iPad 3 release date brings millions in inventory after iPad 2 fiasco

by Bill Palmer

When the iPad 3 sees its release date in 2012 it’s set to arrive in large quantities, standing in sharp contrast to this past spring’s comparatively phantom-esque iPad 2 launch. Scattered reports are putting initial inventory at two million units for the iPad 3, which according to Apple’s traditional iPad release calendar should seen introduction in February and an actual release date sometime in March. The news of the initial iPad 3 unit abundance should come as a relief to those who are looking forward to Apple’s next generation tablet but are leery of getting in line for one after the iPad 2 launch day fiasco. For reasons never explained, Apple’s initial iPad 2 inventory was so feint that it didn’t bother with online preorders, instead kicking what little inventory it did have to retail stores for the launch. It wasn’t nearly enough. Would-be buyers waited in line for hours, only to find that some Apple Stores had no more than a couple hundred units each, with some third party iPad retailers having literally single digit inventory when they opened their doors on launch day. It was a repeat of the iPhone 4 initial inventory fiasco from nine months prior, only more so. Now the hope is that the iPad 3 will arrive in abundance as rumored. And in at least some sense, the iPad 2 inventory fiasco gives hope that the iPad 3 could be revolutionary new product…

The iPad 2, with its similar-yet-slimmed body style to the original iPad, had no real reason to arrive in such light quantities in its own right. One popular theory says that the iPad 2 was supposed to be a revolutionary new tablet design, leaving the original in the dust, but that it ended up being not quite ready. Apple then sent a less ambition “iPad 2″ revamp into production at the last minute, and looking to keep its March release date intact, launched the revised new tablet before sufficient inventory could be manufactured. If any of it’s true (and it’s the most apt theory to surface that far for connecting the unusual pieces), then Apple was within inches of being able to launch a radical iPad redesign last March. Give the company an extra year of development from March 2011 to March 2012, and the iPad 3 could represent two years worth of internal advancements. That’s if Apple can pull it all off, and if it can manufacture enough iPad 3 units so that the release date is more about “Gee whiz, this is cool” and not so much about “Gee whiz, they ran out already?” Here’s more on the iPad 3.

iPhone 4S, iOS 5 release date means magic but no Siri on iPhone 4, 3GS

by Bill Palmer

Only buyers of the new iPhone 4S get the Siri voice assistant feature of iOS 5, but those who stay home and download iOS 5 for their iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS will get the rest of the new features two days sooner. The 4S hits stores on October 14th, keeping with Apple’s tradition of Friday major retail launches. But the download version of iOS 5, a free gift from Apple to users of third and fourth generation iPhones, will surface online two days earlier on October 12th. As is the case with installing any new operating system on any piece of older slower hardware, some iOS 5 features will run more slowly on the iPhone 4 and especially the iPhone 3GS than they will on the new iPhone 4S which sports a significantly faster dual core processor. Only two headlining iOS 5 features, AirPlay Mirroring and Siri, require so much computing horsepower that they’ll only run on the latest iPhone and not the previous iterations. Of the two, only Siri will be widely missed…

Each new iPhone generation has its own “killer” feature around which Apple shapes its marketing campaign. For the iPhone 3G it was 3G networking, For the iPhone 4 it was FaceTime. For the iPhone 3GS it was… well, we’ll get back to you on that if we ever figure out what the 3GS was all about (we were merely jesting here, but several readers have accurately pointed out that the 3GS introduced both video and the compass to the iPhone timeline, for whatever it’s worth). But this time it’s unmistakably Siri for the iPhone 4S. Voice commands are nothing new, but they’ve long tended to be either overly simplistic or overly obtuse. Siri, based on the demos, puts a nearly human face on voice recognition. It also requires significant processing power to calculate in real time what it is the user it referring to and then come up with an appropriate answer or action. The iPhone 4 and 3GS, simply put, can’t do that. Apple is banking that despite all of the rest of the iOS 5 magic being given away to those users for free, the lack of Siri will drive at least some of them to end up buying an iPhone 4S after all. We’ll find out starting next week, as iOS 5 lands on Wednesday and the iPhone 4S with iOS 5 preinstalled hits stores on Friday. iPhone 4 and 3GS users, which way are you leaning on the iPhone 4S? Share your comments below.

Updated 2:20am PST with additional information on the iPhone 3GS

Flagship iPhone 5 worldwide, Sprint+China iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 remains

by Johnny Major

Apple gears up to turn the iPhone lineup into a trio headlined by the new iPhone 5 along with some familiar faces both vaguely and acutely. The report from JP Morgan places the iPhone 5 as Apple’s new high end flagship smartphone along with two bargain models. The current iPhone 4 will remain in place as Apple’s low-end offering in the U.S. and various other regions, while the iPhone 4S will focus primarily on the China market. This would mark the first time Apple has had three different iPhone models on the market simultaneously. The analyst refers to the 4S as being a “four-plus” instead, although it’s not clear whether he believes that could be the official product name or whether he’s merely referring to it in that manner by means of differentiation from the existing iPhone 4. The report, while no more assured than any other outside third party claims regarding Apple’s yet to be announced iPhone 5 strategy, is intriguing in that it has Apple running the gamut in terms of iPhone pricing and feature set…

