T-Mobile will have 10 LTE devices and iPhone-compatible 4G network by 2014

10 LTE devices and its 4G network will be compatible with a future T-Mo-branded iPhone by the end of 2013 by T-Mobile, chief technology officer Neville Ray said at the carrier’s Challenger Strategy conference call. T-Mobile’s CTO said the carrier will cover 50 major markets with its upcoming LTE network and detailed plans about managing spectrum to best serve the needs of more intensive data networks.

“Our 4G network will be compatible with a broader range of devices, including the iPhone” Ray said. Now, this is a clear reference to a 4G iPhone, unless Ray considers the current HSPA+ compliant iPhone as 4G, something Apple has never done. It seems though that T-Mobile's CTO is referring to the roll-out of HSPA+ 3G and 4G services in the 1900MHz range, which the iPhone is compliant with. This is a huge $4 billion investment by the fourth-largest US mobile operator.

The big problem with the iPhone on T-Mobile is the awkward AWS bands that the carrier’s 3G runs on. The iPhone currently doesn’t support them and remains limited to slow EDGE data transfers. Theoretically, T-Mobile’s LTE network will deliver up to 72Mbps, but we expect the realities to match those of the current LTE networks. That would mean download speeds of between 5Mbpas and 12Mbps.

4G network test: Verizon 4G LTE vs Sprint 4G Wimax vs T-Mobile 4G HSPA+:

Android apps too expensive, cost more than double those on iOS

A study by Canalys concluded reports that Android apps are too expensive, The researcher looked at apps on the Android Market and found that in general they cost 2.5 times those on the more mature iOS where fierce competition drives prices down.

On the Android Market the top 100 applications will set you back $374.37, or an average of $3.74 per app, while on the App Store you can get the top 100 apps for $147, or a measly $1.47 apiece. That's means Android apps are nearly 2.5 times more expensive.

Canalys reasons that there are two main reasons behind this:
1. Apple has a more mature, more competitive environment, forcing developers to lower the prices of their creations.
2. Android users aren’t that prone to spending money on apps. Thus, developers are trying to reap the most of what customers are already buying.

We could also add another speculation by saying that in general Android users are considered geekier, more of power users, so they are willing to pay more for more advanced apps. Interestingly, the top 100 titles on both markets differ hugely - there are only 19 repeating titles. Most common bestsellers like Where’s My Water (currently holding the number one spot on both App Stores), Cut the Rope and Fruit Ninja are priced equally, but other titles like Monopoly cost five times more on the Android Market.

Feel free to dive in the links below and make the comparison yourself, and let us know your thoughts whether that conclusion is valid for the whole of the Android Market and the App Store.

Does Apple allow apps to steal your address book?

You might have never heard about Path - and that probably is not a huge omission. What you should know, though, is that the application would access and basically steal your whole address book and upload it to its own servers. And yes - the very same address book with all of your contacts and their information. It’s not just about Path - it’s about Apple and iOS in general.

So basically, in this case, Apple seems to go with the quiet, ludicrous assumption that it’s okay for applications to be able to access your whole contact list. Moreover, this has somehow flown under the news radar for a while. Some of the apps even brag about having Mark Zuckerberg’s and Bill Gates’ phone numbers. In the case of Path, which blew up the scandal, the app that is the gateway for a social network for closer friends, would suggest you contacts by just picking data from your own address book.

Curtis argues that in a competitive environment like the App Store any opportunity to have wider exposure is used by developers. The address book falls into that category - some programmers seem to think that they can even use this information to better place their apps. And it’s really something that developers should also be blamed for, but on the flipside of things, if Apple allows it. The big problem is Apple which makes it very, very easy to get access to address book data. That’s strange because all other parts of iOS seem heavily protected. Applications can’t even access pictures from your camera roll and location is also well guarded.

German court denies Apple an injunction on the Galaxy Tab 10.1N

A court in Dusseldorf, Germany has determined that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N can be continue to be sold in that country while Apple’s lawsuit heads for trial. Apple had hoped to prevent sales of the device until a permanent ruling was available (which Apple hopes would lead to a permanent sales ban).

The court determined that the 10.1N is distinct enough that consumers were unlikely to confuse it with Apple’s tablets, so it does not infringe on Apple’s EU design patents (referred to as Community Design patents in Europe). This and similar rulings call into question whether design patents will prove to be a significant asset in Apple’s legal attacks on Android phone makers.

Apple will get a chance to make its case during trial, and it’s not inconceivable that Apple could end up winning on one or more of their design patents, but at this point it seems like more of a long shot than it did back when Apple got a preliminary injunction on the original Galaxy Tab 10.1. It also shows that the time and resources Samsung invested on the 10.1N redesign was money well spent.

