
By 5.16.13
The power button on a woman’s iPhone 4 failed, and she’s not able to turn the phone on or off. That pretty much renders it useless, so she ditched AT&T and got a new phone. But she never forgot that shiny, shiny iPhone that broke down shortly after its initial one-year warranty was up. She filed a class action on behalf of herself and other powerless iPhone users. What raised eyebrows is that she sued under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, accusing Apple and AT&T of conspiring together to sell expensive two-year contracts on phones that break after one year. [More]
Report: Apple Sent 5-8 Million Shoddy iPhones Back To Foxconn
By 4.23.13
The Apple rumor mill is a-churning yet again, and this time it’s not another breathless bit of speculation about the newest version of the iPhone: A report out of China claims that the smartphone giant sent anywhere between five and eight million shoddy iPhones back to its manufacturer, Foxconn, out of concerns that the phones weren’t up to snuff. [More]
Watch What You Whisper: Your Secrets Might Not Be So Safe With Siri
By 4.19.13
When you ask Siri late on a Friday night how to craft the perfect booty text, it’s not like the iPhone’s digital assistant is going to run off and tell your friends. But oh, she remembers what you tell her. As for how long she holds onto that info, well, it’s unclear. And that uncertainty over Apple’s data retention police is giving privacy advocates a severe case of the frownfaces. [More]
Make Sure You Get The Right T-Mobile iPhone Or You’ll Get Stuck In The Slow Lane
By 4.15.13
Not all 4G networks are created equal. The iPhone 5 officially hit T-Mobile on Friday, April 12, but not all T-Mobile iPhones are created equal. You can buy a phone from T-Mobile itself, or an unlocked one from Apple that comes with a T-Mobile SIM, but not every iPhone for sale is compatible with T-Mobile’s 4G network. Many customers are going home with an older version that’s not compatible with T-Mobile’s network, defeating the point of owning a 4G LTE device. The problem is that many T-Mobile and Apple Store employees aren’t aware of the difference. [More]
$53M Apple iPhone Warranty Settlement Centers On Those Pesky Water Damage Strips
By 4.12.13
Anyone who’s ever had to pay for a replacement cell phone, smart or otherwise, has tried the “But I swear, I didn’t get it wet!” argument when that little strip is pink, instead of white. But a new settlement has Apple paying out $53 million to customers who claimed the company didn’t honor warranties on iPhones and iPod Touches, all becuse of those pesky damage indicators. [More]
T-Mobile iPhone Preorder Customer Rewarded With Getting Her Phone Next Wednesday
By 4.12.13
Today, the iPhone goes on sale from T-Mobile, which is something that many of our readers are very excited about. After years of being with the only major carrier without the phone, who can blame them? While people who line up in stores today will walk away cradling the precious, precious phone in their hands, some people who got a jump on ordering will have to wait for a while. [More]
T-Mobile iPhone Preorders: A Few Glitches, But Not A Disaster
By 4.10.13
T-Mobile are pretty excited about the iPhone coming to the carrier, and many customers among our readership have pre-ordered the device. On Monday, we shared reader Richard’s preorder report that he wasn’t able to order at all, no one was able to place a preorder for him, and nobody knew why. We called in for some help from T-Mobile, and asked our readers how their preorders are going. [More]
Four Days Until The T-Mobile iPhone Goes On Sale…How Are Those Pre-orders Going?
By 4.8.13
As you most likely know, T-Mobile will begin officially selling the iPhone on Friday, without a subsidy or required contract. That’s the good news. Excited customers could start placing pre-orders last Friday, a week before the official launch. How’s that working out for them? Reader Richard filed this report from Pre-order City. [More]
The $30 SIM Replacement Fee: When A Verizon Store Isn’t A Verizon Store
By 4.2.13
It was a really exciting time for reader Poochie’s wife. She was getting an iPhone 5. Yaaay! Once everything was set up in her brand-new phone, though, the SIM card failed. No problem: Poochie pulled out his own phone and asked his trusty friend Siri where to find the nearest Verizon store. That store wanted $30 to replace the SIM of a phone that was just out of the box and under warranty. If that seems unreasonable, that’s because… it is. [More]
European Union Looking Into iPhone Contracts After Carriers Complain They Stifle Competition
By 3.22.13
Regulators over in Europe are checking into Apple’s deals with cellphone carriers after complaints that the iPhone contracts the company uses stifle competition. There are no formal complaints yet, but a group of wireless carriers banded together to submit info about their various contracts to the European Commission, in a move reportedly started by French carriers. [More]
I Can’t Make My Son Use Less Data On HIs iPhone Without Giving AT&T More Money
By 3.15.13
Mark has a teenage son. His son has an iPhone. Like many teens (and quite a few adults, come to think of it) his son has trouble managing his usage on his 200-megabyte data plan. Most of the time he’s near wi-fi…but that’s only most of the time. Mark called up AT&T to see whether there was any way that he could lock down the phone from his account so it just can’t access the data network at all after reaching its limit. That would be a nice feature, wouldn’t it? Too bad that AT&T doesn’t offer a way to do that without somehow giving them more money. [More]
