Apple's dual media events—one in Cupertino and one in China—start on Tuesday. Most speculation has focused on what Apple will announce. The iPhone 5S and 5C? Yes. New Apple TV features? Likely. iTunes Radio? Duh. iOS 7? Double duh. A distribution deal with China Mobile and Japan's DoCoMo? Hopefully and maybe, in that order. Forget…
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How to Check Your iPhone Upgrade Eligibility (Verizon)
With Apple's formally announced Media Event on September 10, the expectation is that Apple will be announcing one or more new iPhones. Here's a handy guide to help you determine if your current iPhone is eligible for an upgrade with Verizon. Method #1. Perhaps the easiest way to check is to call the number #874…
How to Check Your iPhone Upgrade Eligibility (AT&T)
With Apple's formally announced media event on September 10, the expectation is that Apple will be announcing one or more new iPhones. Here's a handy guide to help you determine if your current iPhone is eligible for an upgrade with AT&T. ______________________ Method #1. Perhaps the easiest way to check is to call the number…
Why Apple Will Deliver BOTH an HDTV and a Set-top Box
For a long time now, we've heard rumors that say Apple's new TV product will be a conventional HDTV with a 50 to 60-inch display. Other sources insist that it will be a next generation Apple TV set-top box and that competing in the cut-throat HDTV business makes no sense. However, there is an argument…
The Source of Craving for Apple's Next BIG Thing
“It is not so important to be serious as it is to be serious about the important things. The monkey wears an expression of seriousness which would do credit to any college student, but the monkey is serious because he itches.” — Robert M. Hutchins ________________________________ It's our technical life and times. A surfeit of…
Samsung EU Patent Abuse Settlement Talks Highlight Role of SEPs
South Korean electronics giant Samsung is in talks with European Union regulators to settle patent abuse charges. The EU charged that Samsung violated EU antitrust rules when it tried to win injunctions against Apple using standards-essential patents. The European Commission launched its complaint against Samsung in December of 2012. Unnamed sources told Reuters that Samsung…
How to Manage Your iPhone Cellular & Wi-Fi Usage While Traveling Abroad
Turning on Airplane Mode will generate a recognizable symbol in the Status BarTurning on Airplane Mode will generate a recognizable symbol in the Status Bar Our readers are a smart lot, and I suspect that most who delight in using their iPhones understand the difference between Cellular and Wi-Fi communications. Let's face it, though, there…
Kevin Hoctor at WWDC: People Need a Great Money App; I Made One
Each year at WWDC, TMO interviews a few Apple developers who want to tell their story. The result is usually a number of serious insights into the state of mind of the developer community. In our sixth interview, Dave Hamilton chats with Kevin Hoctor, creator of MoneyWell for Mac and iOS. _________________________________ Dave Hamilton: I’m…
Bruno Virlet at WWDC: Apple is Taking a Big Risk with iOS 7
Each year at WWDC, TMO interviews a few Apple developers who want to tell their story. The result is usually a number of serious insights into the state of mind of the developer community. In our fourth interview, Dave Hamilton chats with Bruno Virlet of The Grizzly Labs. _________________________________ Dave Hamilton: I’m here with Bruno…
Q Branch Triggers Release of Vesper, iOS App for Ideas
You have lots to do each day, and that's what lists and To Do apps are for. But when you get that brilliant bolt from the blue, or two, it needs a special place to hibernate while you fill in the details. Vesper does that with grace, focus, and simplicity. Vesper, named after the character…
How to Manage Your Photos When Traveling with an iPhone & iPad
I recently enjoyed an all too brief two-week vacation to my native Italy. Normally, I like going once every year or two. But this time, I let the years slip by; the last visit being in 2007, a month before the original iPhone was released into the wild. This time, I wanted to do something…
An Apple Developer Explains How iCloud is Broken
Frustrated with iCloud, Apple’s developer community speaks up en masseFrustrated with iCloud, Apple’s developer community speaks up en masse A decade ago, Max Seelemann was a youngster in school when he launched the Ulysses writer’s tool and The Soulmen. In a previous WWDC interview, he told TMO’s Dave Hamilton how the OS X app has…