The iPhone 5 will by default include all of the new iPhone features which Apple brings to market: if 4G LTE, a faster A5 processor, and a larger screen are in the cards, for instance, the 5 will be the only one assured of gaining them all. The iPhone 4S would then be the mid-range model, or what gas stations like to call unleaded-plus: for those who can’t afford the top shelf but want more than the bargain bin has to offer. The 4S would presumably come in the existing iPhone 4 form factor, with the only external change being a possible stretching of the screen to the device’s absolute edges, which would add a couple of millimeters. That wouldn’t preclude internal improvements for the 4S, including the A5 and LTE features. But for the 4S to gain those features, the iPhone 5 would need to have a feature set immediately and demonstrably superior to the 4S overall in order to justify its flagship status and higher price. More curious in the JP Morgan analysis, as reported by The Mac Observer, is the assertion that the existing iPhone 4 is set to stick around for another year…

The widespread assumption has been that if the iPhone 4S comes to market then the iPhone 4 will be retired, or the opposite, one or the other. The notion of both the 4 and 4S coexisting on the market at the same time, both playing varying budget roles amid the iPhone 5 launch, is a new one. The 4S focus on the China market would point to compatibility reasons, with the new iPhone 5 perhaps not set to be compatible with some Chinese carriers. However, the 4S could also come into play in the U.S. when it comes to carriers such as Sprint and T-Mobile, whose networks are not compatible with either the Verizon or AT&T iteration of the current iPhone 4…

That could leave the iPhone 4S as a “world phone” model for use on carriers around the globe for whom the iPhone 4 isn’t physically compatible. That, however, begs the question of why Apple would keep the iPhone 4 around at all, as it can only talk to certain networks and is now fifteen months old. In other words, why not merely kill off the iPhone 4 and replace it with the iPhone 4S on the low end worldwide? This seeming hiccup in logic casts some doubt on the Morgan report, as it’s not clear why Apple would opt to keep both the 4 and the 4S in play. But that goes back to this being a third party report, no more steeped in inside knowledge than any other theory as to the specifics of the upcoming iPhone 5 launch. Here’s more on the iPhone 5.

iPhone 5 release date imminent hints Sprint CFO, plus budget iPhone 4S

by Bill Palmer

Like a cat which keeps peeking out of the bag, Sprint is a bit too excited about the fact that it’s landed the iPhone 5 in time for the device’s release date. This time it’s Sprint’s CEO popping out of the bag to once again confirm that the iPhone 5 is in the bag with him, and dropping hints that it’ll be paired with a low-cost iPhone 4S to replace the current Verizon-AT&T segretated iPhone 4, which will place short term pressure on the carrier’s margins even as he makes clear that the release date is a mere stone’s throw away…

Sprint, which would have been the last major U.S. carrier not to have the iPhone with T-Mobile on the selling block while AT&T and Verizon already have it, has already been leaving a trail of evidence that it’ll share in the iPhone 5 pie. Sprint workers have been caught installing signal booster equipment around Apple Stores so as to ensure the iPhone 5 gets an ample Sprint signal when would-be buyers are making a decision on which carrier to go with. Sprint has also apparently informed Best Buy that it’ll carry the iPhone 5, with the retailer having accidentally leaked to its employees that a Sprint iPhone 5 is coming. But about that iPhone 5 release date, the grand prize among unknown iPhone 5 details…

Sprint has repeatedly pointed to the iPhone 5 arriving within the next month. The signal boosting wouldn’t have been done in such haste if the iPhone 5 weren’t about to pop out of the cake. The Best Buy leak pointed to a Sprint iPhone 5 the first week of October. And now Sprint’s CFO, simply by opening his mouth about the iPhone 5, is tacitly admitting that it’s around the corner for all carriers. If the iPhone 5 were still off in the distance, Sprint execs wouldn’t be talking about it; by admitting that there will be a Sprint iPhone 5, the carrier is hurting sales of its existing smartphones in the mean time, and it knows that. So how does the iPhone 4S play into all of this?

If Apple were merely releasing an iPhone 4S and nothing else, it would have happened months ago. The release date delay alone confirms that a redesigned iPhone 5 will be the company’s new flagship smartphone. But there’s been little evidence to suggest that a lower cost iPhone 4S will appear alongside it, taking the place of the existing iPhone 4 on the bargain end. However, Sprint’s comments regarding the iPhone offering lower margins for the carrier point an iPhone 4S happening after all, and a cheap one at that. Furthermore, Sprint is banking on the 4S selling well enough to impact margins in spite of the higher margin iPhone 5. But as the CFO pointed out, iPhone users tend to be so satisfied with their device that they stick with the platform for generations to come, thus ensuring that Sprint customers remain loyal to Sprint rather than blaming the carrier for selling them a disappointing phone and jumping to Verizon or AT&T, which has been taking place with Sprint’s Android line for the past couple years. Here’s more on iPhone 5.

