iCloud will be great for the 50% of iPhone users who don’t backup

Here’s a statistic that might have fueled Apple’s idea behind iCloud: 50% of iPhone users don’t backup. This percentage comes from a report made by One FPS, citing that half of iPhone users “have never plugged [their iPhone] into iTunes after the initial activation and sync.” Apple has always required users to connect their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to iTunes in order to begin setup. After this initial setup, however, it appears that half of iPhone users don’t ever use iTunes with their phones again. This means that most of these users are not syncing music, videos, or apps to their iPhone via iTunes. They’re also avoiding updating their iPhone’s software to the latest version of iOS.

The good news for these folks who avoid backing up is that iCloud will alleviate the need to use iTunes with their device. As we heard in the WWDC 2011 keynote, iCloud will feature on-device setup, over-the-air software updates, and cloud storage of music, apps, and more that can be obtained over a Wi-Fi network—no Mac or PC required. This is even better news for Genius Bar employees at Apple Retail Stores, who face the frustration of dealing firsthand with customers who have not synced or backed up their iOS device.

[One FPS]

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Taking a Closer Look at the iWork Suite for iPhone, iPod touch

Earlier today, in a rather surprising move, Apple released the iWork suite for the iPhone and iPod touch. It certainly wasn’t an expected announcement from the folks at Cupertino, especially considering the fact that the upcoming WWDC 2011 is set to be focused on upcoming software such as iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion. Nevertheless, the iWork suite consisting of the Pages, Keynote, and Numbers apps are now available on the iPhone and iPod touch for $9.99 each. iWork originally made its iOS debut on the iPad last January; those that purchased any of the three iWork apps for iPad can download the new iPhone and iPod touch counterpart for free from the App Store. Here’s a rundown of what you can expect from each app:

Keynote

I would still recommend using a Mac if you’re going to be creating a full-fledged presentation, but this mobile version of Keynote does pack some punch. It’s really easy to make a presentation with the drag-and-drop interface that the multi-touch screen delivers. You begin by naming your presentation and choosing from a variety of different backgrounds to use for your slides. There are your basic controls for adding text boxes, images from your device’s camera roll, tables, charts, and shapes. At this time, there is no way to import video into Keynote.

A closer look at Pages and Numbers as well as several screenshots can be found after the break!

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Rumor: iPhone 4S to Boast A5 Chip, 8MP Camera, and Integrated SIM?

A report published by DigiTimes suggests that the new iPhone 4S could be headed our way by as early as September. This next-generation iPhone will reportedly boast Apple’s A5 chip, a crystal clear 8 MP camera, and an integrated SIM that would remove the need for an external SIM card slot. The A5 chip can be found inside the iPad 2, but there is currently no iOS device that comes close to having an 8 MP camera; the runner-up is the iPhone 4, which has a 5 megapixel camera.

Production of iPhone 4S will begin in August and the earliest launch may be in September. All the 3G and CDMA chips for iPhone 4S will be supplied by Qualcomm and the rear camera will be upgraded to a 8-megapixel resolution model with OmniVision Technologies and Taiwan-based Largan Precision to supply image sensors and lens kits respectively, the sources indicated.

DigiTimes also mentions that iPhone 4 supplies are currently lower than originally projected, which makes these rumors more plausible. Furthermore, this report closely resemble my own predictions that I made just last week with regards to the next iPhone, asides from a WWDC 2011 announcement.

[DigiTimes]

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GameCenter Claims its First Victim: Agon Online

GameCenter launched last year as a part of iOS 4.1, last September. Eight months later, it’s already put one of its competitors out of business.

Agon, one of the top third-party iPhone gaming networks (seen in popular games, like Tilt to Live), had a few outstanding features, like Cloud Storage, Cross Promotion, and an easy setup for developers and users alike. Sounds pretty nice, but it was recently announced on the site’s developer blog that, effective June 30th, the service would be closing its doors.

It is with great regret that I am announcing that AGON Online will be shutting down at the end of June. Since our launch we have simultaneously dealt with multiple acquisition offers, sought investment, performed contract work in order to pay the bills – all whilst competing against a host of well funded competitors. I am extremely proud of what we achieved with our very limited resources and I am sorry we were not able to take AGON Online to the next level.

The shutdown of the AGON Online servers will be effective June 30th, 2011 – 3 months from today. All user data will be deleted permanently.

It appears that most games previously using the Agon service will be moving to Game Center, which is a “safe bet” for iOS. However, it is worth noting that Game Center isn’t up to feature parity with the likes of OpenFeint, among others.

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Editorial: When to Expect the Next iPhone

There have been numerous rumors swirling around the blogosphere over the past few weeks, all pointing at what Apple’s next move will be with regards to the iPhone. While most predictions do project that a next-generation iPhone is on the horizon, there is much speculation about what specs the next iPhone will have and when such a phone would launch. Apple’s been very quiet throughout this whole process, which makes the predicting game that much harder (in other words, nobody left a prototype iPhone on a bar stool for the world to see). With WWDC 2011 just around the corner, are we in store for a shiny new iPhone? My personal predictions and speculation can be found after the break.

