iPhone 4S launch; a mixed bag

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AppId is over the quota
By Jason D. O'Grady | October 16, 2011, 9:14pm PDT

Summary: The iPhone 4S arrived in U.S. stores on Friday and people had a mixed bag of results with activations.

This year I wasn’t up for an iPhone upgrade, but my wife was. So she’s the lucky recipient of a new 32GB iPhone 4S (in white, natch) with a matching two-year agreement to match. She stayed with AT&T for a) grandfathered unlimited data and b) faster download speeds.

Rather than pre-order or wait in line, we just sauntered into the Apple Store in Atlantic City at around 4pm on Friday. When I called at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. all models of the iPhone 4S were in “limited supply” — Apple parlance for “in stock… but no guarantees” — so there was no rush. The Apple Store was packed but there wasn’t a line. The whole transaction took about 20 minutes and we activated her 4S in-store without a problem.

The best part was setting up the iPhone 4S from her iCloud backup using the Apple Store’s Wi-Fi connection. Although we didn’t wait for all of her apps to re-download, she was able to download her contacts and calendars while in-store. A message popped up stating that apps would be re-downloaded when the iPhone was back on Wi-Fi. A flawless experience overall.

Bob Fish, on the other hand, couldn’t get his pre-ordered iPhone 4S activated on Friday. Here’s the error message he got while trying to activate his 4S via iTunes:

After having no luck activating via iTunes he took his iPhone 4S to his local AT&T Store to ask if they could activate the phone and they said that they “got a message” to send everyone to the Apple Store to get their phones activated. Ultimately, he made the trek to his local Apple store where he sailed through the activation process using the in-store Wi-Fi connection.

Users on Twitter and this MacRumors discussion thread reported problems activating the iPhone 4S on AT&T on Friday when its servers apparently buckled under the heavy load of activations.

The iPhone 4S activation woes come on the heels of problems with Apple’s iOS 5 servers on Wednesday, which prevented many users from downloading, installing and restoring Apple’s latest mobile OS.

What was your experience like with the iPhone 4S? Any drama?

Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.

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He called Apple television five years ago, but it is a good idea?

By Jason D. O'Grady | October 25, 2011, 7: 18 pm PDT

Summary: has emerged the mythical Apple TV! A passage in the biography of Steve Jobs's Walter Isaacson has resurrected an old dinosaur of a rumor that I first broke in 2006.

There has been an increase in the rumors about the mythical Apple TV recently and a passage in the new biography of Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs has risen that old dinosaur of a rumor. In the work of the book told his biographer that he had cracked the mystery the saying of "integrated television":

I would like to create an integrated TV is completely easy to use. It could be perfectly synchronized with all devices and with iCloud. You will have the user interface more simple that you could imagine. He had finally cracked.

Jason Calacanis told CNet UK in October 2008 that "I knew first-hand that Apple was working on a television network." But more than two years before (January 06, 2006) he wrote about the PowerPage about how Apple could launch a television at the Macworld Expo 2006.

I wrote this post based on the edge of a nearby spring which had been reliable in the past. Of course the Apple TV fails published in MW06 (Apple released a Core Duo iMac and MBP15) but my contact was pretty sure about it.

Also, it is obviously not out yet, so saying "Call Me" could be a tad premature.

Analyst of Piper Jaffray Gene Munster has been beating the drum of the Apple TV a few months ago and recently wrote in a research note you can get to late 2012 or early 2013:

Service of Apple iCloud for storing media simplifies the own several Apple devices and share content between them. stores iCloud programs of television and photographs, but believe that Apple can add films. While a solution of TV in alive along with shows previously transmitted "recorded" in the cloud continues being an obstacle important, perhaps this code is precisely what believed positions of work has been "cracked. We also believe that Apple could use Siri, its voice recognition, technology of personal assistant to strengthen its offer of TV and make it easy to enter information like show titles or names of actor in a TV (usually with a remote control).

Bloomberg added fuel to the fire when reported Jeff Robbin Apple - the fame of the iPod and iTunes Music Store, is heading an effort to internal Apple TV. It seems that this story may have legs after all, five years later.

Despite getting an early point in a plasma of Apple, I don't think that it is a good move for the company. They simply don't want to have to remove a 50-my wall 60? TV when I want to upgrade in a year or two. It is better to have the smarts in an easily updatable table - which is for the current Apple TV.

I suppose that Apple could solve the problem through the construction of the "television" in a card that can be inserted into a slot on television (a bit like a CableCard, above), but it is a stretch at best.

Also, Apple already has a TV. Is called the iMac.

Is an Apple TV a good idea or bad idea?

Scale model of the Apple TV: Tabletis.com, firing of CableCard: ArsTechnica

Jason or ' Grady + is a journalist and writer specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile devices and your blog PowerPage has been publishing for more than 15 years.

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Only Verizon iPhones get live NFL access (Point VZW)

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AppId is over the quota
By Jason D. O'Grady | October 26, 2011, 7:52pm PDT

Summary: If you’re a fan of the NFL, your decision about what carrier to choose for your new iPhone 4S just got a lot easier. Go with Verizon Wireless if you want to watch NFL games on your device.

If you’re a fan of the National Football League, your decision about what carrier to choose for your new iPhone 4S just got a lot easier. It’s simple really, go with Verizon Wireless and download NFL Mobile from the App Store.

Verizon Wireless has a four-year exclusive contract with the National Football League – a deal the WSJ values at $720 million – making it the only mobile phone provider that can deliver live video from NFL games.