Touchdown: iPhone 5 release date here as Best Buy sets iPhone 4 free

by Johnny Major

Here’s how close the iPhone 5 release date is to being a reality: Best Buy is giving older iPhones away, and Apple is allowing it. Actually, you missed it: the free iPhone-a-thon (with two year contract, naturally) was yesterday and it was only for the aging 3GS, with the flagship iPhone 4 still (for now) mostly holding its flagship price points. But the desire on the part of Apple to dump the inventory of the circa-2009 iPhone, which is still around as the bargain-bin model for now, to the point of actually invoking the word “free” shows just how close the iPhone 5 is. Apple had previously allowed AT&T to blow out refurbished iPhone models for nine dollars, but this represents the first Apple-approved foray into “free iPhone” territory. It’s a byproduct both of the increasing commoditization of the overall smartphone market and of the continued iPhone 5 delays, which have the iPhone 4 still in pole position for far longer than was expected or apparently intended. And it could be a sign of things to come, not just in terms of model numbers but their price tags as well.

Whether the iPhone 4 survives past the release date of the iPhone 5 is still up in the air. Apple can opt to keep the 4 around as the new bargain-bin model, pricing it at $99 or $49 in contrast to the $199 entry price point of the iPhone 5. Or Apple could decide that the iPhone 4, which has been around for nearly fifteen months, has seen three incarnations in the original AT&T iPhone 4, later Verizon iPhone 4, and bonus-time white iPhone 4, has seen its day come and go. Both the Verizon and AT&T variants of the iPhone 4 could bite the dust in favor of a lower-end iPhone 5 variant, resulting in an all-5 iPhone lineup spanning the price range from $299 to $199 to – dare we say it – free. There’s nothing to stop Apple from offering either the iPhone 4 or a new baby-spec iPhone 5 as a free-with-contract option, so long as it can recoup the cost from the carrier through the course of the contract…

Whether Apple sets the iPhone 5 free with a “free” price tag, or does the same with the iPhone 4, or opts to keep dollar signs assigned to all of the various iPhone models once the iPhone 5 era begins, one thing is clear: the fact that Best Buy was seen giving away the 3GS today means that Apple and retailers want that model gone sooner than later, cleared out of inventory so as to make room for whatever takes its place. That means that the iPhone 5 release date is tantalizingly close. It also means that Apple is, at least for the moment, willing to allow the words “iPhone” and “free” to appear in the same sentence. It’s a trend worth watching as the iPhone 5 faces competing Android-based phones with a zero dollar price tag, particularly with Apple in position to recoup any free iPhone deals via methods ranging from carrier compensation to App Store sales and beyond. Here’s more on the iPhone 5.

Samsung Galaxy S2 copycats iPhone 4 even more than Tab 10.1 does iPad

by Timmy Falcon

It’s a Samsung smartphone. No, it’s the iPhone 4. No wait, maybe it’s a Samsung iPhone. As it turns out, you had it right the first time when it comes to the new Samsung Galaxy S2, although your eyes (and courts around the world) will tell you it looks too much like an Apple product to be bearing the Samsung logo. The release date for the Galaxy S2 marks the most blatant infringement on Apple products yet on the part of Samsung, which is already in deep dark hot water over its Galaxy Tab lineup. Even as Samsung was manufacturing components for Apple’s iPad, it was simultaneously designing its own Android-based tablet which, from more than a foot away with the screen turned off, was all but undistinguishable from Apple’s iPad design. The lawsuits began swiftly, but have taken this long to play out. The verdict: so far, courts are ruling that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 must be yanked from shelves while Samsung either redesigns the product with an original design or exits the tablet market entirely. But now here comes the Galaxy S2, and all you need to do is glance at Samsung’s splash screen for the product in order to figure out what the courts will end up doing with the S2.

But Samsung (along with other Android-based manufacturers like HTC) appears to be playing the game of selling as many blatant copycat units as it can before the legal process brings hell to pay, taking advantage of consumer confusion over nearly identical-looking products in the mean time. “Hey look, Samsung makes the iPad too, look at this model! And it’s a bit cheaper as well!” Not until consumers get the product home and find that it’s instead running a mobile variant of the geek hobbyist platform Linux known as Android, with no access to Apple’s consumer-leaning iTunes or overwhelmingly popular App Store, do they realize that they’ve been bait and switched. But even as Apple is finally succeeding in getting the stolen Galaxy Tab products removed from the market (after millions of consumers mistakenly thought they were buying an iPad), the company is now preparing to do the same with its new Galaxy S2 phone. Short of the “Samsung” logo at the top and the rounded rectangular “home” button near the bottom as opposed to Apple’s circular home button, the S2 is essentially indistinguishable from the iPhone 4 in photographs. And what’s shocking is that Samsung appears to be trying to flaunt it…

If Samsung were simply looking to quietly float the Galaxy S2 out there in the hopes of selling millions of units to confused would-be iPhone 4 buyers before the legal system gets it yanked from shelves, it could be playing down the differences. Instead the photography on Samsung’s site appears to be trying to make the S2 look as much like the iPhone 4 as possible. Rather than turning the S2 sideways a bit so that its slightly different sides could be accentuated, making it clear that the S2 is its own product, Samsung instead has the product positioned so that it looks exactly like the iPhone 4 in pictures.

