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NZ iPhone 5 launch date: October 9?
The much anticipated next iPhone from Apple is rumoured to be launching in New Zealand on October 9 according to ‘a contributer’ at kiwi tech blog TechDay. And he (or she) should know because ‘a source’ told him (or her) so.…
Read MoreData Based SMS iPad App Comparison
With the evolution of gaming now extending onto the internet, many of us will find that we suddenly have a lot of friends overseas. In the past, we could just flick our mates a text to plan a game, but with overseas texts often excluded from our bundles and plans we cannot always afford it. So we turn to our smartphones (and similar such devices) and look for an app, but there are many choices!
So with Apple now wading into the thick of this market with their new iMessage service in iOS 5, does it change the balance of power? Is Apple’s app the superior product? Lets find out……
Read MoreWARNING: MobileMe to iCloud phishing email doing the rounds
We’ve just received a tip-off from one of our readers that a number Macrumors readers have received phishing emails claiming to be from Apple asking them to update their MobileMe account to iCloud. The email reads as above and the key in the email is the “botton” you need to click and the link to update to “iCLOUD”, you know Apple would never send that out.
We thought we’d give you a heads up in case you should receive one of these. If you get this email, with “botton” and “iCLOUD” in CAPS, do not click the link in the email and do not enter your credit card details. In fact just delete it, permanently. Keep reading for the full story from Macrumors.…
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Posted in All, Other News
Steve Jobs resigns as Apple CEO, Tim Cook to take the helm
Considering Steve Jobs’ health over the past few years you would think this wasn’t too suprising and that we’d be expecting it, none-the-less, in what is still considerably shocking and very sad news Steve Jobs has just submitted his resignation as CEO of Apple and the board has anounced Tim Cook will take the helm as CEO (as per the the Apple succession plan).
It’s not all bad news though and Steve isn’t quitting completely. In the meantime he will serve as Chairman of the Board, Director and an employee of Apple.
Below is his letter of resignation and the Apple Press Release after the break.
Resignation Letter:
Read MoreTo the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve
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Posted in All, Other News
TradeMe app updated, finally able to add new listings
Back in November last year we had an exclusive hands on preview with the TradeMe app when it first launched. In May, we wrote that it was time for more features. Now, almost a year after the initial release, TradeMe have released a new update, with the usual bug fixes, but also a critical functionality update… In-app listing has arrived!…
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Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Reviews
Is your business weather, sickness and disaster-proof? There are apps for that.
Snowstorms, earthquakes and tornadoes: mother nature just keeps throwing curve-balls at New Zealand this year and there’s no telling when she’ll do it again. All of these events cause massive disruption for not just people but businesses too and a study by LogMeIn shows that up to 68% of small businesses and 32% of corporates are unprepared to deal with events that could cause loss of access to the office. If you’re reading this blog it’s a fair bet to say that you own at least one iOS device, so keep reading and make sure that you’re tooled up to avoid being part of these statistics.…
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Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
iOS 5 beta 6 now available to developers
Apple has seeded iOS 5 beta 6 to developers this morning, along with iTunes 10.5 beta 6. The update is available as either a full download or OTA delta update (which appears to be nice and easy this time around, unlike beta 5) and appears to be a bug-fix release rather than one that adds any major new functionality.…
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Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
Winter 2011: Web Browser Comparisons
On April 13th 2010 history was made, the first 3rd party Web Browser for iOS was approved. Opera Mini was the first amongst many browsers to grace the iOS and since then it has been followed by a succession of unique browsers.
However, if you try and find a review on them, to see which you would like the most before buying, you will be sadly disappointed. It has been many a month since any blog reviewed and compared the cream of the offerings. With iOS5 and its revamped Safari just around the corner (and because I am not restricted to the NDA) I think it’s time we changed that!…
Read MoreCompetition: Win a 32GB WiFi iPad 2 with thanks to Vonage – Closed
UPDATE: This competition has now closed. We are currently going through your awesome entries and we’ll let you know who has won once we know.
UPDATE 2: The competition was won by MrGadget who has been notified via email. Thanks to all our entrants and congratulations to MrGadget!
As we mentioned the other day, we’ve teamed up with Vonage to celebrate the launch of their Time to Call app by giving away a shiny new 32GB WiFi iPad 2 to one lucky reader (although we originally had to pull out the folks at Vonage have been amazing and have made it possible for us to run it).
All you need to do to enter is hit the comments of this post and tell us in 500 characters or less the following: if you had 15 minutes to call anyone past, present or future, who would you call and what would you talk to them about?
Your answer can be serious or funny, fact or fiction, so get creative and get writing.…
Read MoreAccessory Review: Wacom Bamboo Stylus for iPad
There appears to be a never ending supply of options when it comes to notes apps for our beloved iOS devices, doesn’t there? It’s not surprising then, that there’s an equally extensive range of writing implements available for those apps.
