Rock Band iPhone- Finger-cramping fun

Rock Band iPhone: Finger-cramping fun
Back in our parents' day you were either a Beatles man or an Elvis man, these days you're either a Rock Band guy or a Guitar Hero guy (or some weird kind of non-gaming hermit). Game developer Harmonix is making sure its loyal fans can get a fix of Rock Band while away from their home consoles, releasing a version for the iPhone. It costs AU$13.99, which is a fortune for the Apple App Store, but fans will be happy to hear that its worth every cent. The core game consists of 20 tracks including Rock Band favourites Saboutage by the Beastie Boys and Cherub Rock by the Smashing Pumpkins. What sets Rock Band apart from Tap Tap Revolution and Gameloft's Guitar World Tour is that it offers the full band experience; guitar, bass, drums and vocals. While haters will argue that the gameplay for guitar, bass and drums are virtually identical in theory, it is worth pointing out that each has its own note-map to follow, so you can play your favourite songs four times each.There's also online play and local multiplayer over Bluetooth. There's multiple game modes, including Quickplay and World Tour modes, and in true Rock Band fashion there is also downloadable content, with five songs available at launch at AU$1.19 each. The art style of the games comes across well to the iPhone and it has to be one of the best looking iPhone apps around with barely any Apple-like styling.Activision is yet to release a similar app for the iPhone for its Guitar Hero franchise, but did delve into portable gaming with its Guitar Hero port for the Nintendo DS last year.Rock Band for the iPhone delivers a solid rhythm game experience and will no doubt have an impact on your remaining iTunes credit, whittling down the tally AU$1.20 at a time.

How to add multitasking to your old iPhone without jailbreaking

How to add multitasking to your old iPhone without jailbreaking
If you're hanging on to your little piece of Apple history (whether because you have to or just want to) TechCrunch lets us know that you can now use a custom firmware called Whited00r to add some sweet features such as multitasking, app folders, and device syncing.The best part about Whited00r? No jailbreaking.Instead, Whited00r is a variation of an old iOS firmware, version 3.1.3, which is the last version of iOS to which many users have upgraded their original iPhones and iPod Touches. Now, when dealing with a custom firmware, there are going to be trade-offs. Users installing Whited00r will not have the luxury of notifications, nor access to Apple's App Store.Also tweaked in the Whited00r release is video recording, which is actually just a version of an old app, Cycorder, that has been added. You also won't have access to iCloud syncing, but Whited00r does offer sync options via Dropbox and Exchange.Though Whited00r has been available in beta for some time, the latest version is the first considered stable enough for public use. To get and install Whited00r, simply visit its Web site and download Whited00r 5.1.Next, read up on all the information provided by Whited00r. Be sure you know what you're getting yourself into before going on in the process.Once you've downloaded the appropriate version of Whited00r, unzip the package files. Open iTunes on your computer and select your iPhone or iPod Touch from the devices section. Now, hold Option (on a Mac) or Shift (on Windows) and click the Restore button. Wait for your device to automatically reboot (this could take up to 15 minutes, so be patient). Once it boots, select "Set up as new iPhone/iPod." At that point, you're all set. Just wait for the setup process to take place, add your music, videos, and photos, and get back to work on your device. To get a full list of features available in Whited00r 5.1, check out the change log here.Once I dig my original iPhone out of storage I'm going to give this a shot. Is anyone still running iOS 3.1.3 on their old iDevice? Are you going to try out Whited00r? Let me know in the comments!