This kind of flaunting behavior won’t go over well with the courts. But Samsung is apparently gambling that that won’t happen until 2012 or 2013, by which time it’ll have stolen millions of sales using a stolen design, cheating millions of duped consumers out of the product they thought they were buying in the process. Hey, it worked with the Galaxy Tab. It’s no wonder, then, that reports reveal some Android-based products to have as high as thirty to forty percent return rates, as customers quickly figure out the “Samsung iPhone” or “Samsung iPad” they just bought wasn’t what they were led to believe. Other data shows that more than half of all current Android users plan to buy something else next time around, with the vast majority of the defectors specifically identifying Apple’s next iPhone, due out this fall, as their next phone. If time spent on a “fake iPhone” or “fake iPad” is driving that many disgusted Samsung customers to become former Samsung customers, with them deciding that this time they’ll make sure they buy the real thing instead, perhaps it’s not such a bad thing for Apple after all. But that hasn’t stopped Apple from attempting to drop the hammer on these thieves in courts around the world. Samsung’s stolen tablet line is in danger of vanishing from existence. Now it’s a waiting game to see how swiftly its stolen phone product known as the Galaxy S2 suffers the same fate…

In the mean time, Android OS developer Google has purchased Motorola, the only major Android hardware vendor which hasn’t (yet) been sued by Apple for hardware design theft, in order to ensure that at least one brand of Android-based phones and tablets remains on the market. After a couple years of stealing hardware designs and waiting for the law to catch up with it, Samsung (and HTC with it) is now seeing its biggest ally moving on with in-house hardware designs. Without that ally, it begs the question of just how much longer Samsung will want to play the cat-and-mouse game of stealing Apple hardware designs and loading them up with the Android OS instead. The extent of the punitive damages finally levied on Samsung by courts and governments around the world may ultimately be the deciding factor as the vendor must choose whether it’s a scam worth continuing to execute.

Break: iPhone 5 release date brings 5 reasons for iPhone 4 era to end

The release date of the iPhone 5 would traditionally bring with the re-filing of the iPhone 4 to bargain bin status, as Apple has done with the outgoing iPhone model for each of the past few generations. But it’s time for the iPhone 4 era to go away entirely, fun as it was, as the arrival of the iPhone 5 should bring with it a lineup whose pricing and positioning means the iPhone 5 can occupy the entire range – and the iPhone 4 can recede into the past. Here are five reasons why the iPhone 5 release date should also mean the discontinuation of the iPhone 4 altogether.

Overdue and warmed over: Unlike other iPhones which were around for twelve months or so, the iPhone 4 is looking like it’ll get about fifteen. That’s long enough. Add in the fact that there have essentially been three iPhone 4 eras (original, Verizon iPhone 4, white iPhone 4), and that’s enough for one product. It doesn’t need to be around for twenty-seven months by playing sidekick to the iPhone 5; the iPhone 4 motif has been overused already.

Currentness: Apple will want you to buy an iPhone 5 in the iPhone 5 era, even if the iPhone 4 is still there as a cheaper model. But Apple’s bigger goal should be getting you to an iPhone at all – and peddling a 2010-launched product in late 2011 and 2012 is just not good business strategy in the face of competition from all sides. Rather than asking customers to pay two hundred bucks and up for the current iPhone 5 or settle for last year’s iPhone for under hundred, why not make it a win-win by offering iPhone 5 models at one, two, and three hundred dollars – and then differentiating the latter two with more than mere capacity boosts so customers will be tempted to upsell themselves.

Controversy: You’ll never find any mainstream iPhone 4 users who had any actual difficulties with their reception due to antenna-related issues. But once the geeks conspired to concoct an “iPhone 4 antenna issue” which could be hypothetically recreated for demonstration purposes despite having zero real world impact, the reptutational impact was done. Apple gave these clowns free cases to shut them up (and it worked), but there are still unwitting consumers who keep asking whether Apple has “fixed the antenna issue” so they can finally buy one. Apple would do well to simply put the iPhone 4 to bed entirely, as the simple fact that the iPhone 4 is gone will lead confused folks to believe that the “iPhone 4 antenna issue” died with it.

Fracture: It sounds an awful lot like the iPhone 5 will be a single hybrid model which works across all networks and carriers. If so, keeping around two different incompatible iPhone 4 models for AT&T and Verizon will only add confusion to the mix. Additionally, if Sprint and T-Mobile are to be a part of the iPhone 5 era, they’d be shut out of the iPhone 4 (just as Verizon is shut out of the iPhone 3GS now). Easier to shut down all the various iPhone 4 models and make a clean, fully compatible, unified fresh start with iPhone 5 models across the board.

Power: If Apple really wants third party app developers to work on taking advantage of the power of the A5 processor in the iPhone 5, it can start by not putting any more A4-powered iPhone 4 units on the market. By employing A5 across its lineup this fall, Apple can increase the percentage of iPhones in use which have an A5, thereby motivating developers to get around to coding for the A5 sooner. Here’s more on iPhone 5.

The Glif for iPhone 4: Beatweek Best of Show at Macworld 2011

It’s a steadying stand for mounting an iPhone 4 on a third party tripod. No wait, it’s an impossibly simple piece of ruggedized rubber which works as a keychain-portable stand for your iPhone. Actually, it’s both. We don’t know what a “Glif” is, but we know this product will come in handy for iPhone users on the go – particularly those who do use a tripod now and then.

