iphone Category
July 30th, 2010 by FrequencyCast in iphone
The BBC News iPhone App
After being delayed by a BBC Trust review, the BBC News mobile application was released last week for the iPhone and iPad.
The app allows you to scroll around stories in the main BBC News categories, and edit the layout of the screen to customise what stories you see first. Stories contain embedded video clips, and the beeb has made it easy to share stories on Facebook and Twitter. You can also watch the BBC News TV channel as well as submit a photo or news story direct to the BBC newsroom.
Over half a million people downloaded the application in the first week – impressive numbers!
A BBC Sport application is expected for the iPhone and iPad soon, and versions of the apps should be out for Android and Blackberry later this year. A BBC iPlayer application is also believed to be in the pipeline.
The BBC News app is available for free in the iTunes App Store: BBC News App
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July 16th, 2010 by FrequencyCast in iphone
The Apple press conference at 6pm UK time has wrapped up. Apple appears to have admitted that there is a problem with the iPhone 4′s reception, and that holding the handset in a certain way will impact signal strength. There won’t be a product recall, but Apple has gone some way to addressing the problem.
The OS upgrade to 4.01 (out now) will make the signal strength display more accurate, and Apple will be giving away a free case (referred to as a rubber “bumper” to everyone who has bought an iPhone 4, or buys one before the end of September 2010. A “bumper” reduces the problem which is caused when the human hand comes into contact with the lower part of the left-hand edge of the iPhone 4.
Those who’ve already bought a bumper case will get a refund.
iPhone 4 owners still not happy can get a refund within 30 days of purchase.
“Antennagate”, a.k.a Death Grip is likely to cost Apple something in the order of £115 million in costs to provide cases for the 3+ million iPhone 4 users – plus a lot of bad press…
Details of how to get a free case will be coming to the Apple website from the 22nd of July 2010.
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July 15th, 2010 by FrequencyCast in iphone
Apple has just released a new version of operating system for the iPhone – iOs 4.01 is now available for download via iTunes
The 580 megabyte download includes bug fixes and improvements, most notably: “iOs 4.01 Improves the formula to determine how many bars of signal strength to display”.
The new OS appears to have increased the size of the signal strength bars, and in part addresses the “Death Grip” issue with reception, which will be formally addressed by Apple at a press conference tomorrow.
iOs 4.01 is available now for iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4
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July 15th, 2010 by FrequencyCast in iphone
The problem with signal strength (or lack thereof) on the new iPhone 4 just won’t go away, and Apple’s been forced to make a comprehensive statement. This will happen tomorrow, Friday the 16th of July, at 10am California time.
The problem manifests itself when you hold the handset in a certain way – causing the signal to drop a few bars – we demonstrated this in our iPhone 4 Launch Special Edition.
A leading consumer magazine in the US has stated that it can’t recommend the phone due to the signal / reception problems, and many Apple fans are an unhappy bunch.
It’s unclear what Apple will have to say about this – Their responses so far have been wooly. There appears to be four options open to Apple:
- The “It’s not a problem” approach that we’ve had from Steve Jobs
- Free “bumpers” for all – $25 rubber cases that cover the offending area on the bottom left of the phone
- A software fix – Although the problem still exists in iOS 4.1 just released to developers, and most believe that this hardware problem can’t be fixed in software
- A product recall. Embarrassing for Apple, being called for by many, and could be the only way to put this to rest.
Here in the UK, we should know by the end of the working day on Friday just what Apple plans to do for us iPhone 4 users…
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July 1st, 2010 by FrequencyCast in Digital TV, iphone
FrequencyCast Show 53 was released a little earlier today. Here’s what this bumper show contains:
- News Updates: iPhone 4 has launched, and big changes for local radio.
- Focus: BT Vision reviewed. A cheaper alternative to Sky for TV and Sky Sports?
- Interview: Radio past and present discussed with a leading radio amateur
- Hands-on: An update on the high-tech Fitbug scheme
- Your comments and questions on Freesat, slow broadband and Slingbox
You can download Show 53 direct to your MP3 player or listen online at http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/latest.html.
If you have an iPod or iPhone, get shows faster by signing up via iTunes.
Links:
Bonus Material!
We hope you enjoy this packed show. If you like what you’ve heard, please spread the word…
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July 1st, 2010 by FrequencyCast in Podcast, iphone
The iPhone 4 is well and truly out. Released last week, the media is a buzzing with news and comment, and as with any launch, everywhere’s sold out.
