Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web. Today’s installment: Possible peace in the European SIM card standard battle, Steve Jobs’ dream of the iCar, state of the App Store near its fourth birthday, and more details about Jobs’ biopic. Read more »
I dropped my iPhone 4 from three stories up. Less than a day later, I walked out of the Apple Store in Philadelphia with a brand new iPhone 4. The journey to get there was very impressive and partially explains, anecdotally, how Apple keeps customers. Read more »
With a reported 11 teens killed while texting and driving per day, parents are turning towards apps to limit their kids phone use behind the wheel. SecruaFone offers one for iPhone and Android handsets that diables some features when in motion, but it doesn’t stop there. Read more »
Google just launched an iOS app for its other social network: iPhone users can now access the social activity service Schemer with an app that allows them to find things to do and share those plans with their friends. The app closely mimics its Android cousin. Read more »
Apple’s next iPhone model will have at least a 4-inch display according to sources “familiar with the matter” says the Wall Street Journal. A larger iPhone simply makes sense at this point in time due to increased consumption of the mobile web, video and apps. Read more »
Don’t have enough space to download your favorite app’s update? For those of us that fill our phones to the brim with apps and media, it’s a familiar scenario. However, there’s a neat trick to easily and temporarily reclaim space on your iOS device. Read more »
“Virtually every publication in the world right now would desperately like to be 100 percent digital,” said Flipboard editorial director and Time Inc. vet Josh Quittner said at Internet Week this week, as publishers debated how to monetize digital magazines. Read more at paidContent »
Google’s Chrome browser is will appear on Apple’s iOS devices this quarter suggests Macquarie (USA) Equities Research, reducing the payments that Google makes to Apple for search results in Safari. That sounds great but Apple’s third-party browser limitations will surely minimize any benefits for Google. Read more »
Adding smartphones to the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s review of cell phone makers this year revealed that customers who buy plain old feature phones for calling and texting are generally happier with the product than their smartphone-owning counterparts. Apple is an exception. Read more »
Applied DNA Sciences thinks it has created the perfect tool for identifying attempts to counterfeit or steal goods along the supply chain. It’s mobile meets cloud computing meets big data, and it begins with QR codes that mimic physical DNA signatures. Read more »
Who wears a watch anymore? With smartphones taking over the world, several companies are trying to make time-telling apps as elegant as the most fashionable Swiss watch. Here are three apps for the iPhone and Android phones that are worth checking out. Read more »
Though FreedomPop remains mysterious on the exact timing , its “free” mobile broadband service seems to be nearing a launch date. It has started selling its WiMAX iPhone sleeve online and also revealed it won’t deliver as much free data to customers as it originally advertised. Read more »
Wallee already sells a nice iPad case, but the Australian-based company is looking to expand its product line with a magnetic mount and case accessory for Apple’s iPhone 4/4S and Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphones. The system is modular and offers a car mount and pivot stand. Read more »
Facebook says it is launching an app store that will allow people to get access to social apps on the network, without much heavy lifting. The company made the announcement in a blog post today. The company is hoping that the new app store will make […] Read more »
Google has rolled out a significant update to its Google+ iPhone app that comes with an interesting approach towards mobile platforms: This time around, iOS is getting to experience the UI changes first. An update to the Google+ Android app is planed for the coming weeks. Read more »
We know device makers are making money off of this trend. But how do mobile app makers cash in on this ballooning market of upwardly mobile consumers? The short answer is: make iOS apps. The longer answer: Make really well-designed free, ad-based Android apps. Read more »
You may have already heard of The Elevation Dock for the iPhone or the LunaTik Watchband for the iPod nano or even the Pebble E-Paper Watch, but here are seven equally great product concepts for iOS products that you may also be interested in supporting. Read more »
Our nation’s rail system is about to take a big step forward: by placing less emphasis on paper tickets and introducing the iPhone as an important tool for conductors. This will streamline boarding for Amtrak, but it will also make life easier for smartphone-toting rail commuters. Read more »
Statistics suggest that a third of Draw Something‘s active users have deserted the game in just a month — bringing into question Zynga’s actions and judgment since deciding to purchase maker OMGPOP for $200 million. Read more »
Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse has agreed to have his compensation slashed by $3.25 million under the pressure of Sprint’s shareholders that are unhappy about the high upfront costs that Sprint has to pay for the iPhone. Read more »
It’s fairly widely known that if you jailbreak your iPhone it probably voids the device’s warranty from Apple. But SquareTrade, a third-party gadget warranty provider, changes the equation for potential iOS hackers by offering to fix or replace jailbroken devices, no questions asked. Read more »
During the first three months of 2012, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint collectively sold 9 million iPhones. Altogether, those same three carriers sold 13.5 million smartphones, which means that for every three smartphones they sold, two of them were iPhones. Read more »
A survey of court records reveals that a growing number of iPhones and iPads are the target of forensic examinations by federal agents. Read more »
Own a Galaxy Nexus, iPhone or other GSM handset? If so and you’re tired of the cost and long-term contract, Straight Talk’s SIM card may be an option. The no-contract deal is $45 for unlimited voice minutes, messages and HSPA+ data on either AT&T or T-Mobile. Read more »
The Financial Times is preparing to kill off its iPad and iPhone app for good, signalling its final conversion from executable-app to web-app publishing. Read more at paidContent »
Inkling, which started out as an iPad textbook publisher and recently launched an interactive e-book publishing platform called Habitat, is moving further into the consumer realm with a new series of Frommer’s interactive digital travel guides. Read more at paidContent »
The tablets and smartphones are continuing to disrupt many old businesses and at the same time creating new opportunities. Retail outlets and hospitality industry are next frontiers for these devices, as research from Motorola finds out. And that’s good news for Apple and Square amongst many. Read more »
By analyzing data from a live 3G network in a major city, the mobile network analytics firm Actix has found that only 5% of iPads are used outdoors. iPads account for just 1% of data sessions, they use 4X more data than an average 3G device. Read more »
The rise of smartphones is bringing about massive changes in the mobile industry, according to data collected by researchers. Data revenues are moving on up and data usage is zooming at a time when voice and messaging sales have stalled for carriers. Read more »
Casual food restaurant chain T.G.I. Fridays has become the first national chain to incorporate mobile payment option Tabbedout, which will allow diners to open a tab and pay their bill right from their smartphone. Read more »
Apple’s iPad still dominates the tablet market, but that alone shouldn’t be scaring PC and tablet manufacturers. Instead, the statistic that for one in four people buying iPads, it’s their very first Apple product is more concerning; it could lead to other Apple hardware sales. Read more »
The service offers a human-powered alternative to automated translation, by creating an online clearinghouse for interpreters and web-using or smartphone-toting customers who urgently need to break down language barriers Read more »
Apple hasn’t confirmed an LTE version of its iPhone, but Sprint has confirmed that if such a device launches, the carrier would keep its unlimited data plans. That may be a big differentiating factor when at least 3 of 4 U.S. carriers offer LTE iPhones. Read more »
Sprint’s unlimited data offers plans seem to as a big draw as it had hoped when it comes to selling the iPhone. Sprint sold 1.5 million iPhones in the first quarter, compared to the 3.2 million Verizon and 4.3 million AT&T activated in the same period. Read more »
Taiwan-based handset maker HTC suggests that its highly profitable days in the U.S. smartphone market are in the past, mainly due to Apple’s iPhone. The HTC One series may help sales in the U.S. but like Apple, HTC is turning to China for future growth. Read more »
Apple is still on a roll. The company reported quarterly earnings Tuesday that surpassed Wall Street expectations thanks to stronger-than-expected iPhone sales and a huge increase in iPad sales. It sold 35.1 million iPhones and 11.8 million iPads. Read more »
For developers, consumers and even carriers, Android seems irreparably broken. But Google’s not likely to “fix” Android anytime soon, because despite the fragmentation problem, the company is getting what it wants: massive amounts of user data. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Want a new iPhone, but not sure which U.S. carrier is best suited for your needs? Enter CarrierCompare, a free iPhone app that uses real network tests in your location combined with crowdsourced data to help you choose the carrier that’s right for you. Read more »
Apple’s iPhone stayed in high demand at AT&T during the first quarter of 2012. The company sold 5.5 million smartphones of which 4.3 million were iPhone activations. In comparison, Verizon activated about 3.2 million iPhones during the first quarter of 2012. Read more »
Boston rail commuters will soon have the ability to use their smartphones to buy and display their train tickets. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will launch the U.S.’s first smartphone rail ticketing system this fall through a partnership with London-based Masabi. Read more »