CES 2011: OtterBox Reflex iPhone 4 case splits difference in protection

OtterBox, best known for its overly protective cases, has split the difference with its new Reflex case for iPhone. Positioned in between the company’s existing Impact (heavy protection) and Commuter (slim protection), the Reflex offers a moderate level of rubberized protection without being overly thick. Highlights include the reinforced corners (where most drop impact occurs) and choices of color combinations. The OtterBox Reflex for iPhone 4 is expected at $44.

Mophie Juice Pack Plus Battery Case for iPhone 4: review

by Bill Palmer

Mophie’s earlier Juice Pack Air for iPhone 4 was easily the most well designed iPhone battery case to ever come to market. But its 1500 mAh battery, which was enough to come close to but not quite double the battery life of a fully charged iPhone 4, was fairly average. So here comes the Mophie Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 4, which costs twenty-five percent more but comes equipped with thirty-three percent more juice. With its 2000 mAh, the Plus will indeed double your iPhone 4′s battery life. Accordingly, the Plus is marginally yet noticeably thicker than the Air, although still only about as large as the bulkiest of regular iPhone 4 cases which don’t have batteries built in. Beyond that, the Plus is very similar to the Air: a two-piece top and bottom design, with the bottom piece housing the battery and all the electronics while the top is just a piece of plastic to round out the case motif. That top piece, rather than employing cut-outs for the iPhone 4′s external buttons, covers them with identical-looking buttons so as to allow your iPhone 4 to still look very much like an iPhone 4 even when inside the case.

So is the Juice Pack Plus the right choice for you over the Juice Pack Air? That depends on how you value thinness versus battery life. The Air is probably sufficient for most casual users in most situations, but the Pro will come as a blessing for power users who are looking for every milliampere-hour of battery life they can reasonably get their hands on. As such, for those users, the twenty bucks extra is worth it.

My only gripe with the Juice Pack Plus, and it’s a purely stylistic one, is that while the Air comes in a black model with silver siding which perfectly matches the the design of the iPhone 4 itself, the Pro only comes in either all black, or black with a choice of yellow, pink, or blue siding. Here’s hoping Mophie will see fit to offer a Juice Pack Plus with the silver siding at some point.

Beyond that, because the Juice Pack Plus and Air are so similar, I’ll refer you to my earlier review of the Juice Pack Air for more details.

buy now: $99 at Mophie.com or $99 at Amazon.com.

Tekkeon myPower Battery Case for iPhone 4: review

by Bill Palmer

Most iPhone 4 battery cases feature a two piece design in which the internal iPhone connector, the external charging port, and the battery itself are all tucked into the bottom piece, while the top piece is merely a small hunk of plastic designed to snap on and complete the case motif. But Tekkeon takes a different approach with its myPower for iPhone 4. It’s still a two piece battery case. But while the connecting ports remain in the bottom piece, the top piece is more substantial and includes the battery module. As it turns out, the battery component is not as expensive as the rest of the electronics, meaning that this design allows you to more than one top (battery) piece for use with a single bottom piece of the case. Hence the myPower for iPhone 4 becomes the first iPhone battery case with swappable battery modules.

Based on my own travels, I can confirm that even with the impressive battery life of the iPhone 4, there are some instances in which some users will burn through not only the iPhone 4′s internal battery but also a battery case before the day is over – either looking to recharge both, or carrying a little snap-on battery in their pocket as a backup. I know, because I’ve been there. All you really have to do is spend most of the day with your iPhone’s screen turned on. That makes the myPower an innovative solution for those super-power users who would otherwise have to buy two full battery cases to get the same functionality.

After spending some time with the myPower, I found that the rest of the particulars regarding the product didn’t quite live up, unfortunately. While $79 will get you 1500 to 200 mAh of battery life with almost any other iPhone 4 battery case you buy, the $79 myPower only gets you 1200 mAh out of the box. Adding another 1200 mAh is cheap at $24 (there’s also a thicker 2200 mAH module coming for the myPower, not tested), but that means that you almost have to partake in the multiple-battery thing for this product to be worth its price tag. And there are other issues. In some instances (a minority of the time), I found that my iPhone 4′s volume buttons would get caught on the edge of the cut-out while I was removing the top piece, making for a minor hassle. And while the single battery level indicator light with its multiple colors is passable, I found it to be intuitively inferior to the three or four separate lights that most other battery cases comes with.

All that said, for those users who really are going to an extra battery piece for use with the myPower, this may well be the best option. The alternative would be a a battery case with 2000 mAh, the best of which would run you $99 and be a thicker case. In contrast, the myPower with its own 1200 mAh plus another 1200 mAh in the second module will run you about $104 and will give you 20% more juice than a single 2000 mAh case, while allowing you to spend all day using a thinner product (assuming you’ve got somewhere to stash the other myPower battery module while not in use).