Siri can tap into Google, Bing, and Yahoo for answers

Siri can tap into Google, Bing, and Yahoo for answers
Just like us old-fashioned human beings, Apple's Siri is bright enough to know how to find information when it can't answer a question on its own.When you ask Siri a question that it can't answer or if you tell it specifically to search the Web, the voice-based assistant uses Google as its default source. But Siri is also capable of tapping into the smarts of Bing and Yahoo, according to an article in Search Engine Land.Noted yesterday by search engine guru Danny Sullivan, iPhone 4S users can tell Siri to use a specific search engine to answer a question. Saying "Search Bing for the weather" or "Search Yahoo for Apple news" will display results from those respective search engines.Related stories:• Siri: Smart, sly, and sarcastic• Five lessons from Apple's SiriSullivan's finding is not quite a discovery: if you launch Siri, click on the info button, and select the Web Search option, you'll see an example of how to search a site like Bing. But it is a helpful tip, especially for iPhone 4S owners who haven't yet delved deeply into the new feature.Users can also change Siri's default engine to Bing or Yahoo but still use Google by specifying that in their question, as in "Search Google for tips on using Siri."

Simple tool checks multiple Apple stores for iPhone 5S stock

Simple tool checks multiple Apple stores for iPhone 5S stock
For those still on the hunt for an iPhone 5S and planning to buy it from an Apple retail store, there's a new, unofficial tool that makes it very simple to search multiple stores at once.iPhone-Check, made by developer Mordy Tikotzky, just has you plug in your ZIP code, then pick what color and carrier you want. It then shows what phones are available at varying capacities at all of Apple's stores in that area.CNETThe tool is US-only for now. It's also unclear how up to date it is with Apple's own store data. Tikotzky notes that the tool is actually scraping Apple's retail store site to show availability. Apple brought back its stock-checking tool and in-store pick up option this week after offering it briefly last week. The option lets buyers reserve a phone for pickup without having to wait in line, something that's become more important for would-be iPhone buyers given Apple's currently nebulous shipping estimation of "October" on all 5S models. (Via Reddit)

Apple iOS users hit by online access glitches

Apple iOS users hit by online access glitches
Apple iOS users bumped into some trouble with several online services today.Updates on Apple's status page this morning revealed that users might get an error when signing into their iCloud accounts or creating new accounts.Users may incorrectly receive an authentication error when attempting to use iCloud. Setting up a new iCloud account from an eligible device may be temporarily unavailable.Additionally, some people were unable to create new Apple IDs or sign into the Game Center app. Some iTunes users had been unable to access the iTunes store or make purchases, but Apple's status page indicates that problem was resolved at 6:32 a.m. PT.The problems overall were cleared up by about 1 p.m. PT, when Apple's status page once again showed all services functioning normally.In all of these cases, the problems surfaced around 4:20 a.m. PT today and affected only some users, according to Apple. However, it's unclear just how many people "some users" represents. As usual, many of those affected have taken to Twitter to express their frustration over what some reports are calling a global outage.Apple's online services have suffered their share of outages in the past.On April 9 of this year, iMessage and FaceTime were both down throughout the day. On February 28, iCloud was taken down by an early morning outage. On February 21, Apple's App Store, iTunes, iCloud, and the Mac App Store were inaccessible to some users for several hours. And last September, iCloud was unavailable to a small number of users for several days.Last December, Apple beefed up its status page specifically to provide more details in the event of service outages.Update 1:02 p.m. PT: Added that Apple's status page again shows normal functioning for all the affected services.

Apple iOS 4, in light of Android 2.2

Apple iOS 4, in light of Android 2.2
Appearances are ever deceiving, though, as many of Apple's "new" features are old hat on Android phones. Multitasking and threaded e-mail messages have existed since the first Android phone. Folders, video sharing, and camera software that focuses when you tap the screen have also been available in previous Android operating systems.In addition to tethering--which independently exists on Sprint's HTC EVO running Android 2.1--iOS 4 and Android 2.2 share camcorder behavior that turns on the LED flash to shoot low-light video. Apple gets credit for building the FaceTime video call app into iOS 4, though we wish it didn't have quite so many limitations. We'd also give Apple kudos for its iPhone version of iMovie, an app that crucially lets you edit those shiny HD videos from the phone before you upload them to video sites or send them on via e-mail or MMS; however, there's just the pesky fact that the video editor is a $5 after-market add-on and not built-in software that darkens our view.Since Apple is largely playing catch-up with its heaviest-hitting software upgrades, Android is better positioned to innovate in future releases. For instance, Google announced  last month at its developer conference that it would soon release an updated online Android Market that wirelessly installs software you choose from the Web to your phone. This is an example of the "cloud syncing" that Apple didn't deliver Monday morning.At the same time that we're pointing out Apple's OS faults, we can't overlook the importance of a thriving app store to mobile phone owners, and with more than 250,000 apps in the store front--compared with about 30,000 Android apps reported last March--Apple remains the strongest contender. As the Android platform continues to grab market share, we're sure to see its app market grow. We'll also look for the integration of more Google products in future Android phones. As it stands, iOS 4 and Android 2.2 will have similar major features: multitasking (but only for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS), threaded e-mail, video recording, and data tethering--though iOS still rules on the App Store, iTunes store, and music-playing front. For its part Android's support for Flash and built-in turn-by-turn navigation currently give it the browsing and mapping edge.Related story: iPhone 4 versus the HTC EVO

