iPhone 4S Introduces iOS 5

iOS 5, which now can be downloaded on the iPhone 3GS and above, is certainly an integral part of the Apple operating system family and of central importance to the success of the new iPhone 4S phone deals.

This new operating system has a number of features that were not found on earlier versions. With little changing cosmetically on the iPhone 4S we will need to take a look at the new iOS 5 features to see what the iPhone 4S really has to offer.

iCloud

iCloud is an ingenious and ultra useful and well thought out service from Apple. The new cloud feature allows you access to your whole iTunes library on your device anywhere you want, once you have an internet connection. Unlike traditional Cloud services you won’t even have to upload the tracks. Apple has set the iCloud up in such a way that it stores the iTunes track IDs you have and then allows you access to them straight from the library on iCloud.

iMessages

Just like with the blackberry, Apple has included a free messaging service between all the different Apple devices. This will be a huge bonus for the company in the younger market who now won’t have to pay for the messages to their friends with the new app.

Notifications

The new notification section on the device is well thought out and homage to the way it is done on Android. Instead of the message system, Apple has included a drop down notification menu with all the information and changes on the device in one place – a huge help and a lot tidier.

Camera

It is also now possible to access the camera on the phone straight from the lock menu. This is a nice addition and means you don’t have to shuffle through unnecessary menus. If you’re someone who takes spontaneous photos this will be of huge help and will allow you a lot more freedom on the device.

iOS 5 also adds many new software features to the iPhone’s camera bringing it more in to line with competitors. This includes various effects that can be added to photos, and for the first time the iPhone comes with built in face detection.

Siri

The new voice control feature on the iPhone has gotten a lot of press, mainly because of the answers it gives to silly questions. However, its uses are more integrated than that and it works brilliantly with all the iPhone apps on the device.

This new integrated system can be used to keep your diary, voice dialling, sending messages and also a number of other features. It is also able to adapt to accents and learns as it goes, meaning it won’t be so likely to miscomprehend you as other voice control systems.

While most of the new iOS features are available to older devices making the upgrade, Siri is the one feature that is limited to just iPhone 4S use. Apple claim this is because only the iPhone 4S has the processing power to cope with it. Obviously this is not true because prior to Apple’s purchase of Siri it was available on other iOS devices as well.

This is no longer so. Although the iPad surely has the technical power to deal with Siri, and even though some diehard Siri enthusiasts have already managed to create a hacked version of Siri for jailbroken iPads and iPhones, Siri still will not work. This is because all of your voice commands and questions are fed through a central Apple system, rather than being managed directly from your iPhone 4S. Because of this, if you truly wish to enjoy the wonders that Siri brings – you will only be able to do so by purchasing a new iPhone 4S contract.

Trent iCruiser IMP1000 External Battery Pack iPad 2

Is 12 hour battery life not long enough for your iPad 2? then you need to get the Trent iCruiser IMP1000 External Battery Pack for iPad 2, iPad, iPhone 4 4G 3Gs 3G (AT&T and verizon) , iPod Touch (1G 2G 3G 4G), HTC Android EVO, Blackberry, Kindle DX, Samsung Galaxy S, Droid, Nintendo, Sony PSP and much more.

Never let your smart phones or tablet PCs run out of battery with this extra battery pack.

The design is compact and portable for the long-lasting backup battery for you to carry whatever you need to go. It can get you an extra 50 hours of iPhone 4 usage and 17 hours of iPad 2 movie time.   This backup battery pack will work with almost every device in the market, such as your iPhone 4 4G 3Gs 3G (Verizon and AT&T), and 1G 2G 3G 4G iPod Touch, Motorola Droid, HTC Android EVO phones and Amazon Kindle DX, Samsung galaxy. IMP1000 can also power Sony PSP and Nintendo DS lite, DSi and Gameboy with additional adapters.  Includes 6 month product warranty.

How To Convert iPod Touch to iPhone

The Apple Peel 520 allows you to convert your iPod Touch to an iPhone by installing an add on SIM chip.  The Apple Peel 520 is planning to come the US.   It will convert your favorite portable music device into a fully function iPhone without paying for 3G. You will still have use of WiFi

The Apple Peel 520 is designed like a protective case and comes complete with a dock connector, battery and SIM card. It will provide five hours of talk time and 120 hours of standby use.

The Apple Peel 520 is easy to use after installing the required software. There are two apps that appear on the iPod Touch home screen: Yosian and YsSMS, which provide voice and text support. When the communication module is switched on, a signal bar and a battery icon will appear in the middle of the iPod Touch’s status bar. To make a call, users simply tap the Yosian app icon which loads the numpad screen

The device is currently available in China for 520 Yuan but North American distributor, GoSolar USA said that the first demonstrations of the Apple Peel 520 are expected to arrive in America sometime next week.

“We’re obviously very confident that consumer demand is high for the Apple Peel 520, and we’re looking forward to getting our hands on the first batch,” said GSLO President and CEO Tyson Rohde.

“As soon as they arrive, we’ll begin distributing demonstration models to retail buyers across the country. The amount of interest in this product that we’ve received from distributors has been staggering.”

GoSolar are looking to sell the peripheral in Radio Shack, Best Buy, Walmart and Fry’s Electronics but no details regarding its retail price in the USA have been released as of yet.

Top 5 Useful and Free iPhone Apps

There are thousands of apps available to use on your iPhone, iPod and now your iPad as well and, surprisingly, many of the best are free to download.