So, as is so often the case but extremely so here, whether the Tekkeon myPower is a lousy value or a great value depends on how you’re going to put it to use. Bottom line: if you don’t want to partake in multiple battery modules, you’ll find better options elsewhere. But if the idea of multiple battery modules sounds like just the solution you’ve been looking for, then the myPower deserves strong consideration.

buy now: $79 at Tekkeon.com or $74 at Amazon.com.

Just Mobile Xtand Go for iPhone 4: review

by Bill Palmer

In a year in which Just Mobile has been all about minimalist design, the Xtand Go for iPhone 4 continues that trend. It’s a windshield and dash mount for your car which consists of a simple suction mount and an even simpler two-pronged grasp of your iPhone.

This being a straightforward product, here’s the straightforward scoop: I found the suction aspect of the Xtand Go worked plenty well, both on glass and on my car’s dashboard, despite the latter being both curved and slightly textured. But because of the extremely short neck of the product, your iPhone is pretty much going to be located exactly where you mount it, meaning a lack of flexibility in various car models. In other words, your car’s windshield has to be positioned relative to the driver’s seat such that you can clearly see your iPhone’s screen with it being mounted no more than one or two inches closer to your face than your windshield itself. Similarly, your dashboard would have to be constructed such that you can mount your iPhone close enough to be useful, which may not always be the case considering that the A/C and radio controls in front of your dash are often just barely reachable with the driver seat moved back.

It’s these limitations on flexibility, rather than the product itself, which kept the Xtand Go from being one of our Best of Show winners when it debuted back at CES earlier this year. But that said, it’s a well done product which doesn’t take up much space or add much bulk at all. You just have to be one of those users whose car setup actually allows it to be of use.

rating: four out of five stars • buy now: $39 at Just-Mobile.com.

iSkin Solo FX Case for iPhone 4: review

by Christine Chan

Ever since I graced my iPhone 3GS with an iSkin Solo FX case, iSkin became one of my favorite companies for cases for my iDevices. Since they released the Solo and revo 4 a bit late for the iPhone 4, I have tried and tested them, and they proved to be excellent. But they’ve recently released the Solo FX for the iPhone 4, and it doesn’t disappoint.

The Solo FX is different from the version for last year’s 3GS model. Instead of being the traditional shell that wraps around the back and edges of the phone, the Solo FX for iPhone 4 is a flexible shell that you slide your phone in from the top. This is because this version has all of the front protected, leaving only the screen exposed with the top microphone and camera. The home button is also covered up with a layer of the flexible Microban TPU material.

So getting the iPhone into the Solo FX is easy, though I am not too fond of the opening flaps at the top, but that’s not a big problem. The TPU material is thick enough that it provides protection at the top as well. Once the case is on, it gives your iPhone a nice grip, and the circular texture pattern on the back makes it feel amazing to hold.

My favorite thing about the Solo FX is that it’s a frosty matte, so unlike the original Solo, it won’t get gunked up with skin oils over time. So the grip is always there and never gets slippery.

Like I mentioned earlier, the top of the phone is left exposed, but protected by the thick flaps. So the headphone port and power button are easily accessible. The volume buttons are covered by a bauble-like layer of the TPU material, while the ringer toggle is given a space to be accessed from. The bottom has holes for the microphone and speaker, while having a tight fitting opening for the charging port. 

There may be some slight problems with older cables since the opening is a tight fit with the new iPhone cable. I had to wiggle my car charger a bit to make it fit and stay when it would get slightly disconnected. So just a word of caution.

I did find that it can get a bit hard to press the home button down since it is covered with a layer of case. This just takes some getting used to and is not a major problem.

I found the overall experience with the Solo FX to be an enjoyable one. The case is not too thick but it is thick enough to provide great protection for your device. It also looks stylish with the circle patterned back and matte, frosty appearance. It provides complete coverage on the front of the screen so you no longer have anything to worry about. And you’ll always have a grip on your iPhone 4.

If you’re looking for a slim and stylish case that will give you great protection, look no further than the iSkin Solo FX.

rating: 4.5 stars out of five • price: $34 • iSkin.com

iSkin Solo Vu Case for iPhone 4: review

by Christine Chan

Do you want some sleek, fashionable chic style to go along with some serious protection for your iPhone 4? Then look no further than the iSkin Solo Vu.

The Solo Vu is a one piece shell that your iPhone 4 will simply glide into from the top, much like the Solo FX that I also reviewed. The Vu is similar to the FX except that it has a different back, colors,and has a cover for the charging port.

The Vu is a two-tone case, with the color in the front (black, red, or purple) and a smoky transparent, circle-patterned back that shows off the Apple logo. The material is the same as the FX, except the back isn’t a matte finish – it’s a bit more glossy. But the grip is good and I haven’t had a problem with natural oils gunking it up.

The Vu also exposes the top of the device since it glides in. The volume buttons get covered with the plastic material in the form of shiny little baubles, just like the original Solo and Solo FX. The bottom mic and speaker get perfect cutouts, and the dock connector gets another tight fitting opening. The nice little thing about the Vu is that there is a protective cover on the dock connector to keep out the annoying dust and moisture.

The front of the device is completely protected, with the plastic material covering everything except the touch screen and the top noise-canceling microphone and FaceTime camera. The home button is also covered by the case, so there may be a bit of getting used to since the material makes it a bit harder to press down.