This means that if you want to watch NFL games on your iPhone you must be on the Verizon Wireless CDMA network (and in the U.S.). NFL Mobile is also available on the Android Market, but only to devices running on VZW.

iPhone users on Verizon Wireless can use the NFL Mobile app to watch every ESPN Monday Night Football, NBC Sunday Night Football & NFLN Thursday Night Football game. If that wasn’t enough, you can also watch every touchdown from every game live on NFL RedZone. It still doesn’t have live video from every game on Sunday afternoon (like Sunday Ticket, for example), but it’s amazingly slick to be able to catch the game while you’re mobile.

Although NFL Mobile is free on VZW’s 4G/LTE devices, the iPhone doesn’t qualify and a premium Verizon Video subscription is required ($3/day, $10/month) to access live in-game video.

One interesting aspect about the distribution of the NFL Mobile app is that Apple is filtering and restricting certain apps in the App Store by carrier. In other words, you can’t download the NFL Mobile app when accessing the App Store from an iPhone on AT&T (or other non-VZW carrier). Certain apps are only visible when visiting from certain carriers. (Could Android’s notorious fragmentation be creeping into iOS and the App Store?)

Only Verizon devices will carry the NFL, at least through 2014. While it’s bad news for iPad/iPhone users on AT&T, it’s great news if you’re on Verizon.

Updated with screenshots from the Monday night game on the iPhone 4S over 3G in the greater Philadelphia region:

Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.

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Tactical shopping with Black Friday apps for iOS

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AppId is over the quota
By Jason D. O'Grady | November 23, 2011, 12:01am PST

Summary: Here are the top iPhone apps for helping you make the most out of Black Friday.

I don’t like malls and I like them even less on the day after Thanksgiving — a.k.a. Black Friday.

The problem is that there are some Black Friday deals that are only available in the meat space, forcing millions of brave bargain hunters to camp out at dawn in front of big-box retailers. Adapting with the times many Black Friday deals are now available online, and before and after Friday, making bargain hunting even more complex.

If you fancy a tech gadget at a low price, there are Black Friday deals to be had. You just have to be smart and plan your shopping quest in advance or risk waiting in long lines or worse, not getting a deal that you did wait for.

Enter the iPhone. If you choose to take part in the madness here are some iOS apps can help you make the most out of Black Friday.

TGI Black Friday 2011 (iTunes, free) is one of my favorite BF iOS apps because it has lots of features (newest ads, popular deals, deals by store, deals by category and search) and its fast. You can search thousands of deals, create a personal shopping list and get push notifications.

BFAds.net Black Friday (iTunes, free) has early access to the season’s sale advertisements, offline mode and a large companion website — in addition to the requisite shopping features that you’d expect.

Others on my short list:

RedLaser - Scan any barcode and instantly comparison shop between online and offline stores.Amazon Deals - Lighting Deals appear hourly (but sell out fast).FastMall - If you have to go to the mall you might as well be a jedi.SaleLocator - Specials near you via GPS.Apple Store - This amazing app lets you shop Apple’s online and offline stores. Now with self-checkout! (see screenshot below)Lemon - Scan receipts with your iPhone camera to track purchases.Slice - Greps your email account and tracks purchases and shipping.Black Friday by Fat Wallet - Get push notifications when new ads are leaked.Black Friday Survival Guide - News and leaks in real-time.eBay - Some of the best deals are on eBay.and don’t forget to check out the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade app!

There are a ton of BF apps on the App Store but these stand out from the crowd. Do you have a favorite?

Photo: GoMo News

Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.

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My favorite iPad apps - Fall 2011 Edition

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AppId is over the quota
By Jason D. O'Grady | October 10, 2011, 12:01am PDT

Summary: A roundup of my favorite iPad apps de jour. I presented a few of these over the weekend at the Main Line Mac User Group but ran out of time. Here’s the full list.

I gave a talk at MLMUG on Saturday on iOS 5 and my favorite iPad apps. After I demo’d iOS 5 and my favorite feature: AirPlay video mirroring I only had enough time for the first four apps below. But, as promised, I’ve included a full list of my favorite iPad apps below.

Gallery: Top iPad apps available now - images and brief descriptions

Emerald Observatory ($0.99) — A desk clock that displays a wealth of astronomical data.

Solar Walk ($2.99) a stunning way to explore the Solar System and the Milky Way galaxy.

Star Walk ($4.99) A mind-blowing augmented reality app for astronomy. Just point your iPad into the night sky and see a live map of the constellations above. Star Walk is one of my all-time favorite iPad apps. Period.

Planetary (free) — Creates a beautiful 3D universe from your music library that you can fly through. Artists are stars and albums are planets and tracks are moons. Touch an artist’s star to “fly in” closer where you’ll see their albums as orbiting planets. Touch an album to fly into the planet and you’ll see its tracks orbiting as moons. Load up your iPad with a bunch of classic rock discographies (Stones, Beatles, Zeppelin, whatever) and prepare to have you mind blown!

Following are a list of my favorite iPad apps that I didn’t have time to present on Saturday (although a few were demo’d at lunch afterward):

Games

News/Weather

Productivity

Painting/Drawing

Books/Magazines

Video/Entertainment

Apple’s Music & Videos apps - for movies, TV, audiobooks, podcasts, etc.HBO Go (free for subscribers)XFINITY TV (free for subs)TiVo (free, only works with Premiere TiVo hardware)

Music

What of your favorite iPad apps did I miss?

Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.

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Chart: Mobile OS update frequency (spoiler: iOS trounces)

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Jason D. O'Grady+ developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984.

He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.

After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.

O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).

When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey.

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iTunes Movie Trailers for iOS puts HD trailers in your pocket

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Jason D. O'Grady+ developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984.

He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.

After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.

O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).

When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey.

View the original article here