Our listeners have spoken – they want to hear Carl and Pete talking about the new Apple ShinyPhone, and want to know what we think of the 4…
Happy to oblige, we’ve put together a 20 minute special podcast covering the iPhone 4 launch, a hands-on look at the new phone, plus thoughts about availability, tariffs, and the problems with the iPhone 4.
If you’re thinking of getting an iPhone 4 in the UK, take a listen to our iPhone 4 Launch Special Edition – Available at frequencycast.co.uk/iphone4 now.
No need to queue, and our podcasts are, as ever, free!
Got a comment or a question on the iPhone 4? Let us know…
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June 23rd, 2010 by FrequencyCast in iphone
The iPhone 4 is almost upon us, and all signs are that tomorrow’s launch day is set to be an interesting one.
We know that stocks will be limited – o2 are only selling to existing o2 customers, no-one’s been accepting pre-orders, and Carphone Warehouse are rumoured to be getting a relatively small amount of stock for tomorrow.
Those not mad enough to queue outside a store should be looking to set an alarm clock for 7am, when Vodafone will be accepting web orders for the iPhone 4, and not just for Vodafone customers.
Order online from 7am on Thursday the 24th at shop.vodafone.com/iphone – and good luck!
Any plans to get an iPhone 4 tomorrow? Let us know!
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June 21st, 2010 by FrequencyCast in iphone
Got an iPhone? Get iOS 4.
The new version of firmware for the iPhone has just been released to the waiting world. If you want to give your iPhone 3GS an update, hop to iTunes and upgrade from 3.1.3 to 4.0
There’s a bunch of new toys to play with, including:
- Multitasking – Run apps such as streaming radio in the background… finally
- Email enhancements – A unified inbox and message threading
- Photo improvements including 5x digital zoom and map display of geo-tagged photos
- SMS search and character count
- Automatic Spell checker
- Wallpaper for the home screen
- iBooks and iBookstore
- Support for Bluetooth keyboards
- Improvements to location privacy
- Plus loads of other fixes and tweaks
Later this week, we can expect the release of the iPhone 4, which of course runs iOS4.0.
Enjoy the new features on offer with iOS 4.0 – but if you’re reading this before 7pm on Monday evening, do us a favour and don’t hit “Check for update” for another few minutes, as we’re mid-download!
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June 7th, 2010 by FrequencyCast in Phones, iphone
In one of the worst-kept secrets, Apple today announced the next generation of iPhone, the iPhone 4.
Speaking today at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, Steve Jobs announced the slimmest smartphone ever. Here are the highlights:
- 24% thinner than the iPhone 3GS (9.33mm)
- Front facing camera – video calling (called FaceTime), but initially over wi-fi
- 4 times as many pixels (326 ppi)
- Uses a micro-SIM card as they “need the space”
- Onboard gyroscope for games (6-axis motion sensing)
- Camera upgraded to 5 Megapixels with LED flash
- Video editing on the iPhone – “iMovie”
Available in Black or White. In the US, pricing the same as 3GS – that’s $199 for 16GB model, $299 for 32GB model (on a 2 year contract)
The iPhone 4 ships in the UK on June 24th 2010.
Also covered by Jobs – the next release of the OS – renamed from iPhone OS to iOS.
iOS 4.0 has over 100 new features, including:
- Multitasking
- Message threading in email
- Folders for apps
- Addition of the Bing search engine
- iBooks (now on iPad) will be on iPhone
A Gold Master Candidate of iOS4.0 is ready – and the final version will be out on 21st June for existing iPhone users (free).
Apple also announced that on the 1st of July, they’ll enter the advertising market by launching iAds – mini-adverts that developers can add to their applications (and get 60% of the ad revenue). When you click on an ad, it opens within the application, not in the browser.
Some of Steve Jobs live demos failed – 570 people in the audience with an active wi-fi connection stealing all of the bandwidth. He asked the audience to shut down their laptops and stop live blogging.
So, the hype has started – and we’re three weeks away from queues of people desperate to get the iPhone 4…
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May 30th, 2010 by FrequencyCast in Offers and Deals, iphone, sat nav
There are a bunch of Sat Nav apps out there for the iPhone, including the rather expensive TomTom, and our favourite, the CoPilot Live. We’ve stumbled across another iPhone Sat Nav app, the NDrive.