Apple delivers iOS 4.3.4 to patch PDF security hole

Apple delivers iOS 4.3.4 to patch PDF security hole
Apple rolled out a minor security update to iOS this morning that fixes a vulnerability with the software's PDF-reading capabilities. iOS 4.3.4 (and 4.2.9 for those on Verizon) is available as a free update to iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad users. A description of the update says it "fixes (a) security vulnerability associated with viewing malicious PDF files." That's the same one used by JailbreakMe.com, a sitethat re-launched earlier this month to allow users to jailbreak their phones without using a computer or any special software, giving the owners a way to install third-party software and make low-level system changes. Shortly after the release of that tool, and a reaction by Germany's IT agency calling the exploit a part of "critical weaknesses" in iOS, Apple responded by saying it took security "very seriously" and that it was "developing a fix." Beyond jailbreaking, the danger of having a vulnerability in place that is well-known is that it can make devices a target for attackers. "The Jailbreakme.com exploit downloads a payload to jailbreak the phone, but it could be changed to deliver a malicious payload," said Charlie Miller, a principal research consultant at Accuvant and an Apple security expert, in an interview with CNET last week. This is the second time Apple has had to fix a vulnerability in its PDF-viewing technology. In August an earlier version of Jailbreakme.com exploited the way the PDF viewer loaded fonts to let users gain low-level system access, and install third-party application installers. (via Macrumors)

Apple delays global rollout of iPad

Apple delays global rollout of iPad
With customers grabbing more than 500,000 iPads during the tablet's first week, demand has been higher than expected, Apple said Wednesday, and will likely exceed supply over the next several weeks. The company said that it's also trying to handle a huge number of preorders for the 3G iPad models, which are also supposed to reach the hands of U.S. customers by the end of this month.Apple had said that on the first day, it sold more than 300,000 iPads."Faced with this surprisingly strong U.S. demand, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the international launch of iPad by one month, until the end of May," said Apple. "We will announce international pricing and begin taking online preorders on Monday, May 10."Putting a positive spin on the delay, Apple said that while it expected many international customers would be disappointed, "we hope they will be pleased to learn the reason--the iPad is a runaway success in the U.S. thus far."Customers were able to preorder the tablets as of March 12. The Wi-Fi version of the iPad hit the the U.S. on April 3, while models offering Wi-Fi and 3G are supposed to be available the end of April. Both the Wi-Fi and 3G versions were initially cleared to launch in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K. at the end of this month. The iPad's Wi-Fi-only version costs $499 for 16GB of memory, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi/3G edition costs $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB.See also: CNET's rated review of the Apple iPadApple iPad from every angle (photos)See full gallery1 - 4 / 16NextPrev