When the case is on, you can feel secure about the protection of your phone. Everything that needs to be covered is, and it’s not too bulky and can slide easily in and out of your pocket. Chic style meets awesome protection.

The Solo Vu may look different than the FX, but it’s still the same premise. The dock connector cover is a nice touch though, and the colors make it look a bit more professional, which is a good thing.

So if you are looking for a professional style case that doesn’t sacrifice protection, the Solo Vu from iSkin is a good investment.

rating: 4.5 stars out of five • price: $39 • iSkin.com

Just Mobile Lounge iPhone 4 Stand: review

by Bill Palmer

A year ago Just Mobile introduced the Lounge, a simple re-imagining of the iPhone stand concept which replaced the prevailing four-corner method of grabbing the iPhone with a simple arm which hugged the iPhone’s sides. The Lounge worked great for iPhone 3G and 3GS, but its form-fitting nature combined with the slimmer nature of the iPhone 4 made the Lounge obsolete the minute the fourth generation iPhone arrived. The good news, then, is that Just Mobile is now shipping an updated version of the Lounge which includes an attached arm for the iPhone 4 along with an extra arm for iPhone 3G and 3GS in the box.

So what’s changed with the iPhone 4 version? Not much, really – and that’s a good thing. The Lounge can be competently mounted on a car dash, but our attachment to the product right from the start has been as a low-profile desktop metal iPhone stand with a minimum of protrusions, a rotatable arm for vertical or horizontal iPhone use, and access to the iPhone’s dock connector port via third party cable as needed.

We liked the Just Mobile Lounge for 3G and 3GS enough that it was one of our Best of Show winners at CES back in January 2010, and accordingly, we like the iPhone 4 version of the Lounge enough that our 4.5 star rating hasn’t changed.

rating: 4.5 stars out of five • price: $39 • Just-Mobile.com • Buy from Amazon.com

review: Speck CandyShell Flip Case for iPhone 4

by Christine Chan

While many cases provide great protection, sometimes they come at the inconvenience of not allowing your device to be docked while it’s on. Speck has solved this little problem with the CandyShell Flip for your iPhone 4.

The Flip has a foldable bottom that will allow your iPhone 4 to be docked with the case on. This design is very similar to the CandyShell for iPad, which has a opening flap for docking. 

Like the other CandyShell cases we’ve covered in the past, the Flip has a hard polycarbonate outer shell, and a soft and rubberized interior that provides shock absorption for your device. The rubber interior extends to the corners of the case, so that there is a two-tone appearance. Speck also provides a great variety of matching color combinations for the CandyShell Flip.

The buttons are covered with the rubber material for extra protection. Although the drawback of these rubber covers is that the power button loses the tactile feedback it has before the case is on.

There’s a cutout for the camera and flash so that it doesn’t obstruct your photos. On the bottom, there are holes for the mic and speaker, and a wide enough opening for the charging port to work with older cables.

Speck made it easier to remove the phone from the case with the Flip though, since the bottom folds out (but can snap back in place), you can just slide the phone out that way. This is an alternative to pushing the phone out from the back of the case and angling it out slowly.

Those that dock their device frequently and want a case that can stay on during docking will definitely want to check out the Speck CandyShell Flip. It offers great protection and looks good too!

rating: five stars out of five • price: $34 • SpeckProducts.com

iPhone 4 flat-out antenna lies continue from Fox News, Consumer Reports

If you listened to the scuttlebutt, you’d think iPhone 4 users have spent the second half of 2010 not being able to make a phone call at all. Months after users realized that the supposed iPhone 4 antenna issue didn’t actually exist, various outlets are still propagating the myth. First it was Consumer Reports, revoking its iPhone 4 recommendation even while leaving it as its highest-ranked smartphone. While many considered that to be the end of that particular publication’s credibility, it hasn’t stopped others from pursuing the same nonsense. This time around it’s Fox News, with one of its writers flat-out saying that if you receive an iPhone 4 as a holiday gift, you should return it because its antenna is defective.

Oops, seeing as how ten of millions of iPhone 4 users can confirm first hand that there is no antenna issue and never was any antenna issue. Not that this would be the first time Fox News has been caught pushing stories that are based obviously false information. But now it’s Consumer Reports again, this time naming the Samsung Galaxy S as its smartphone of the year, ruling out the iPhone 4 from contention due to its imaginary antenna issue. And the nonsense continues.

iPhone 4 case review: Griffin Elan Frame

by Christine Chan

Do you ever want some protection for your iPhone 4 without sacrificing that beautiful glass front and back? No, we’re not talking about the Apple Bumper, we’re talking about the Griffin Elan Frame “low-profile” case for your iPhone 4.

This is essentially a bumper, but with some differences. It’s a two-piece sliding, snap on case with textured sides to provide grip to the device while in the hands. The glass on the back of the iPhone 4 will be left exposed.

Those that use screen protectors may want to be wary of this case, however. There are reports floating around on the Internet that warn that because of the sliding nature of this bumper case, it will push up the edges of your screen protectors. Since I don’t use any screen protectors on my device, I did not experience this problem firsthand. But those that do use those protective films will want to be careful.

