iphone4s

iPhone 4S real-world data speeds: What Siri won't tell you

Cool as she is, the iPhone 4S' new personal assistant Siri hasn't been able to tell me in a meaningful way which iPhone 4S offers the fastest data speeds. In the end, I resorted to the usual do-it-yourself approach: a real-world test. And the results were interesting.

Prior to the testing, I expected some big differences between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S (both GSM versions), since the iPhone 4S supports AT&T's faster HSDPA 14.4 network, which is capable of reaching an upload speed of 14.4Mbps and download speed of 5.8Mbps, theoretically twice the speeds of the iPhone 4.

This wasn't always the case, however, and sometimes it was quite the opposite. But first let's talk about how the testing was done.

How we test It's generally hard to figure out the way to get the best picture of how fast a mobile cellular Internet device's data rate is. The truth is that the speed of a cellular Internet connection varies a great deal from one location to another. It also depends on the server on which the app's data resides and sometimes even on the time of day.

For the testing, I used the Speedtest.net mobile app, which is the most popular app for the purpose. The app automatically connects to a nearby server to download and upload data. How busy the server is during the test affects the scores, but the app still offers a good representation of data speeds in a local area.

I gathered iPhone 4Ses from AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, and tested the three smartphones against an iPhone 4 at a few well-known places in San Francisco: CNET's lobby, Union Square, and the Fisherman's Wharf area of Pier 39. I picked the first location for an obvious reason: it's the lobby of the building where I work, which is near the Financial District. The others are two of the most popular spots in the city, with lots of people using their phones. Also, I tested three 4G hot spots from various carriers for a comparison.

Keep in mind that these tests only evaluate data speeds for these phones in San Francisco and are not designed to be representative of data speeds you'll find in your area. However, they at least should show how the data speeds compare between each carrier version of the iPhone 4S, as well as the difference between AT&T's iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4.… Read more

Apple genius: 'Turn off your phone' for better battery life

The other day I encountered a serious problem with my iTunes account that seemed to require major surgery, so I figured I'd stop in at my local Apple Store and mosey up to the Genius Bar downstairs to see if there was a less draconian fix than the one I'd read about online.

Since I was there during Happy Hour, I figured I'd go for the two-for-one special and also ask why the battery on my new iPhone 4S was puttering out in about 12 hours (with only minimal use), well short of what I was getting with my old 3GS.

For the uninitiated, the Genius Bar is the place where you take your Apple problems. You actually need to make an appointment, and like the doctor's office, the knowledgeable Apple reps who help fix your problems don't necessarily see you right away, especially if you make an appointment at 5:50 p.m. when the place is a madhouse. At least in Manhattan, anyway. … Read more

The 404 936: Where we leave our bodies at the door (podcast)

We can't remember the last time it snowed on Halloween weekend, but the cold weather kept all but one of us from dressing up today. Tune in to see who conjured up the spirits of Halloween!… Read more

Five hidden tricks for making the most of Siri

Although many seem to enjoy Siri for its silly one-liners and crowd-pleasing artificial intelligence, let's not forget what its true intention is: to make life a little easier.

Of course, that's easy to forget when Siri has a bounty of comebacks to commands like "Siri, talk dirty to me," or "Siri, I'm tired." But if you feel like you've exhausted its entertainment value, follow this guide to using Siri as a painless, superfast way to get things done.

1. Fill in the details Instead of relying on proper nouns for people and … Read more

Android Ice Cream Sandwich versus iOS 5: Killer features

What I'm about to attempt--comparing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Apple iOS 5--is a little like tiptoeing through a minefield. Most of you won't be happy and somebody could get hurt. (Read: me.)

Yet, this comparison must be done. For one thing, Google and Apple have both recently unveiled huge changes that respectively make their mobile operating systems far more powerful, and in some ways more similar to each other. For another thing, weighing the pros and cons of each platform against the other is a scenario that's played out daily among many people who are deciding which phone to buy.

Just a few parameters before diving in. First, I'm overwhelmingly looking at software, not hardware, but I'll point out where hardware does factor in. iOS 5 runs on multiple devices, but is the most powerful right now on the iPhone 4S. Ditto Ice Cream Sandwich. The unreleased Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the one phone that can currently show off the OS update's full spectrum of features, since it was purpose-built to be compatible with them all. That will change for both operating systems as additional future devices are built with the hardware to support the new software.

Second, I'm not just talking about new additions, but trying to look at the OS in its entirety.

Third, I'm looking at what each OS can do natively. Yes, there are scores of third-party apps you can download to do just about anything to satisfy something that one OS lacks that another has, but what we're looking at here is what Apple and Google have decided to bestow, not clever external developers. And I'm not talking about anything you can achieve only by jailbreaking or rooting. Official, but optional apps created by Apple and Google are OK--like Find My Friends and Google Voice.

Third, I'm throwing in two "fun" features for each (these will be the last two). I wouldn't recommend buying an iOS 5 or Ice Cream Sandwich device solely because of them, but they're pleasantly show-offy conversation pieces unique to each platform.

Got all that? Let's go.… Read more

iPhone 4S sensor move forces case makers to scramble

You may not have been happy when Apple released the iPhone 4S instead of an iPhone 5, but a lot of case makers were. That's because at first glance their existing iPhone 4 cases seemed to work just fine with the new model, which meant that they didn't have to scramble to create new designs and had a ready supply of cases available for the 4S.

But that was before someone noticed that Apple had made a small but somewhat crucial design change: it moved the ambient-light sensor a few millimeters to the left. That created a problem … Read more

An interview with Siri (podcast)

After spending the weekend with Siri, the personal assistant who lives inside the new iPhone 4S, it occurred to me that she would be a good interview subject for my CBS News & CNET podcast. So, I invited her into my studio, plugged her into my mixing board and started asking questions.

In our four-minute conversation, she explained the meaning of life, told me that the Macintosh is her favorite computer, and got a bit indignant when I asked her about her favorite cell phone. It took her awhile to answer my question about the "meaning of life." … Read more

iPhone 4S vs. 4: Does the 'S' stand for speed?

The "S" in iPhone 4S can stand for anything you want it to, be it Siri or Steve or super. However, after finally spending some time with the iPhone 4S this week, I'm choosing to believe that the S does in fact stand for speed, but you probably already knew that, given the title of this piece.

The iPhone 4S' biggest performance advantage over its predecessor is the dual-core A5 CPU inside, replacing the iPhone 4's single-core A4 chip. When I upgraded from my iPhone 3G to the 4 last year, the speed difference between the two phones was obvious and welcome. This year, I'm not eligible for a subsidized iPhone 4S through AT&T, so I won't be getting one.

Discovering that bit of bad news immediately made the 4S less appealing to me as my mind--doing its best attempt at damage control--scrambled for good excuses as to why I wouldn't want one anyway. Chief among them being, "Well, it's probably not that much faster." … Read more

iPhone 4S users seeing yellowish screen tint

Some new iPhone 4S owners are saying that their screens display a yellowish tint, prompting a few of them to dub the alleged defect "yellowgate."

Posting messages at the Apple Support Forum, several of the users say that the screen looks washed out and that the whites look more yellow, especially when compared with the iPhone 4. Some say the issue is specific to the black iPhone 4S, noting that the display in the white version looks fine.

As a possible explanation, a couple of commenters said they believe the yellowish display is the result of the glue … Read more