iphone4

Sena gets Creativo with iPhone 4/4S pouch case

I recently wrote something up on the Camalen Hexa, a unique flip case for iPhone 4/4S that allowed you to prop your phone up in a horizontal or vertical position. Now I've come across another new, interesting case that I think is worth a paragraph or two of blog space.

This one's the Creativo from Sena, and it's a leather pouch with a little cutout window in it right where the "Slide to unlock/answer" button is. The one problem with pouch-style cases is that you normally have to pull the phone completely out of the pouch to talk on it. But the window on the Creativo allows you to answer calls without removing the phone--you simply lift the flap and you're good to talk. … Read more

Traveling to Spain: Local prepaid SIM or international roaming?

Heading to Europe and wondering how you can avoid coming home to a wireless bill as big as your mortgage payment?

In this edition of Ask Maggie I offer some advice about using a smartphone abroad to a reader traveling to Spain next week for the Mobile World Congress trade show. Getting a local SIM card to pop into an unlocked GSM phone is likely the cheapest option. But if used carefully, subscribers don't have to sacrifice their kids' college funds to pay for a U.S. wireless plan with international roaming. Ask Maggie shows you how. Also in … Read more

Qualcomm S4 chip renders Ice Cream Sandwich 'butter smooth'

Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 chip is racking up benchmark numbers that make the Samsung Galaxy S II's performance seem so last-year while turning Ice Cream Sandwich into a dreamy experience, said a chip review site.

"Occasionally we'll see performance numbers that just make us laugh at their absurdity," said Anandtech. "[Snapdragon S4's] Linpack performance is no exception. The performance advantage here is insane. The MSM8960 is able to deliver more than twice the performance of any currently shipping SoC (system-on-a-chip)."

And what about that Adreno graphics processing unit? "From a compute standpoint … Read more

iPhone 5 will reportedly launch in the fall

The iPhone 5 will make its debut in the fall, at least according to Japanese blog Macotakara.

Pointing to a scoop from an "Asian reliable source," the site says that Apple will unveil its next iPhone in September or October and maintain that same launch cycle for years.

In the past Apple has traditionally released its latest iPhone in the early summer, with the iPhone 4 and 3GS reaching customers in June and the 3G in early July. But last year the company broke the mold by delaying the debut of the iPhone 4S until October.

Macotakara's … Read more

Nvidia targeting dual-core phones that undercut iPhone 4S

Nvidia is eying a market for inexpensive dual-core smartphones that underprice the iPhone 4S by a wide margin.

That phone segment, which the graphics chipmaker calls the "1,000 RMB phone" in China, will use Nvidia's dual-core Tegra 2 processor paired with a 3G modem, according to Chief Executive Officer Jen-Hsun Huang, who spoke during the earnings conference call this afternoon. RMB refers to the Chinese currency.

RMB 1,000 is about 75 percent less than the price of an iPhone 4S, which currently retails for RMB 4,988 in China.

"That's a pretty exciting … Read more

Camalen Hexa: A unique flip case for iPhone 4/4S

Camalen is a new accessories company that makes stylish leather cases for Apple mobile products.

I highlighted one of its iPad 2 cases in our Ultimate iPad 2 case roundup, and while it makes several iPhone cases, the one I found most impressive (they're all pretty impressive) is the Hexa.

First, the leather is really nice--the case comes in multiple colors--but more interestingly, it also converts into both a vertical and horizontal stand for your iPhone.

I'd seen the swiveling-case design in iPad cases but not in an iPhone case. What's also nice is that the swiveling … Read more

AT&T gives heavy data users a not-so-subtle hint to ditch the unlimited plan

What could be worse than a surprise overage fee? For some people it's having their wireless carrier put the brakes on their data service.

In this edition of Ask Maggie, one reader wants to know whether it's worth keeping his AT&T unlimited data plan after AT&T has warned him that his service will be slowed down because he's in the top 5 percent of data users. Ask Maggie also offers advice on whether to buy the lower priced iPhone 4 or the newer iPhone 4S.

Is AT&T giving me a hint … Read more

Did Apple and China Telecom strike an iPhone 4S deal?

Apple's dealings in China have been all over the Web lately due to an eye-opening New York Times report blaming Apple for extremely subpar working conditions in its manufacturing plants in southeast Asia. That story has cast a nasty shadow over Apple in China, and now there's some more news of a deal to bring the iPhone 4S to China Telecom, China's third largest wireless carrier.

Earlier this week Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty told investors that Apple would likely strike a deal with China Telecom and China Mobile (China's largest wireless carrier) to bring the … Read more

Top iPhone 4 and 4S extended battery cases

We have an ongoing list of top tough iPhone 4 and 4S cases, but a lot of folks have requested a roundup of top battery cases for extending your iPhone's battery life, so here it is.

A few notes: While you should be able to go a day without recharging your iPhone 4 or 4S, some people use their phones more than others--or use battery-intensive applications such as video--and need more juice than what's offered with the iPhone's internal battery. Most, but not all, of the cases in this roundup are designed to double the battery life … Read more

Rumor: iPhone 5 with 4-inch screen expected this summer

Apple could be getting back on its summer release schedule for the iPhone, if you want to believe a new rumor.

Citing a "reliable source at Foxconn in China," Apple-focused blog 9to5Mac says Apple's got a handful of sample devices for the next iPhone "floating around," and that based on previous production scheduling, the company could be looking to release a new model this summer.

The blog also notes some changes on these samples compared to previous iPhone models including a 4-inch (or larger) display, and a form factor that looks unlike the current iPhone … Read more