It also bodes well for Motorola (soon to be Googerola) as Apple is asserting the same design patents against some MMI products – despite the fact that Motorola’s phones and tablets are almost universally considered to be more distinctive from Apple’s products then are Samsung’s.

Siri, how come you are the star of the two new Apple iPhone 4S ads?

The two latest ads for the Apple iPhone 4S have something in common. Both star Siri, the voice-activated personal assistant. The first spot shows how Siri can come in handy during a road trip, which coincidentally is the name of the ad. Siri can help you with directions, find a place to eat, and tell you which gas stations are within walking distance.

The second ad shows a young man starting a new band. He enlists the help of Siri to find a place to buy a guitar, learn the chords to a couple of songs including "London Calling" by The Clash. Siri also shows the kid how to play a Bm9, and puts a possible name for the band, "Migraine Headache" on a list. The kid has his personal assistant send an email to a pair of his groupies to tell them that his band will be playing the garage that night. Lastly, this poor deluded kid asks Siri to address him as "Rock God" and Siri says she will comply.

If you were wondering how Siri responded so quickly to the questions in the commercials, when in real life you find yourself waiting endlessly for a response, it is all done through the magic of television. In the fine print at the end of the ad, you might have caught the phrase "sequences shortened".

Apple - iPhone 4S - TV Ad - Road Trip:

Apple - iPhone 4S - TV Ad - Rock God:

G-Form's cases make your iPhone hockey puck tough

G-Form’s extreme protection cases have already deserved our attention - a G-Form-clad iPad literally fell from space and survived the fall, and that’s just enough testing for us. G-Form’s got you covered there as well with a case that will survive the role of a hockey puck.

How about getting hit with a slapshot sending your iPhone 4/4S flying with a speed of 82mph? There are two cases that offer this kind of protection and both come with G-Form’s own Poron XRD substance that will soften up hits. There are two cases that use the technology: X Protect and Extreme Grid. Both of them cost $40, which is a bit more than a hockey puck.

iPhone Survives 82 mph Slapshot:

Atari Arcade hands-on

Today's modern gamer can quickly be enveloped by some of the 3D intensive titles out there, but for those who are more akin to those titles from yesterday, they'll soak in a good amount of nostalgia thanks to this fitting accessory that brings back a solid dose of nostalgia. Remember some of those old school Atari arcades from back in the day? Well, if you certainly remember them, the Atari Arcade is here to reinvigorate those stagnant memories of yesterday when gaming as we know it, was still in its infancy.

For $69.99 and the aid of your supplied iPad (first or second-generation), the Atari Arcade provides that arcade like feel thanks to its ample sized joystick and accompanying four buttons. Not surprisingly, we're tickled by the fact that we're introduced to that arcade like experience, but it tends to become a bit unstable as we're mashing away at its buttons and joystick. Yes, the Atari Arcade locks the iPad 2 into position and hinges it on an angle, but at times, it feels as though it can come off with enough applied pressure. Moreover, as much as we'd like to play with this thing in our lap, it's best to place it on a level surface to withstand the momentum of our rigorous movements. Nevertheless, this is an essential item you'll want to pick up if you want to relive the experience – without having to fork over your life savings to pick up some of these collector's arcade systems yourself.

Everything about this all-plastic accessory pays homage to those giant-sized arcade systems from the past, but its true worth is found with the free download of the Atari Greatest Hits app for the iPad. Initially, you get Missile Commander for free by simply downloading the free app, but if you want to play some other titles, even ones for the Atari 2600, you'll need to spend some dough on them. Luckily, you can pick up 25 separate packs for a mere 99 cents, but if you're really hardcore, we'd suggest plopping down $9.99 to pick up all 100 titles that are available.

Atari Arcade hands-on:

iPhone 4S Now Available In Over 21 Countries

The iPhone 4S is now available in more than 21 countries and in this post we are going to look at the sky high prices that are being charged for this latest Apple device. Fans of the iPhone can now buy the brand new iPhone 4S in more than 21 countries across the world. This comes after Apple made the handset available to new territories last week.

The 21 new countries now offering the iPhone 4S either through Apple’s own online stores or through carrier parties are: Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.

Brazil is the country where buyers will have to fork out the most cash and the reason for this is the huge import tax that is being placed on devices such as smartphones. The price of the iPhone 4S through Apple’s Brazilian online store starts at the equivalent of $1410 for the 16GB model and goes up to $1845 for the 64GB model. In the US people are paying $649 for the 16GB and $849 for the 64GB unit. This is a massive price difference and hopefully the decision to build some of Apple’s inventory in Brazil itself will help to reduce the costs.