We’ve tested a number of Sat Nav apps for the iPhone, and at £4.99, our expectations of the NDrive weren’t high, but it’s a surprisingly impressive sat nav app, and has some nice touches including a handful of 3D buildings, and a built-in Google location search. Postcode search, lane assist, safety cameras and a speed limit alarm are all there, and the heads-up display is surprisingly impressive.
Whilst a sat nav on a phone isn’t as good as a dedicated stand-alone Sat Nav, at a fiver, it’s worth having as a handy backup for those times when you need a handy voice-driven turn-by-turn navigation solution.
NDrive UK is available for £4.99 – NDrive on iTunes.
Give it a go…
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May 13th, 2010 by FrequencyCast in Announcement, iphone
FrequencyCast now has its very own iPhone Application.
By installing our free iPhone application, you’ll be able to read our latest news and blog posts, listen to our latest podcasts, send us a message, see what’s new in our forum, and check out our new TV & Tech section.
The FrequencyCast iPhone application is available now, free, in the Apple iTunes App Store. It will run on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
Direct link: FrequencyCast iPhone application
Google Android phone users note that a similar version for Android has been available for a few weeks in Google Market, available from your Android phone.
If you find our apps useful, please click on one of the ads at the bottom of the app to visit our advertisters. This helps to cover our app development costs.
Hope you liek the apps – if you do, let us know!
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May 6th, 2010 by FrequencyCast in Gadgets, iphone
A nifty gadget to let you take control of your TV, home cinema and hi-fi direct from your iPhone – the iPhone Universal Remote.
The product is actually a jacket into which you slide your iPhone 3G or 3GS. Once in the case, the iPhone can transmit the required infrared control commands to take control of virtually any IR device.
To use the jacket, you’ll need some software. Control TV from your iPhone? Of course – there’s an app for that, and it’s free.
The controller allows you to control multiple devices from one screen, is easy to customise and doesn’t need any additional hardware or dongles – the case itself is slim and smooth that also protects your iPhone from accidental lounge mishaps.
The iPhone Universal Remote is now available in the UK – for full details and pictures, hop over to http://www.firebox.com/product/2683/iPhone-Universal-Remote
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May 1st, 2010 by FrequencyCast in Broadband, Digital TV, Podcast, Radio, iphone
The first of the month means a new episode of your favourite TV and Tech Podcast. FrequencyCast Show 51 is a bumper edition, looking at the following topics:
- News Updates: New iPhone details leaked, 3D TV is here, HD news and HomePlug hassle.
- Focus: How the rushed-through Digital Economy Act affects you, TV, radio and the Internet
- Hands-on: We get to go outside and play with a few sets of walkie talkies
- Your comments and questions on catch-up TV, MP3 players, ITV 1 HD and more
You can download Show 51 direct to your MP3 player or listen online at http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/latest.html.
If you have an iPod or iPhone, get shows faster by signing up via iTunes.
Links:
We hope you enjoy this packed show. If you like what you’ve heard, please spread the word…
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April 30th, 2010 by FrequencyCast in Technology, iphone
It crashes our devices, it’s a security risk, it eats batteries, it’s slow, it’s closed to third-parties, it’s poor on touch-screen devices, and it’s not needed. That’s why iPhone users won’t be seeing Adobe’s Flash on their hardware any time soon, according to Apple.
For months, there’s been some ping-ponging between Adobe and Apple about the possibility of adding support for Flash to the iPhone, notably for the web browsing experience, where users will see only a placeholder when they hit a site that has some Flash content.
Apple boss Steve Jobs has just gone public with a full written reason why Flash is not suited to the iPhone platform, and it’s well worth a read. If you’re wondering why you can’t Flash on an iPhone, read “Thought on Flash“, posted yesterday on Apple’s site.
It’ll be interesting to see how Adobe responds to this tell-it-like-it is approach from Mr Jobs – We’re wondering if they’ll reply in the form of a Flash video that can’t be read by iPhoners. Watch this CyberSpace.
Any thoughts? Comments appreciated for our next tech podcast!
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March 18th, 2010 by FrequencyCast in Phones, Technology, iphone
Got a car and a smartphone? Your country needs you!
We’ve been trying out a rather nifty little application that has some serious potential… that’s if enough people get involved.
Waze is a social navigation application that’s available for a range of GPS-enabled smartphones including the iPhone, Android phones, Windows Mobile and Symbian OS devices.