The Elan Frame bumper case leaves the ringer toggle and volume buttons exposed in a cutout, so there is plenty of space to access it. The headphone port is also left open to accommodate your buds, and the power button is left exposed as well. The bottom features an open space for the mic/speaker and charging port.

While the sides of the case are textured, I felt that it did not add a lot of “grip” to the device. In fact, at some points I found it to be a bit slipper than without it on. These sides also proved problematic for me when trying to get the case off, since I was unable to find a real good grip on it to pull the locked-in pieces apart.

Speaking of locked-in design, I found this to be a bit bothersome since it does prove difficult to remove. I have to admit – I struggled with getting this case off when I wanted to.

In the end, I saw little reason to keep using this case. It looks similar to the Bumper, but I found it to be less grippy than even those. Plus, the lock-on design of the two halves is bothersome, and the sides will push up any screen protectors you may have on your phone. There’s also very little protection to the back glass besides the small little lift from the edges.

It may look good, but there really isn’t much to this case.

rating: 2.5 stars out of five • price: $29-$34 • GriffinTechnology.com

iPhone 4 case review: Trident Cyclops

by Christine Chan

Earlier this year, I reviewed the Kraken case from Trident. That case was very similar to the Otterbox Defender series, and both are good cases for those looking for extreme rugged protection for their iPhone 4. But what if you are looking for something a bit sleeker, but still offers great protection? Well, then I’d like to introduce you to the Trident Cyclops case for your iPhone 4.

This is a two-layer protective case for your iPhone 4 that offers the great, rugged protection in a much sleeker package than the Kraken case. It consists of two parts – the outer silicon ring for shock absorption and a harder, rubbery plastic two-piece snap-on shell on the inside. The inner shell features a two-tone colored back along with a Trident logo and some air holes on the bottom half. These holes are probably for getting some air ventilation for the device, at least that is my best bet.

Installing the case is easy – just put the iPhone in the shell and snap together the two pieces, then just wrap the silicon around the edges, making sure that it all flattens out. A bonus of the Cyclops case, like the other rugged cases, is that it comes with a built-in screen protector. So no worrying about those annoying film protectors with the Cyclops!

Once the case is on, I noticed that the phone became a lot easier to hold without any problems. The sides of the silicon feature some ridges that greatly improve the grip and feel. 

The front of the phone is completely protected, leaving cutouts for the FaceTime camera, ambient light sensor, and a cluster of smaller holes for the speaker at the top. The home button is exposed, but it is protected by a thicker layer of casing, which makes the button a bit more recessed.

The bottom mic and speaker are given exact cutouts, and the charging port is left exposed, though it seems to be a close fit with older cables and accessories. The volume and power buttons are covered with the casing, but there is no difficulty in pressing them down when need be. The ringer toggle is left with a space to access it, though it may be a bit harder for those with bigger hands.

Due to the thicker layer of the Cyclops case, the headphone port is a bit recessed and won’t be able to allow headphone plugs to get in. Luckily, Trident knew about that and includes a free headphone adapter that will allow you to plug in any headphones you want. So no complaining for that!

The Trident Cyclops case combines great protection, feel, and style all in one package. It’s also sleek and fits into the pocket easily for easy access to your iPhone at all times. So if you’re looking for a case that has the best of everything, the Cyclops is definitely one to check out.

rating: five stars out of five • price: $24 • TridentCase.com

iPhone 4 > Linday Lohan > iPad, says new obsession list

Here’s one from the “you can’t make this up but you wish someone had because then it wouldn’t be true” file: the iPhone 4 is the number one most obsessed over product of the year, and the iPad is the third-most obsessive product, but sandwiched in between the two (sorry for the visual) is none other than Lindsay Lohan. Wait, what?

So the iPhone 4 is more popular than Lindsay Lohan, but the iPad still has some work to do. On its surface, this survey sounds like a game of mad libs. It’s worth a grain of salt that this list has been complied by Yahoo, which no one has obsessed over in about a decade. But the more you think about it, the more the sad realization sinks in that this sound about right. From the standpoint of first and third place, the upshot is that Apple is clearly king (and no one cares about the Droid, apparently not even the people who use one). It’s also interesting that the iPhone 4, and not the iPhone, has topped the list, meaning that Apple’s decision to brand the fourth gen iPhone thusly and the company’s subsequent marketing efforts have paid off.

That the iPad is still behind the iPhone 4 isn’t as surprising as one might initially think. After all, most people who don’t yet have an iPad still don’t really know what it is or what it does, and the overall size of the iPhone user base (all of whom at least considered the iPhone 4 this year in deciding whether or not to upgrade) still dwarfs the overall size of the iPad user base. But Lindsay Lohan, at this point a tragic tale of a woman whose career is essentially over and who only remains in the headlines because her life continues to fall further apart, is symbolic of the reality television era in which watching others going through difficulty has become nothing short of a spectator sport. In fact, speaking of reality shows, Jersey Shore, perhaps the ultimate trash glorification vehicle of the year, made the list at number five.

In that sense, it’s almost surprising that massive successes like the iPhone 4 and iPad made the top of the list, rather than flops like the Zune and Nexus One.

Next Page »