People in Russia are paying really high prices too and these work out at $1131 to 41350 which again is a big difference when compared with American prices. If you live in any of these additional 21 countries you had better be prepared to hand over a great deal more if you want to own an iPhone 4S. With these prices it just goes to show that the iPhone 4S is not as expensive in the US as people might think.

Full Review: iPhone 4S:

iOS 5 Beta 3 Includes More iPad 3 And Facebook Integration References

No matter when Apple releases a new beta version of their iOS some clever people go snooping to see what they can find hidden inside. The latest beta version iOS 5.1 beta 3 seems to be no different and this time two new iPad references have been discovered again. Two new code names, J1AP and J2AP have been discovered in the latest beta release which appear to link with recent reports that suggest the iPad 3 is being developed under the J1 and J2 names. It is presumed that one of these is the Wi-Fi only version and the other will also have a 3G radio.

Apple has always been known to test new hardware using the latest betas of the newest iOS whilst adding new features that are due to debut with the hardware. The betas that were released for iOS 5 has reference to Siri and voice dictation which are two new features that came with the iPhone 4S release.

Apple is working on an iPad 3 we all know that very well and if they follow their existing release cycle then we should expect to hear about a possible announcement within the next three months. Another new feature to be spotted in the latest beta release of iOS 5.1 is an old one that never made it into the shipping version of iOS 5 and this is the Facebook integration which is similar to the Twitter integration that we have today. This was supposed to be part of the iOS 5 release but apparently Apple and Facebook couldn't reach an agreement. It looks as though this feature could be back but whether it comes with the shipped version of iOS 5.1 still remains a mystery.

iOS 5 Hands-on: Major Features:

Apple Planning Media Event For iPad 3 And iOS 5.1 In February

Most people already know that that iPad 3 can't be very far away especially if Apple is to follow their usual release schedule. A new report has suggested that we might only have to wait a couple of weeks though rather than months for this big announcement.

Japanese website Macotakara has cited sources that claim Apple is set to announce their next generation iPad sooner rather than later. It looks as if a release date for sometime during March is to be expected and an announcement is due to come towards the end of February. This time scale seems to fit in with all the reports that the new iPad 3 is being produced and will likely reach capacity during the coming weeks.

With the next iPad rumors now in full circulation the real questions remaining for many are about the hardware specifications that will be released. Many are wondering if Apple will bring LTE to the new iPad. This may not happen considering that this technology is still in its infancy so we might have to wait a little longer for this. A quad core A6 CPU is looking likely but there is a debate about whether so much power will be required.

The most talked about feature of the new iPad 3 is a retina display especially after its rapid acceptance in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Apple is also expected to announce the final build of iOS 5.1 for all iOS devices which is also going to bring Siri dictation to the iPad.

iPad 3 rumors, Apple media event, 2012 product predictions, and more:

Apple OLED TV set to launch in April or May, Siri and iOS on-board

Apple TV rumors have been flying around the Internet for some time now, but most of them were based either on wishlists or on blind speculations.

This one, however, seems more on terms with reality, as Technobuffalo claims it has spoken with a “high-ranking source with a major electronics retailer”. He says that we should expect to see to see an Apple TV in flesh around April or May “at the latest”.

According to the source of the rumor, they’ve seen “gorgeous, very thin” pre-production TV units up to 42-inches in diameter with OLED panels. It’s all good and dandy, but I feel quite skeptical about the size of the rumored future Apple TV set.

As you might remember, LG and Samsung announced a 55-inch Smart TV sets at the last CES and I don’t think Apple will let it’s first TV be that much behind the competition. Remember, this is TVs we are talking and not smartphones, so the bigger the screen size, the better. At least in my opinion that is.

And, actually, according to Technobuffalo’s source, that’s why Apple has been delaying the purported Apple TV. The company wants to jam-pack the product with killer features in order to compensate the smaller screen. Another possible benefit of the 42″ OLED panel is that it is cheaper to manufacture than the 55″ ones. This will keep the price down, compared to the LG and Samsung alternatives.

Naturally, the expected Apple TV will run some variation of Apple’s iOS, with Siri obliging your every wish. Not only that, but there’s also going to be a face recognition feature, which will put the TV into power-sleep mode if you’re not in the same room.

So here’s what Apple has been (Tim) Cook-ing up – an iPad 3 in late February / early March, an Apple TV in late April / early May and an iPhone 5 in early October. It’s sure going to be an interesting year for Apple.