The following list shows 5 of the very best free apps that also happen to be extremely useful as well.  There are loads of apps out there that can help make your life that bit easier so it’s well worth going through them to find the ones that will apply to you and your life.

Here are a few of the best useful apps out there that are well-worth a look.

Thetrainline – For those of you who commute to work by train, Thetrainline is a free transport app that outshines all of the others – and it’s free. The app can help you to plan your journey, obtain offline results and timetables and also has a location-aware ‘next train home’ option.  All of these features are available on Thetrianline’s clear and streamlined interface. There are of course other train apps available but many will cost you upwards of £5 and when you can get this one for free and it does the job – why look elsewhere?

Skype – This is a great money-saving app and allows you and your friends to chat to each other for free via your Skype app. The interface is simple and usable, enabling anyone with a Skype account to make free calls to other Skype users and also offers you the ability to make cheap calls to anywhere in the world. Pay as you Go users will find this app particularly useful but so will iPod touch owners as this app also allows them to make calls to other Skype users.

Dropbox – There are many apps out there that transfer content between your computer and your device but this one is free and actually a lot easier to use than many of the paid ones out there.  Any files you want to sync up – just drop them in to a folder on your computer and Dropbox will enable you to access them.

Around Me – Around Me is a great app for when you’re out and about.  It works out where you are and then shows you all the local banks, bars, petrol stations and restaurants etc that are in your vicinity.  The app is really useful when you happen to be in unfamiliar surroundings and the ‘augmented reality’ landscape mode is great for getting to know the area, just be aware that this new technology isn’t completely there yet so expect that you may come across a few little errors.

Moneysupermarket.com Voucher App – No matter what you’re looking for, moneysupermarket.com will no doubt have a voucher for it that will help make savings on your purchases. There are thousands of free discount codes and vouchers on this iPhone app that can help all UK shoppers save money on whatever they want to buy.

After years of rumors, Apple will finally open an Apple Store in Philadelphia on Walnut Street! I walk by here almost every day. It’s amazing how Apple can keep its store openings and product releases so secret.

Apple will hold the grand opening celebration for Apple Store Walnut Street in Philadelphia on Friday, July 30, 2010 at 5pm ED

Address: Apple Store Walnut Street
1607 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

The Apple Store Walnut Street is the best place to learn about all the latest products from Apple, including the new iPhone 4 featuring FaceTime, which makes the dream of video calling a reality, and Apple’s stunning new Retina display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone. Customers can experience Apple’s entire product line hands-on including the magical new iPad that lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more. Visitors to the store can also try the updated MacBook and MacBook Pro with the NVIDIA processor for up to 80 percent faster graphics, and the incredibly popular iPod touch with access to more than 225,000 apps offered on the revolutionary App Store.

Every Apple Retail Store offers a range of free services designed to help customers get the most out of their Apple products, including face-to-face support and advice at the Genius Bar, hands-on workshops and special programs for kids. Customers who buy a Mac®at the Apple Retail Store or Apple’s Online Store can also join the popular One to One program. For just $99, owners of a new Mac get Personal Setup to customize their computer and transfer files from their old Mac or PC, plus a year of Personal Training sessions and Personal Project support on a wide range of topics, from getting started on a Mac to advancing their digital photography or moviemaking skills.

Read more…

Wow.  When you’re just looking at a monthly bill, you really don’t stop to think about how much you’re paying over the term of the phone contract.  When  you run out to buy that Nexus One and it’s gleaming in your sweaty little palms, just try to remember the bottom line as shown in this great graphic from BillShrink.

Find the best cell phone plans and more graphics at BillShrink.com

Captured at 1/1 11:11

Happy New Year to everyone from the folks at GadgetMETER. GadgetMETER is now officially 1 year old and I am proud of what we’ve accomplished in that time.

One of my New Years resolution consists of simplifying my online and offline lifestyle.

• Get rid of junk in my house I haven’t used in years
• Eat less or no meat.
• Reduced the number of RSS subscriptions.
• Deactivated my Facebook account. (I’ll talk more about this later).
• Discovered http://mnmlist.com and http://minimalmac.com. These are two great websites if you feel you are too distracted with todays bombardment of information.
• Run a 10k
• Enrolled at UPenn for Graduate School.
• De clutter my MacBook desktop and menu bar

Now, if you are wondering how this screenshot is appropriate for this post. Well, I just happen to look at my iPhone at exactly 1/1 11:11pm so I quickly captured it. The background is a picture of Monica Belluci on my jail broken iPhone. Pretty cool huh? It must be a sign because I see it as a way to reset our tech lifestyle and look back at what’s really important: family, friend (true friends, not the persons you don’t know on your Facebook), health, and the environment. Today, we have way too many distractions in our life that really clouds our judgetment on what’s really important. Let’s take time to get rid of online and offline baggage and welcome the New Year!

So I propose this New Years Challenge for you.

• Go take a walk.
• Meet with a friend for coffee.
• Enough with Twitter already. It’s really just for celebrities!
• Delete contacts on Facebook you don’t ever engage with. Heck, deactivate your Facebook account like I did!
• Delete LinkedIn. Who really uses this anyway?
• Stop texting while having lunch or dinner with someone. Enjoy the moment.
• Volunteer at a community center or shelter.
• Donate to a charity: time, money, clothes, food. It can be anything.
• Read a long form book.
• Go camping or hiking.
• Call up a friend. No texting!