Drobo vs. Synology: Choosing the Best NAS
I believe that, at some point, each home will truly benefit from having a Network Attached Storage device (NAS, for short). Most of us just love to accumulate stuff, and that holds true for our digital lives, too. Having one dump zone for these things attached to the home network can make life much easier, allowing…
Apple Ads Stay Positive Despite Microsoft's Negative Campaign
Apple has yet another new iPhone commercial out touting the smartphone's features by showing it as a personal device and a part of people's daily lives. In contrast, Microsoft's latest ads take a more negative spin by trying to show Apple's products are inferior. Apple's ads target emotion, not tech specs Apple's latest commercial shows…
An iPhone Veteran Evaluates a Samsung Galaxy Note II
Introduction If there's one thing that I have learned from the evaluation of different Android devices, like the Kindle Fire HD and the Google Nexus, it's that the Android 4.x OS is a technical, pleasantly geeky, often beautiful OS that will appeal to many different people. On the 5.5-inch display of the Samsung Galaxy Note…
HTC First ‘Facebook Phone' Reportedly Being Pulled, TMO 'Shocked’
Shocked, we say. Shocked. We are utterly shocked*. Sales of the HTC First—the so-called “Facebook Phone—have reportedly been so bad that AT&T is ready to kill it. The device was announced on April 4th, but according to BGR, AT&T has sold just 15,000 units and is ready to pull the plug. TMO's Dramatic Reenactment of…
Like a New Solar System, Apple is Formed by Clashing Forces
Everything is About the Balance of Forces Humans beings are stretched to the limit when it comes to analysis that has substance when also burdened by the need to be timely and appealing. Headlines are designed to attract attention and make bold claims. As a result, much of the time, nothing is as it seems.…
iPhones, Phablets & iPads: Does Size Really Matter? [UPDATED]
A Flurry Analytics report recently suggested that display size and OS choice has all kinds of implications for the popularltiy of small devices, smartphones and tablets. The survey data suggests that phablets are a fad for now and that Android customers aren't really enthusiastic about full-size tablets. I'd like to assess that report. The article…
The Day my Wife's Car Answered my iPhone
My wife pulled into the garage and turned off the car. As she was geting the groceries out of the back seat, the car started talking to her. She was taken aback. Don't believe anything you read today. Except this. So. I have a story to tell you. Back in February, with a car lease…
Samsung's Awkward Launch Event Distances Galaxy S4 from Android
Samsung launched the Galaxy S4 on Thursday at a launch event called SamsungUnpacked. The event featured awkward plays, bad executive presentations, and a celebrity MC, but the takeaway is that the company is distancing itself from Google and Android with the new device. SamsungUnpacked was packed full of awful, awkward mini-plays Samsung introduced a variety…
It's the End of the Line for Java on the Mac
While Java remains an important tool for the Enterprise, its fate on the personal computer for home users is all but sealed. Preamble There was a time, when Macs were competing tooth and nail against PCs when software developers, enammored by the Mac but aware of the business prospects in the PC world, wanted an…
What The Heck Do They Do With All Those Android Devices?
Everyone knows that Android has all the market share in smartphones and has achieved near parity or parity with Apple's iPad in tablets, but I want to know what the heck people are doing with those devices. Every single data point that I've seen shows again and again that at the very least Apple's iOS…
Strotter's Platforma iPad Messenger Bag Is Like No Other
This is probably the most unique messenger bag you will ever see. The Platforma Convertible Messenger Bag for iPad from Strotter won an Editor’s Choice Award at Macworld/iWorld 2013. It holds your stuff, including your iPad, but it will also turn into a mobile desk anywhere, any time in just a few seconds. Platforma Convertible iPad Messenger…
Booq's Python Sling Camera Bag Is Beyond Awesome
I have never yet reviewed an item from Booq that was not both beautiful and exquisitely made. The Python Sling camera bag lives up to my expectations while also being an extremely useful product. It is designed for serious photographers who need to have one or two Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras, multiple lenses, and…