Pentalobe screwdriver Apple iPhone

Apple screws iPhone customers with un-unscrewable screws Pentalobe screwdriver

Apple has been quietly replacing the standard screws on the iPhone 4 with a rare type of screw you can't even get a screwdriver for - seemingly in a bid to stop customers opening up their own phones.

The iPhone 4 originally came with standard (if rather small) Phillips-head screws - making it relatively easy for customers to open up their own phones to perform basic DIY repairs.

But more recent versions - and phones that have been returned to Apple for repairs - have instead featured five-pointed 'pentalobe' screws, for which there are no widely-available screwdrivers that can unscrew them.

Gadget fans are speculating that this is a deliberate move by Apple to stop customers getting access to their own phone, to ensure that only Apple technicians can carry out repairs.

Gadget DIY site iFixit says: 'there isn’t a single reputable supplier that sells exactly the same screwdrivers Apple’s technicians use—which is Apple’s point. They picked an obscure head that no one would have.'

It's not the first time that Apple have rolled out the pentalobe screws to defeat customers wanting to get into their devices - larger versions of the screw also appeared on the MacBook Pro in 2009, stopping owners from replacing the battery. The new screws first started appearing on Japanese iPhone 4s last year - and now they have started cropping up on iPhones in the US and the UK.

That includes phones that have been brought into Apple for repair - iFixit reports that the phones will come back with the screws swapped out.

iPhone owners faced with the awkward screws do have a couple of options - iFixit is offering an 'iPhone 4 Liberation Kit' that includes screwdrivers that, while not a perfect fit for the pentalobe, will manage to unscrew them with a bit of effort. And Gizmodo think they've tracked down a wholesaler that offers a screwdriver that will fit - although they don't guarantee that it will work.

News From: www.metro.co.uk

Do you feel screwed over by Apple?

Yesterday, we reported on a bit of a brouhaha over Apple adding tamper-resistant screws to its products, most recently the iPhone 4.

Some critics say the company switched from standard Phillips and Torx screws to proprietary pentalobe screws to thwart DIY fixes and keep consumers relying on Apple repair services.

iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens went so far as to title a blog post on the matter "Apple's Diabolical Plan to Screw Your iPhone." "Apple chose this fastener specifically because it was new, guaranteeing repair tools would be both rare and expensive. Shame on them," he wrote.

Granted, a good number of gadgeteers--likely including many Crave readers--feel strongly about having the right to open up gear at will to remove and replace batteries, memory, and drivers (or just have a good look at the inner workings).

But as one tech service rep who posted on ipodnn pointed out, a surprising number of people open up their gadgets before bringing them in for warranty service, leading to more damage than the problem that led them to open up the machine in the first place.

Whatever Cupertino's motivation for switching to the more rare pentalobe screws (we're still waiting to hear back from the company in its own words), some say Apple should be able to do whatever it damn pleases with its products. After all, no one's forcing people to buy them.

News From: news.cnet.com

iPhone app has 2 million fans

Teen's iPhone app has 2 million fans

The time may have come for those irate avians and thieving pigs to cease hostilities and join forces against a new and even less likely enemy.

Angry Birds, the time-wasting phenomenon that has ruled the smartphone roost for the last year, has finally been vanquished by a 14-year-old boy and the game he devised with the help of his mum and the local library.

On paper, Robert Nay's Bubble Ball – described as a "fun, new physics puzzle game" – does not look quite as thrilling as Angry Birds, which ushers players into an inexplicable realm where they can catapult feathered missiles into a variety of structures that shelter the green pigs who have stolen their eggs.

But the Utah wonderboy's brainchild has now been downloaded more than 2m times and last week knocked Angry Birds off its perch at the top of the free games in Apple's iTunes store.

And whereas the bird bombardment was devised by the 17-strong team at the Finnish game-making company Rovio, Bubble Ball was the result of little more than peer pressure and some serious after-school dedication.