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GoFlex Satellite, a Wi-Fi Hard Drive for your iOS Device

Seagate’s new GoFlex Satellite is a 500GB external hard drive that allows you to wirelessly stream movies, listen to music, and view photos with up to three different Wi-Fi devices — including the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch — at the same time. The first step is to sync the GoFlex with your Mac or PC via USB and then add movies, music, and photos to it. Afterwards, you connect to the GoFlex’s Wi-Fi connection (within 30 feet) on your iOS device, just like you would connect to any other network. When playing movies, most formats must be converted before they’ll play on your iOS device, or you’ll be forced to install an app that can play those files. Common video formats that are compatible with iOS include H.264, Motion JPEG, and MPEG-4.

The hard drive itself is very portable; it fits into the palm of your hands and is very lightweight. Its shiny, streamlined black box design matches the look of an iOS device. It can store up to 300 HD movies, automatically sync media and documents from a PC or Mac, and boasts up to 5 hours of battery life. One of the few limitations that the GoFlex has is that you cannot use the regular Internet when your Wi-Fi device is connected to it. The GoFlex Satellite is currently on pre-order for $199.99 US.

[Mashable]

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Rumor: Internal Memo Sheds Light on a 64GB iPhone 4?

According to a tip received by This Is My Next, the iPhone 4 could be available in a new 64GB capacity very soon. The rumor originates from an internal memo circulating within Verizon retailer Russell Cellular, which makes references to both a 32GB and 64GB iPhone 4. Despite increasing evidence that an iPhone 5 is already being produced, a 64GB iPhone 4 wouldn’t require much change along the assembly line. Furthermore, the fact that the fourth-generation iPod touch is already available in this capacity makes this rumor even more plausible. There is a possibility, however, that the writer of this memo merely made a typo — it’s a mistake that happens all the time. Only time will reveal what Apple has up their sleeves. For nostalgic purposes, this iPhone would be sixteen times as large as the original 4GB iPhone.

[This Is My Next]

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Turn Your iPhone 4 Blue, Gold, or other colors with a Custom Color Kit

While the long-delayed white iPhone 4 may be nice looking, China-based Focusupply has several color kits that will turn your iPhone into nearly any color! Among the color choices available are deep blue, gold, purple, rose red, pink, yellow, and orange. There are also many other transparent kits available. What’s included with your kit, in the color of your choice, is the following:

  • Front Panel (including the front lens with digitizer, LCD display)
  • Back Panel (including the camera lens, diffuser)
  • Home button
  • Speaker cover

Each kit averages between $100 to $150 US. One notable exception is the real gold kit, consisting of 24 karat gold, which retails for just over $500. Check out the other color choices in the gallery after the break and let us know which one you think looks the best!

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Remote iPhone Unlocking Services Popping Up, Do Not Require a Jailbreak

Websites claiming to offer a “permanent solution” to your iPhone unlocking needs are springing up. These solutions do not depend on any jailbreak, but instead accomplish this by accessing Apple’s database of IMEIs (International Mobile Equipment Identifier), and adding your iPhone to the list of unlocked devices.

This unlocking service is advertised to be permanent, though Apple could, theoretically, create a way to track which of the IMEIs were officially classified as unlocked, and which were added there by this third-party, after market solution. This method works for iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4 devices, and will run you at least $169.99 (the price will vary, depending on the site you visit; at this writing, there are four of them).

None of these websites appear to be actually accessing Apple’s database, but they are instead relying on another party for the actual nuts and bolts of the process. This other party has not revealed itself to the public as of this writing.

Planning on using these services? Be careful: providing a relatively large sum of money to these small websites which may or may not end up working out for you is a risky business. There is a chance that you will get scammed.

[CutYourSim, Negrielectronics]

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AT&T Preparing for Wireless Hotspot in iOS 4.3

We’ve been tipped that AT&T is prepping their network for the impending launch of hotspot tethering with the release of iOS 4.3, bringing the GSM iPhone 4 on AT&T to feature parity with the Verizon iPhone 4.

Anyone with an iPhone running iOS 4.3 (still in beta) and has an active tethering plan on AT&T will be able to use the wireless hotspot feature.

The WiFi hotspot has been the one feature that people who purchase the Verizon iPhone 4 have enjoyed, while iPhone 4 owners on AT&T have looked on with jealousy. AT&T’s official position has long been that they are working on it, and that they will have it out and available when their network is ready. Well, now that Verizon has risen up and is now able to challenge the AT&T network directly, AT&T seems much more responsive to customer wants.

It remains to be seen if this will sell well: after all, there are jailbreak solutions that offer a one-time cost, instead of a fee in addition to your monthly charges.

In other words, the new  competition over the iPhone is starting to bear fruit, which is a very good thing for iPhone customers on both networks.


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