The Wacom Bamboo Stylus hit our shores just a couple of weeks ago and, due to its remarkable pedigree, has a lot to live up to. I decided to put it through its paces and help you decide if it’s worth the $45 it’s selling for in New Zealand stores.…
Read MoreApp Review: Quota
Most people have heard of Consume by now, in fact we did a review of it when it first came out. It has become the industry standard usage app for the iOS. However Bjango has not updated it for sometime and is not natively iPad compatible, which is leading to a clunky and rather utilitarian UI.
However, there is now a new kid on the block. Quota (by SouthFreo) may be new, but it is sleek, sexy and worth a look.…
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Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Reviews
iOS 5 – Backing up and restoring from iCloud
With iOS 5 just around the corner we thought we would take a detailed look at one of the main new features and get you all ready for the release. One of the key new features in iOS 5 is over the air (OTA) backups and restores to the new iCloud. But how does it work? What get’s backed up and what doesn’t? Carry on reading to find out.…
Read MoreTools for Procrastination and Lecture Survival – Part 1
I have decided to write this two-part article as a part protest and part laugh, so sit back, relax and enjoy!
This is a scene that every tertiary student is intimately familiar with… You’re sitting in seats that you could swear were designed by sadistic old men, hell bent on your discomfort. Staring blankly at a lecturer, who is rambling on about something you couldn’t care less about, not because the topic sucks exactly, but because they use words like um & anyway as if they were vowels and it makes your head hurt. You’re drawing pictures, doing assignments or thinking about the pretty girl (or cute guy) a few rows down.
However my fellow students, do not despair! The apple may have got us chucked out of Eden but it is our salvation! You pay $700 for each class that drives you insane, so why not enjoy it? Be it an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, they will save you, the only question is how? With so many apps and also the internet at our fingertips what should we do?…
Read MorePlease give a warm welcome to our new writers
As you may know, quite a few weeks ago we advertised for additional writers for the site. We had a number of fantastic applications and we’d like to say thanks to everyone that applied. Yet again it was quite humbling to see all the kind words that were written about the site within the applications, so thanks again.
In the end we decided to take on three more new writers, this was for three reasons, 1. we couldn’t decide between them and 2. the more writers we have means the more posts we have and 3. Allan and Andy have both left our writing team to peruse other ventures, leaving space for three.
Hit the ‘read more’ for an introduction to the three new writers.…
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Posted in All, Other News
We’re teaming up with Vonage to give away an iPad 2
To celebrate the launch of Vonage’s Time to Call app, we’re joining top kiwi tech blogs Geekzone and ben.geek.nz as well as dozens of international sites to each give away a shiny new 32GB WiFi iPad 2. Geekzone’s competition is running right now and we’ll be running our competition from 16th to 20th August, so check back then for the full details. In the meantime head on over to callsfromsmartphone.com to check out the full schedule for all the other competitions. We can’t wait to kick off the competition for the most exciting prize we’ve ever had to give away to one of our lucky readers, so we hope you’ll join us on August 16th.
UPDATE: Great News! The fantastic folks at Vonage have agreed to let us run the competition for New Zealand residents only and have agreed to us blocking international traffic. You may be thinking “wtf, you are blocking international traffic?!?” but we have to to keep the costs down. If we leave it open whilst the competition is running it could cost us a fortune. Anyway… head over to this post to check the competition out.
With much regret, we are having to cancel our involvement in this promotion. As this is a globally-promoted competition, the cost of receiving the international traffic that it would attract would cripple us financially. Apologies to all.…
Posted in All, Other News
App review: Time to Call by Vonage
You’d be forgiven for thinking that most of the innovation to be done in VOIP apps had already been done, but US-based Vonage has other ideas. A few days ago Vonage announced their new Time to Call app and to be completely honest I ignored the press release as my understanding of Vonage was that they were a US company providing services to US customers only. That’s not so with this app, which is a truly innovative VOIP solution that can be used in New Zealand and is a god-send in both terms of convenience and cost-of-use when travelling not just overseas but even within NZ.…
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Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
The MobileMe-to-iCloud transition is now open for developers (Updated)
Several sites including 9to5Mac and MacRumors are reporting that a transition tool for developers is now available allowing MobileMe accounts to be converted to iCloud. Until now, developers have had to use a separate account to try out iCloud. The tool is apparently available now at me.com/move however I’ve not been able to confirm this as I have no current MobileMe account to test it with. Remember, this is for developers only so don’t go trying to use this tool unless you’re a paid-up member of Apple’s iOS developer program.
Update: You will also want to install Lion 10.7.2 beta and iCloud beta 6 before doing this otherwise you may get errors on your Mac when accessing your MobileMe account via email, calendars and contacts.…
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Posted in All, Other News
