Tethering shares the 3G wireless data connection from a cell phone with your computer for Internet access when Wi-Fi and Ethernet networks aren’t available. The feature is supported on the iPhone, although carriers expect their customers to pay extra for the service — something that iTether works around.iTether offers iPhone tethering without jailbreakingSince cell carriers…
Jeff Gamet
Jeff Gamet is the Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and co-host of the Apple Context Machine podcast. He is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X” from Peachpit Press, and writes for several design-related publications. Jeff has presented at events such as Macworld Expo, the RSA Conference, and the Mac Computer Expo. In all his spare time, he also hosts TMO’s Daily Observations podcast, co-hosts The iOS Show podcast, and makes guest appearances on several other shows, too. Jeff dreams in HD.
Articles by Jeff Gamet
Snowboard Combines iPad, Steve Jobs Tribute
The iShred is a one-off board with a built-in iPad, and an illuminated logo on the bottom of the board. The logo lights up when a rider steps into the board’s bindings, and the iPad is fully functional. The aluminum base is a first for the snowboard industry, and is a tip of the hat…
Apple Combo Power Adapter Could Charge Mac, iPad Simultaneously
The power adapter could adjust its voltage to properly charge a single or multiple devices, and would let users carry a single charger instead of individual ones for each Apple product they need to power up.One possible configuration for Apple’s multi-device charger conceptLike Apple’s current power adapters, the patent shows a MagSafe connector for Mac…
Apple Starts Environmental Audit for China Parts Suppliers
Apple auditing China factories over environmental concernsWord that Apple has been reviewing the environmental practices at factories in China followed a report that the company has been talking with local environmental groups such as the Institute on Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE). The company has already met with the organization twice, and started investigating factory…
Apple Talks Pollution with Chinese Environmental Groups
The Beijing-based Institute on Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) is one of the organizations Apple has been talking with, according to The Industry Standard. The group has already met with Apple twice, and has even spoken with Apple supply chain managers, according to InfoWorld.China environmental groups call Apple to task Apple isn’t addressing specific concerns…
New York Apple Store Design Patent Credits Steve Jobs
Apple’s Upper West Side store in Manhattan Along with Mr. Jobs, the patent also lists Karl Backus, Peter Bohlin, George Bradley Robert Bridger, Benjamin Fay and Ronald Bruce.Store rendering from Apple’s patent filing The multi-level Upper store is located at Broadway and 67th Street, and opened on November 14, 2009, as Apple’s fourth Manhattan location.…
Samsung’s Australian iPhone Injunction Hearing Coming in March
Samsung pushing for Australia iPhone injunction in March“The case will be fixed for a hearing for three weeks, commencing in March, 2012, with the date to be fixed on Friday,” said Judge Annabelle Bennett, according to Reuters. She isn’t imposing any restrictions on iPhone 4S sales ahead of the hearing. Apple and Samsung have been…
Apple Sued for Infringing on Old Palm, 3Com Patents
According to Smartphone Technologies, it is the exclusive license holder for the patents, and the company claimed the “iPhone, iPads, iCloud, iTunes, MacBooks and/or Apple Sync Services, that integrated phone and PDA user interface on a single processor,” are all infringing on those patents. The patent list includes: 3Com’s 1997 patent 5,832,489 Method and apparatus…
Samsung: No iPhone Injunction in South Korea
Samsung on iPhone 4S in South Korea: Never Mind “We concluded that we should engage in legal battles with Apple only in the global market, but not in order to gain more market share in Korea,” a Samsung executive told The Chosun Ilbo. While Samsung may have decided against seeking an injunction in South Korea, that…
Apple: No Surprise Upgrades for Defective 1st Gen iPod nanos
Some first gen iPod nanos have defective batteriesApple warned customers via email that: In very rare cases, the battery in the iPod nano (1st generation) may overheat and pose a safety risk. Affected iPod nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006. The company also said that the risk of overheating increases with age,…
Analyst: iPhone Growth to Boom in Holiday Season
Mr. Um expects iPhone sales for the last three months of 2011 to climb from 1 million post-paid adds for the big carriers for the same period last year up to 1.3 million this year. Since the iPhone 4S includes chips designed for better performance on AT&T’s HSPA wireless data network, customers can expect better…