"Since [his friends] know Robert's good with computers, they suggested that he should make one," Nay's mother, Kari, told ABC News.

The teenager accepted their challenge and went to the public library to investigate programs that would help him build his game.

Even with a little design help from his mum, however, it was not easy. "There were some times when I felt like, 'Can people seriously do this?' It seemed impossible," said Nay. "But then there were times when things just worked and I would be like: 'Maybe I can actually do this'."

Eventually, after more than a month and 4000 lines of code, he cracked it, and Bubble Ball – which "will test your ingenuity and thinking skills to get the bubble to the goal" – was born.

On 29 December last year, his company, Nay Games, launched an Apple-compatible version of the app. Within a fortnight, the game had caught the eye of the industry.

According to Carlos Icaza – the co-founder of Ansca Mobile, the company which makes the software developer's kit that Nay used, Bubble Ball quickly "brought the entire staff to a halt".

The key, he told ABC, was the game's apparent straightforwardness. "Because it's so simple, I think I can beat it," he said. "You go 'yeah right', and then you realise there's a lot of little tricks to make this actually work."

Ten days ago, Ansca chose Bubble Ball as its app of the week and it began creeping up the apps ladder.

Having dispatched the Angry Birds with vulpine ferocity, Nay is now giving some thought to his future.

Not surprisingly, he is keen to work in computing and is thinking of ways to make money from his talent. The next download, he said, would probably be one that smartphone users had to pay for. But when asked for more detail on how he might outdo the success, and addictiveness, of Bubble Ball, he remained cagey: "It's a secret for now."

News From: abcnews.go.com

Apple iPhone 5 to get completely Release

Apple iPhone 5 to get ‘completely redesigned’ Summer Release Date Expected

So it would seem that Apple weren’t all that happy with the current iPhone 4, as they are planning a major design and hardware overhaul according to a leak that also suggests a successor will launch in the summer.

According to reports across the pond from Engadget who has spoken to multiple sources, they claim that a complete redesign of the handset body is on the cards and that the device is already being tested by staff at Apple HQ.

A new processor is expected in the shape of a A5 CPU boasting a multi-core chip bringing it in line with the current chip that can be found in the power house LG Optimus 2X.

Apple is also being tipped to swap wireless chipset providers moving from Infineon to Qualcomm, likely in a bid to avoid connectivity issues previously faced with the iPhone 4.

Talk of the iPhone 5 has intensified in recent weeks and last week we reported that patents filed by Apple hinted that the iPhone 5 would get a slimmer design, and possibly incorporate a solar charging system. Although we wouldn’t hold our breathe on the solar charging.

An iPhone 5 summer release would fall in place with Apple’s usual cycle for its jewel in the crown, and we fully expect one or two more ‘leaks’ of information to emerge until then.

iPhone app

'First iPhone app that lets you transfer money'

First Direct has become the first UK bank to launch a true transactional banking app for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch.

The app, which has launched on the Apple App Store, allows first direct customers to check balances, view the last 20 account transactions, make payments and transfer money between accounts.

This is the first banking app in the UK that allows customers to make transactions via their smartphone. While Natwest, RBS and Ulster Bank all have dedicated iPhone applications, these offer only a simple form of online banking such as letting users check their account balance and view a mini-statement.

Matt Colebrook, chief executive at the bank, said: "This is about making the banking experience simpler and quicker, allowing our iPhone enabled customers to access key features of our internet banking; whenever they want and wherever they want.

"The iPhone App is as a huge step forward, but it's just the beginning of our ambitions for mobile banking. Our plans for 2011 are to make our 'on the go' mobile service available on other smartphone devices."

Over the past two years, banks and financial services companies have rushed to launch new apps for users of smartphones – such as iPhones and BlackBerrys – as consumers increasingly manage their money on a mobile phone.