Apple defies price war with iPad Air, says Deutsche Bank

Apple defies price war with iPad Air, says Deutsche Bank
While a holiday price war is breaking out among laptops, Apple is staying comfortably above the fray with its iPad Air, according to Deutsche Bank. About 60 percent of the 80 best-selling laptops at retailers that Deutsche Bank recently monitored cost less than $400, while 30 percent are below $300.Deutsche Bank did a "series of online checks" that included Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart over cyber Monday. "We believe this reflects the need for [laptop] vendors to close the pricing gap with tablets which continue to exhibit strong market momentum," analyst Chris Whitmore said in a research note published Monday."Tablets are bifurcated between Apple, who commands a premium, and everyone else," Whitmore said.He continued. "Apple is a best seller and everyone else is playing for scraps at significantly lower price points. Overall, it appears there is little margin in the Android ecosystem but volumes are robust due to very low price points." The pricey MacBook Pro also made it into the top 15 best-selling laptops at Best Buy on Cyber Monday.The $1,050 13.3-inch MacBook Pro (non-Retina) was No. 5 and the $1,400 13.3-inch MacBook Pro Retina was No. 10. Last year during the fourth quarter, tablets outsold laptops by 10 million units."We expect that spread to expand to [about] 20M units in 2013 despite massive discounting...among [laptop] offerings," according to the note. Best-selling laptops at Amazon on Cyber Monday.Deutsche BankBest-selling tablets at Target on Cyber Monday.Deutsche BankBest-selling tablets at Best Buy on Cyber Monday.Deutsche Bank

Apple defensive over Consumer Reports findings, deletes forum threads

Apple defensive over Consumer Reports findings, deletes forum threads
Moderators for Apple's Support Discussions forums quickly deleted growing threads discussing the Consumer Reports articles. Though these threads are no longer viewable, you can read through cached versions via Bing.Despite the generally positive reputation that Consumer Reports enjoys, many Apple fans vehemently defend iPhone 4 throughout the thread. It will be interesting to see what sort of fallout this finding will produce in terms of sales for iPhone 4 moving forward. Despite the early reports of these very issues, iPhone 4 still outsold iPhone 3GS by nearly double over its first few days. Not to mention, Consumer Reports has already stated that the issues related to iPhone 4's antenna are not unique to iPhone 4.Also interesting to note, Consumer Reports does rate iPhone 4 as the best smartphone currently available, sans the antenna issue, which it has now concluded is a hardware flaw inherent to iPhone 4's design. Apple has insisted the issues are a software problem to be fixed in the next release of iOS 4. The next move will be Apple's, and I have to believe every software engineer available is working on a solution via an iOS 4 update. Should the antenna issue prove to be hardware related, the recall could be devastating to Apple's iPhone future and a huge win for other smartphone developers fighting tooth and nail for market share with the iPhone brand.Should Apple Support Discussions forum moderators have deleted threads regarding the latest article from Consumer Reports? Is the antenna issue affecting your decision to purchase iPhone 4? Let us know in the comments!Be sure to check us out on Twitter and the CNET Mac forums.Submit a fix to MacFixIt! Email Us.

Apple cuts iPhone production ahead of next-gen model

Apple cuts iPhone production ahead of next-gen model
Apple may already be prepping for the production of its next-generation iPhone. The company is significantly cutting back on the production of the current iPhones, according to supplier checks by Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu. The number of iPhones produced may have fallen by 20 percent to 25 percent on a quarter-over-quarter basis, Wu said in a research note published today.The reduction suggests Apple is being conservative and giving suppliers a two-quarter pause ahead of the introduction of a new iPhone, which Wu believes will come around September or October. The pause will allow suppliers to better manage inventory and prepare for the new model. Apple had similarly reduced the production of iPhone 4 devices ahead of the iPhone 4S.As a result of the checks, Wu pegs the potential shipment of iPhones at 26 million to 28 million units, below Wall Street's average estimate of 30 million to 31 million. He noted that the reduction was due primarily to the iPhone refresh, as opposed to weaker demand for the product. The new iPad, however, continues to perform well, and Wu said he expects a slight increase in the production thanks to the addition of a new supplier. Apple faced some constraints early on with supply limited on the high-definition Retina Display, but seems to have addressed the issue, he said. "We believe this will enable Apple to be better equipped to meet strong demand and deliver upside relative to consensus expectations," Wu said. Wu raised his estimate for iPad shipments in the quarter to 15 million from 14 million units.