iphone4

Hacker 'chpwn' develops Siri workaround for jailbroken iPhones

Well-known iPhone hacker "chpwn" has developed a new way for users to run Siri on their Apple handsets.

Dubbed Spire, the solution is a simple download to a jailbroken iPhone. Once it boots up, the software downloads Siri from Apple's own servers. After that's done, you're not quite ready to start talking to Apple's virtual personal assistant. According to "chpwn," users must access an iPhone 4S' data and proxy to make Siri think it's running on an iPhone 4S.

Just how will you gain access to that information? "Chpwn" … Read more

Xmas Eve brings two-for-one iPhone deal at Best Buy

I've gotta bang this out quick 'cause I've still got some holiday shopping to do. But then, you might too, eh? That's why I'm passing along this little nugget.

Best Buy is offering a two-for-one deal on the iPhone 4. Buy a 32GB iPhone 4 for $199.99 and get another one free. That's right: buy one, get one free--just like, I don't know, a cheeseburger.… Read more

New app makes Siri dictate for Mac

Typing with your hands is so retro.

Own an iPhone 4S and Mac computer? Check out a new hands-free typing app called Air Dictate.

There are no public APIs for using the Siri voice-activated assistant for dictation, so developer Avatron found a way to control Siri and convert speech into text. The text then transfers to the corresponding Mac (with OS X 10.6.8 or higher) running the Air Dictate Receiver app.… Read more

iPhone 4S nabs access permit, may land in China by Xmas

Mobile-phone company China Unicom has received the go-ahead to start selling the iPhone 4S in China and may roll out the device as soon as Christmas, according to a report.

Blog M.I.C. Gadget says the company received a network access permit from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology earlier this week.

That should mean China Unicom and the iPhone 4S are good to go. A China Unicom sales executive said last month that the company had "already done all of our preparations, we're just waiting on the permit." M.I.C. said the … Read more

HTML5-enabled phones to hit 1 billion in sales in 2013

HTML5-compatible mobile phones will reach sales of 1 billion in 2013, up from just 336 million this year, says research firm Strategy Analytics.

That 1 billion number refers specifically to phones whose mobile browsers fully or at least partially support HTML5, such as the iPhone 4S and Android phones. And it includes some feature phones as well as smartphones.

"We expect almost all smartphones to support HTML5 by 2013 and this makes up the largest chunk of the 1 billion total," Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston told CNET yesterday. "Android, iOS, and other smartphone OSes already support … Read more

Element's swanky Vapor Epiphany iPhone 4/4S case ships

Element Case is a "boutique" iPhone case maker that's gotten plenty of press for its swanky Vapor line, which now includes the just-shipped $129.99 Vapor Comp Epiphany case you see here.

The Epiphany comes in a microfiber "cleaning" pouch and ships with a second protective molded "travel" zipper case (your full iPhone with the case on it fits in the pouch or travel case).

You also get two interchangeable back plates that are made out soft material that Element describes as Epiphany Blue Ultrasuede and Herrera White Pearl. Oh, just so you … Read more

iPhone 4S camera is superpopular on Flickr after only a month

According to a keen eye from MacRumors, the iPhone 4S, in just over a month after its release, has become the second most popular camera phone on Flickr, trailing only the iPhone 4.

Flickr provides data on the most popular cameras used to post photos on its popular image-sharing site. The data is collected by automatically detecting the camera type using the image file's metadata, which Flickr claims it can accomplish on about two-thirds of image uploads.

These graphs are also constantly changing, which makes the page an interesting gauge at current camera usage and popularity as it relates … Read more

Another iOS 5 update to address battery issues?

Apple could be rolling out another iOS 5 update in the next week or so to try again to fix the battery issues with the iPhone 4S, according to reports.

Apple updated its mobile operating operating system to 5.0.1 last week, which apparently fixed the battery drain issues for some iPhone 4S owners, while others complained the problem was unchanged or even worsened in some cases.

Now German site Macerkopf quotes an unnamed Apple engineer saying that another update, 5.0.2, will be out by the end of next week.… Read more

iOS 5.0.1 triggers address book bug for certain users

Apple's iOS 5.0.1 seems to have created a glitch with the Contacts app for certain users, according to various sources and several posts on the Apple Support Forums.

Startup Foundry founder Paul Hontz reported late last week that after updating to 5.0.1, the iPhone was no longer able to associate address book contacts with other apps. Opening the Contacts app would display all the right names. But using the iMessage texting app or even making a phone call would fail to remember the name of a contact and just display the person's phone number.… Read more

Rumor Has It, Ep. 7: You can't fight the quad core (podcast)

Karyne may be up a point on the Rumor board, but I'm winning where it actually counts: on Twitter.

As of this writing, I have 232 followers and Karyne has 223.

OK, you can stop laughing now.

We realize, of course, that those numbers are embarrassingly low. So follow us, guys! (@EmilyDreyfuss, @karynelevy, @RumorShow.) Our new high-stakes side bet is who can get to 500 first. Maybe the lucky 500th follower of the winner will get a prize!

The rumors on today's show are of the spiciest variety: sightings of the first quad-core phone (which some people really don't want); two new iPads in 2012; all-new Apple products next year (huzzah); and Siri may ruin my life by coming to old iOS devices. … Read more