Iphone 4 explodes

Iphone 4 explodes, but it was freezing outside so no guarantee

Maybe it is the cold weather we have experienced the last winters that has gotten the legal department at Apple working. Or maybe Apple’s trend sensitivity also streaches to weather predictions, and they knew winters were going to get rough years ago. In any case, the fine print for the Iphone 4 states that any warranties or guarantees are invalid if the phone is used in freezing temperatures!

As the Swedish blog ‘Feber’ reports, a Norwegian woman used her Iphone 4 in her car, playing music in the typically cold Scandinavian weather. Suddenly the phone exploded.

But when she returned the phone to the store, it turned out that Apple’s guarantee doesn’t cover use of an Iphone 4 in freezing temperatures. The story isn’t at its end, but luckily the consumer protection laws in Norway and also Sweden overrides Apple’s contract and the guarantee will be valid if the phone has been used under normal conditions. Freezing temperatures is a normal condition in winter, and here we are talking about nothing outrageous, just around 15 Fahrenheit or -10 Celsius.

What whole lot of bad talk about Iphone could have been saved if the store had just given her a new phone. Someone needs to go to business school.

IPhone, Battle, Verizon, vs, AT, T

IPhone Battle: Verizon vs. AT And T

For more than three years, iPhone owners have grumbled about dropped calls and slow service on AT&T (T), the exclusive cellular network for Apple's (AAPL) transformative device. Now they'll have the chance to see if Verizon (VZ) can do any better. The company recently announced it will start selling iPhones on Feb. 10. (Existing customers can pre­order the phone on Feb. 3.) For those who still haven't chosen sides in the AT&T vs. Verizon showdown, consider these points before signing a contract:

Price: Verizon customers will pay the same as AT&T's—at least for the device itself. A 16-gigabyte iPhone costs $200, while the 32-gigabyte model is $100 more. The more important retail factor, however, is the monthly service charge, and Verizon hasn't released any details yet. The industry scuttlebutt is that the company will offer an all-you-can-eat data plan, which AT&T stopped doing last year to keep data hogs from straining its network. Verizon currently charges $30 a month for the unlimited plans on other smartphones, with voice and text messages costing extra. That's $5 more than what AT&T charges its heaviest data users, who can download up to 2 gigabytes of data per month. For those who like to stream The Daily Show with Jon Stewart while in line at Costco (COST), $5 may be a small price to pay.

Quality: It's hard to know whether AT&T deserves the battering it has received for poor network quality. Each carrier's coverage differs from area to area. AT&T increased its investment in wireless infrastructure by over $2 billion in 2010, and says it's improving. As of last August, however, the percentage of dropped calls on AT&T's network had risen to 5.8 percent, compared with 2 percent for Verizon, according to a survey by Changewave Research. Infonetics Research co-founder Michael Howard says AT&T is more conservative with its network investments and took longer to upgrade from copper wires to fiber-optic cables and other cutting-edge gear. "Verizon planned its network with greater foresight than anyone else," says Recon Analytics ­analyst Roger Entner. "They have a very well-built network, and they don't cut corners."

Features: The carriers' iPhones are nearly identical, but where they differ, AT&T has the advantage. Verizon's network is based on a technology called CDMA, which runs voice and Internet over different tracks. That means Verizon's iPhone owners won't be able to surf the Web or use apps while on a call. AT&T users can, and the company says that more of its customers use the simultaneous talk-and-surf capability every day than watch videos or use GPS navigation.

Verizon users can, however, pay extra to transform their iPhone into a Wi-Fi hotspot, and share its ­cellular signal with up to five other gadgets. AT&T's iPhones currently link up with only one other gadget, and connect with them via a more limited Blue­tooth signal.

Speed: A big part of AT&T's promotional pushback against Verizon is that its network is faster. Thanks to recent upgrades, AT&T boasts speeds of 6 megabits per second—fast enough to download a song in four or five seconds, and roughly three times what most Verizon subscribers see. Yet that speedy connection is available only in regions where AT&T has finished upgrading the wires that connect cell towers to the Internet, a process that won't be finished until at least 2013.