Apple Replacing First Gen iPod nanos Over Faulty Batteries
Some first gen iPod nanos have defective batteriesIn an email to iPod nano owners, Apple stated:Apple has determined that, in very rare cases, the battery in the iPod nano (1st generation) may overheat and pose a safety risk. Affected iPod nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006.The likelihood that the defective batteries will…
Apple Avoids Showing Samsung Full Cell Carrier Contracts
Annabelle Bennett, the Judge overseeing the case in Australia, agreed that Apple only needed to show only relevant parts of its partner contracts with Vodafone, Optus and Telstra, and that Apple’s assurance that the specific clauses Samsung was hoping to find in the documents weren’t there is enough.Apple gives Samsung limited contract infoAccording to ZDNet…
Apple Ordered to Show Samsung Australia Carrier Contracts
Samsung to Apple: Show us your contractsSamsung also asked for the iPhone 4S firmware source code to help prove Apple is infringing on its patents. Apple already handed over 220 pages of code-related documents, but Samsung still wants more.“Someone out there is attempting to obfuscate,” said Samsung attorney Cynthia Cochrane.Apple and Samsung have been locked…
Analyst: iPhone Order Cutback Reports are Wrong
Customers line up for the iPhone 4S in San Francisco“We believe the Commercial Times report is without merit and believe iPhone 4S demand is not an issue,” Mr. Um said. “Our recent checks indicate that iPhone 4S is still selling out and experiencing 1-2 week waits for online orders with demand also driven by accelerated…
CR: iPhone 4S is Great, but Buy an Android Phone
“In special reception tests of the iPhone 4S that duplicated those we did on the iPhone 4, the newer phone did not display the same reception flaw, which involves a loss of signal strength when you touch a spot on the phone’s lower left side while you’re in an area with a weak signal,” the…
Analyst: iPhone 4S Sold Out in 10 Minutes in Hong Kong
Hong Kong iPhone 4s pre-sales ran dry in 10 minutesApple hasn’t officially confirmed that pre-sales iPhone 4S inventories have already been depleted in Hong Kong, although Mr. White’s own research seems to indicate that no more are available, according to Barrons.The quick sell out should ease concerns that the iPhone 4S wouldn’t sell well in the…
Apple Confirms Security VP “Investigating Retirement”
The incident involved the hunt for a lost iPhone 4S prototype that Apple security tracked to a San Francisco house. They were allowed into the house by Sergio Calderon, who later said he thought the men were police and wouldn’t have let them in if he’d known otherwise.San Francisco police were on hand during the…
Apple Security VP has Left the Building, Maybe
News of the job opening at Apple comes courtesy of 9to5 Mac sources that claim Mr. Theriault left the company some time in the past few days.The incident that may be behind Mr. Theriault’s departure involved the hunt for a lost iPhone 4S prototype that Apple security tracked to a San Francisco house. The home…
Amazon Intros Kindle Lending Library
The Amazon website stated, “Kindle owners can now choose from thousands of books to borrow for free, including over 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers — as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates.”Along with the one book a month limitation, Amazon is also limiting its library service to actual…
Apple Loses iPad Design Lawsuit in Spain
The tablet maker, working under the name nt-k, was accused by Apple of copying the iPad design in November 2010, and then was hit with a customs ban blocking the import of its Android devices into Spain. Apple followed up by filing criminal charges against nt-k in December.“The Spanish company’s blog suggests that other small…
Apple Misses iTunes Match Launch Deadline
iTunes Match is part of Apple’s iCloud service. The US$24.99 a year add-on allows users to match music in their local library not purchased from iTunes to Apple’s own servers, and then access that content from any device with their iTunes credentials.iTunes Match: MIAApple has been testing iTunes Match with iOS developers, but earlier in…
Apple Buys C3 Technologies Mapping Company
Word of the purchase comes courtesy of 9to5 Mac, who says its sources claim C3 Technologies CEO Mattias Astrom, CFO Kjell Cederstrand and lead product manager Ludvig Emgrad are all working in Apple’s iOS division, hinting that the company has some big 3D mapping plans in store for the iPhone.The purchase apparently happened in August,…
Steve Jobs’s Sister: Love Was His Virtue
She added that he was humble, and liked learning. He once told her that had he grown up differently he probably would’ve been a mathematician.Mr. Jobs passed away on October 5 following a prolonged health battle brought on by a metastatic pancreas neuroendocrine tumor. Mr. Jobs was diagnosed with the tumor in 2003, and later…