Rather than your standard sat-nav app where you drive from A to B on a specified route, drive with this app, and the data gathered goes to build an accurate map of roads, junctions and average speeds. If you see a jam or a traffic cam, press a couple of buttons, and other drivers can see what’s going on in real-time.
A great idea, and it’s working well in the US, but over here, the road coverage is pretty thin. You can pick up points for “munching” your local roads, adding to the map and picking up bonus cupcakes… you have to try it to experience the full Waze proposition.
FrequencyCast is doing its bit – three of our team have the Waze app installed and have already added over 80 miles of new roads… and we’re urging our loyal listeners to get involved.
Get the app from your phone’s App Store (iPhone users: Waze in iTunes)
Come on gang… get driving!
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February 17th, 2010 by FrequencyCast in Freeview, iphone
Freeview has just launched an app for users of the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.
Before you get excited – it won’t let you watch Freeview from your iPhone – what it does provide, is a handy and fairly powerful TV listings service to see what’s on the 50 or so Freeview channels.
Easy-to-use, and with handy access to the Freeview Twitter feed for recommendations and news, this is a must – especially given that it’s a freebie!
The Freeview HD iPhone app is available now on the iTunes App Store
Update: Reviewed in our Feb 2010 Update – Listen to Update / Read Transcript
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January 27th, 2010 by FrequencyCast in Gadgets, Technology, iphone
The iPad is out. We’ve been listening to a flaky audio stream live from Apple’s Keynote speech to find out what’s new, and here’s what we can report:
The iPad:
It’s a 9.7 inch touchscreen tablet – think of it as an iPhone that’s two and a half times larger. It has a 10 hour battery life, comes in 16, 32 and 64 Gig versions and is wi-fi enabled – a 3G version will also be available. Price for the iPad starts from $499 in the US (converts to £310). An iBooks (eBook Reader app and store) will be available, as will iWork (Apple’s new wordprocessing, spreadsheet and presentations applications). It’ll run existing iPhone apps. Looks like this will be available in the UK sometime from June onwards…
Other Stuff?
Many were expecting an announcement of a new iPhone OS, expected to be iPhone OS4. Sadly, nothing.
Our thoughts
Looks like a nice piece of kit, and it’s bound to be a hit with many. A little larger than we were expecting, but thin and sexy, as with all of Apple’s stuff.
Interesting to see Apple’s dipping into the eBook market, and their iBooks store could be a big hit, as Apple’s bound to make book purchase as easy as App store. Also, with the Apple iPad being available for $499 for a colour touch screen, Sony Reader and Kindle will have a struggle competing.
It’s going to be available in the US “in 60 days”. The 3G element will mean it’ll be several months before we see these in the UK.
Thoughts?
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January 1st, 2010 by FrequencyCast in Freesat, Freeview, HD, Podcast, iphone
Happy New Year to all of our FrequencyCast listeners!
Show 47, the first show of 2010, has just been released for your listening pleasure.
In this show, we discuss all that’s new with digital TV and technology. Here’s what we cover in this show:
- News Updates: Project Canvas, Tesco iPhone, iPlayer on Freesat, Freeview HD and BT Vision boxes.
- Focus: New Year’s Resolution – Back up your data
- Your podline and email questions on Dave, Slingbox and the BBC iPlayer
You can download Show 47 direct to your MP3 player or listen online at http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/latest.html.
If you have an iPod or iPhone, get shows faster by signing up via iTunes.
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November 26th, 2009 by FrequencyCast in iphone
We reviewed the RedLaser iPhone application in our October Update. Be aware that the manufacturers have today released a new version, v2.50, which drastically reduces functionality for those of us in the UK. No more Google or Amazon results – instead, results from the Atlanta-based find.com service.
Take a look at the FileSaveAs news story RedLaser App Ruined for a screenshot of the differences between the new version and the original. There’s also a work-around to recover the old app for those unfortunate enough to have upgraded.
If you want to complain to the developers, try support.redlaser.com
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November 12th, 2009 by FrequencyCast in Digital Switchover, Podcast, iphone
We’ve just released one of our almost legendary audio updates.
A stack of TV and Tech news to cover, including:
- BBC slashes BBC HD bandwidth by 40%
- Channel 4 3D starts next week
- Welsh TV hits Manchester, plus a Switch update
- Happy Birthday to the Apple iPhone
- Ourkindofmusic ceases their kind of music
- Plus your emails
The show is attached to this blog entry, or you can listen at www.frequencycast.co.uk/update.html, or get us from the FrequencyCast Podcast page on iTunes.
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