Future Proofing: The Verizon iPhone will likely have a short stint in the spotlight. Every year since 2008, Apple has announced a new, upgraded iPhone in early summer. Buying a Verizon iPhone in February likely means missing out on a sleeker version in a few months' time—although that's always a worry when buying gadgets.

Both AT&T and Verizon are building next-generation 4G networks with turbo­charged speeds. Neither existing iPhone works on them, but analysts expect Apple to introduce a 4G iPhone within a year or so. Verizon is much further along—its 4G service is already available in 38 cities—so its service is a better bet for those hoping to upgrade to 4G speeds as early as possible.

Of course, the iPhone matters not just to Verizon's customers but also to its investors. No one doubts that winning Apple's "Jesus phone" will increase Verizon's subscriber base. UBS Securities (UBS) expects the company to win 3.5 million new customers in 2011, while AT&T, Sprint (S), and T-Mobile will lose around 1 million between them.

Managing that growth won't be simple. Verizon is expected to pay $5 billion or so to subsidize new iPhone owners this year, which could drag down profit margins. Walter Piecyk, an analyst at brokerage firm BTIG, expects the opposite. He says the iPhone bonanza will allow Verizon to spread fixed costs like stores and TV ads across more units, boosting margins from 46.4 percent last year to 48.1 percent in 2012. If Verizon's network can handle the new subscribers, he says, it will further damage AT&T's brand. "They've had the iPhone for four years, and they're still trying to catch up with demand."

The bottom line: AT&T must now compete with Verizon for iPhone customers. The latter offers a more reliable but slower network.

Verizon iPhone News Reports

Verizon iPhone 4 will have 3G mobile hotspot (update)

It'll probably be subject to an additional fee as usual, but Verizon and Apple have just revealed that the new CDMA iPhone 4 will act as a mobile WiFi connection for up to five devices. It'll come with an iOS-specific version of the Verizon 3G Mobile Hotspot that folks have been enjoying on their Droids for many moons now. That should allowing for laptops, tablets and the like to get online via iPhone without a pesky cord, and almost certainly make the long-verboten iPhone - iPad tethering connection finally attainable. Joy to the world!

Update: Verizon called it an app, but getting hands-on we can see that's not the case at all -- Personal Hotspot is built right into the CDMA iPhone 4's build of iOS 4.2.5. Perhaps we'll see it migrate to other devices as well?

Verizon iPhone Expected Today

This morning, live from New York City's Lincoln Center, Verizon Wireless is holding a special press event where it's expected the company will reveal, at long last, the Verizon iPhone. It's a move that will end AT&T's exclusivity over the wildly popular Apple smartphone once and for all.

The event is being hosted by Lowell McAdam, Verizon President and COO, and will likely see Apple CEO Steve Jobs grace the stage as well.

AT&T has been prepping for the loss of its exclusive rights to carry the iconic device by slashing prices on the iPhone 3GS, lowering it to just $49, obviously in the hopes of roping people into a cellular contract in advance of Verizon's announcement.
AT&T & Verizon Trading Barbs

AT&T, which has been the only carrier with the iPhone for three-and-a-half years in the U.S., has even started to publicly dismiss the Verizon version of the phone. For example, AT&T PR spokesperson Larry Solomon sent Business Insider the following statement yesterday:

"The iPhone is built for speed, but that's not what you get with a CDMA phone. I'm not sure iPhone users are ready for life in the slow lane."

He also explained that AT&T's GSM technology is faster than Verizon's CDMA technology.

That same exact wording was released by AT&T Mark Siegel in a statement given to The New York Times.

Verizon then fought back, releasing a statement of its own:

"AT&T is known for a lot of things, but network quality is not one of them,” said Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless. “Typically companies try to call attention to their strongest suit."

Ouch!

CDMA iPhone Confirmed?

Notably, AT&T's above statement not only confirms the existence of the Verizon iPhone itself, but also its technical nature: CDMA, not LTE.

