Our lab-coated colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports are still testing various features of the iPhone 4S, so we don’t have their verdict on its battery life yet. But many customers online, including reader Bill, are already complaining that the battery drains much too quickly, and never fully charges to 100%. [More]
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iPhone Preorder Customers Find Long Wait Unfair
By 10.21.11
Customers like Stacey thought they were doing the responsible thing by pre-ordering the iPhone 4S and having it delivered to their doorsteps, instead of queuing up on release day. But now some customers won’t get their preordered phones for weeks while brick-and-mortar stores have stacks of them, and they can’t even cancel the preorders to go buy one from a local store. [More]
Cell Phone Company With Only 1 Million Customers To Get iPhone 4S
By 10.19.11
Until a few minutes ago, most of us had barely heard of C Spire Wireless, even by its previous name of Cellular South. Regardless, the wireless provider with only about a million customers announced today that it is now taking orders for the iPhone 4S. [More]
Cheap AT&T Text Message Plan IS Compatible With iPhone 4s
By 10.19.11
Have you fired up your new iPhone 4S, only to feel lonely because no one is texting you? Don’t be sad. You might still have some friends after all. As reader Hillary discovered, AT&T’s cheapest text plan ($5 for 200 messages) isn’t compatible with the new phone, so people with that combination just don’t get their messages. Update: We heard from an AT&T rep, who told us that there’s no reason why the 4S shouldn’t work with a 200-message texting plan, and isn’t sure why this happened to Hillary. [More]
iPhone Owners Complaining About Yellow Screens Again
By 10.18.11
Back in 2008, Apple faced a minor controversy when some iPhone 3G owners complained of yellow screens. Well, everything old is new again, as the screens on some iPhone 4S devices have buyers seeing yellow. [More]
Apple Allegedly Kicks "The Situation" Out For Trying To Cut iPhone 4S Line
By 10.17.11
The Situation’s six-pack was allegedly sent packing after the Jersey Shore star tried to cut an iPhone 4S line at an Apple store this weekend. [More]
Why You Should (Or Shouldn't) Buy The iPhone 4S
By 10.14.11
Our phone-testing friends at Consumer Reports have the new Apple iPhone 4S in house, and they’ll have their first hands-on review later today. In the meantime, they have some advice for anyone who is considering rushing out of the house to wait in line to buy the phone today or later this weekend: Do it. Or don’t. Depending on what kind of phone you currently have, and what features are important to you, now may be the time to get a new iPhone. Here are some things to consider: [More]
Apple Makes Me Stalk The UPS Guy At My Old House
By 10.13.11
Samantha has moved since registering for an account on Apple.com. That’s not unusual. Her problem is that Apple is somehow unable to deal with this reality, and she isn’t able to change her address in their system. This means that they can’t ship her freshly ordered iPhone 4S anywhere but her old address. “Maybe I will show up at the house and ask them to please not steal my new iPhone,” she muses. [More]
Apple: No iPhone 5, But The Faster iPhone 4S Will Be Available This Month For AT&T, Verizon & Sprint
By 10.4.11
There has been a mountain of speculation about just what exactly would Apple be unveiling at today’s big press event — Would it be the iPhone 5? Maybe the lower price, slimmed down iPhone 4S? Would it be a 4G device? Would Sprint and/or T-Mobile finally get the iPhone? Would they kill the iPod as we know it? [More]
Report: Sprint Places Order For 30.5 Million iPhones
By 10.3.11
Among the many whispers surrounding tomorrow’s big iPhone announcement are rumors that Sprint would finally get its hands on the coveted smartphone. Now comes a report that the wireless company isn’t just going to be offering the iPhone but that it’s betting the company’s future on it. [More]
Commence Squeals Of Glee: Apple To Finally Reveal iPhone 5 Oct. 4
By 9.27.11
Be still, beating hearts, the anticipation is finally (officially, and sort of) over! Apple confirmed Tuesday that on Oct. 4, they’ll whip back the curtain and reveal the iPhone 5. [More]
T-Mobile Exec: Over 1 Million Customers Using Unlocked iPhones On Our Network
By 9.27.11
Right now, U.S. cellphone users can only choose between AT&T and Verizon Wireless if they want to use the iPhone without jailbreaking it to use on another provider’s network. And even though T-Mobile may eventually get the iPhone if AT&T can convince the courts and regulators to let its purchase of T-Mobile USA go through, a number of customers aren’t waiting. [More]
The iPad Vending Machine At Macy's
By 9.21.11
I know iPad and iPod and gizmo-disgorging vending machines are nothing new, but it was still unnerving to see one as I passed through a Macy’s men’s department this weekend. I kind of hate it, and I kind of love it. [More]
Oops: Pot-Smoking Elmo Already Claimed @Qwikster On Twitter
By 9.19.11
Netflix might have flubbed on its due diligence when checking out if there were any a priori uses of the name “Qwikster.” (Whether or not just picking that name itself is a flub is another discussion.) It seems there was already an entity out there using Qwikster, and it’ll make it hard for the DVD by mail service to have a good Twitter profile. Yep, @Qwikster is a joint-smoking Elmo who gets bored in English class, harbors negative feelings about his ex-girlfriend, and recently attained level 25 in the Original Gangstaz game for iPhone. [More]
Report: iPhone 5 Has Gone Into Production
By 9.6.11
If the iPhone 5 is indeed, as rumored, going to launch early next month, it makes sense that Apple’s contractors are hard at work putting the products together. A report says that Chinese manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron are doing just that. [More]
Sprint Tells Employees Not To Discuss iPhone Rumors With Customers, Friends, Family
By 8.29.11
Among the many rumors and reports surrounding the inevitable release of the iPhone 5 is that the device will finally be made available to Sprint customers. With speculation building, Sprint has reportedly issued a memo to staffers instructing them how to respond to customer queries about the iPhone… with a “no comment.” [More]
New App Lets iPhone & iPad Users View Flash Video
By 7.28.11
One of the major knocks against Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices is that their operating systems would not support playback of video in Adobe’s popular Flash format. But earlier today, the makers of the Skyfire mobile browser released an app that will give these devices that much-desired functionality. [More]
iPhone Falls Out Of Skydiver's Pocket, Still Works
By 7.19.11
If iPhones were skydivers, they wouldn’t need parachutes. That appears to be true after an iPhone 4 slipped out of a Minnesota skydiver’s pocket during a 13,500-foot jump and survived the impact in working order. [More]