For those unfamiliar with the acronyms, CDMA is Verizon's equivalent of 3G while LTE is 4G. (Although the term "4G" has been transformed into marketing lingo for "next generation, high speed networks" - none of the U.S.'s "4G" networks actually meet the standards requirements).

That's an interesting detail about the Verizon iPhone because, last week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2011) in Las Vegas, Verizon announced a slew of LTE-capable phones, all of which were running Google's Android mobile operating system.

It appears that the choice Verizon will be presenting its smartphone shoppers is this: do you want a Verizon iPhone, or a 4G Android? Arguably, the supposed lack of 4G technology in the iPhone could make that a tougher decision for those who know and care about network speeds. However, that may not include most mainstream consumers.

According to Elisabeth Rainge, an analyst at IDC, "regular consumers think more about the handset than the network." She wondered: "if they build LTE, will they come?"

Nielsen's latest survey revealed that same sentiment was found among many U.S. adults. The firm asked more than 2,100 U.S. adults about 4G technology to gauge consumer awareness and perceptions, as well as purchase intent.

The results showed that while 83% were aware of 4G, half said they did not understand it. And 71% reported they were not planning on buying a 4G device within the next 12 months.

iPhone Verizon reignites U.S Hot News

Verizon reignites U.S. iPhone carrier competition rumours

NEW YORK — Verizon Wireless said Friday it will hold a press conference on Jan. 11, reigniting rumours that it will become the second U.S. carrier to sell Apple Inc.'s iPhone.

At the International Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas, Verizon already made news with phones and tablets that will run on its high-speed, next-generation 4G wireless network. So it's significant that Verizon will still have an announcement big enough to warrant a press conference in New York a week later, with Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon Communications Inc., in attendance.

Verizon would not give any further details as to what the event was about. Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said she could not comment on rumours and speculation.

Rumours that Verizon would carry the iPhone have been circulating since before Apple Inc. unveiled the smart phone in 2007. Those rumours lingered over the years, but have become louder in recent months, as AT&T Inc. is believed to be nearing the end of its exclusive hold on the iPhone.

Although the iPhone has long been the crown jewel of AT&T's smart phone portfolio, the carrier in recent months added more than a dozen phones that run Google Inc.'s Android software. Until now, Verizon made up for not having the iPhone by selling Android phones such as the Motorola Droid.

Apple, as usual, did not attend the gadget show in Las Vegas. The company tends to make big product announcements at its own press conferences.

Shares of New York-based Verizon Communications Inc., which owns Verizon Wireless in a joint venture with Vodafone Group PLC, closed on Friday at $35.93, down 30 cents. The company gained 10 cents in after-hours trading. Apple' stock closed at $336.12, up $2.39, and gained 67 cents in after-hours trading.

Verizon iPhone

Is It Finally Time for the Verizon iPhone?

In case there was any doubt, The Wall Street Journal confirms that the Verizon Media Event on January 11th will feature the long rumored Verizon iPhone.

The largest U.S. wireless carrier will say Tuesday that Apple Inc.'s iPhone will be available to its subscribers, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The Wall Street Journal offers no additional details about when the Verizon iPhone will become available to the public.

Meanwhile, Gizmodo notes that they have not been invited to the event, despite having a good relationship with Verizon.

Here's what's key: We're great friends with Verizon. (Hi guys!) We've worked with them for years, and we've been to like every event they've had over the last three years. We haven't gotten an invite. Which is weird. We've reached out to Verizon to see why, exactly, we weren't invited, but we've gotten no comment yet. (Update: Verizon's official response is a big ol' no comment.)

Due to the iPhone 4 leak, Gizmodo has been blacklisted from Apple's media events, further suggesting that this is a joint Apple-Verizon event.

Update: All Things Digital reports that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is likely to be present at Tuesday's media event.

While the appearance isn't 100 percent assured, sources in position to know tell me that, barring any unforseen circumstances, Jobs will likely join McAdam onstage in New York when he announces the addition of the iPhone to its handset line-up.