iPhonewzealand

Slow Shutter Cam – Free For Today Only (12.04.2012)

Jono — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:57:10 +0000

I have a lot of camera apps but this is one of the most interesting, and is definitely a steal at todays fine price of nothing.

Slow Shutter Cam allows you to add some of the functionality of an SLR camera to your iPhone, without the gratuitous use of giant lenses.

You can choose from a range of shutter speeds, adjust, lock or set automatic exposure, set a countdown timer (great if you have a wee tripod) and change picture sizes.

With a bit of experimentation it is possible to achieve some amazing results. Night time shots in particular can produce awe inspiring photos that would look right at home in National Geographic.

This app is highly recommended and is just another step in the slow but steady march of your phone past your point and shoot and towards the lofty heights of a replacement for full featured DSLR.

Happy Easter Everyone

Jono — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:55:06 +0000

By now a lot you will be kicking back and enjoying your new iPad, relaxing in the last of the warm weather before winter sets in. If you’re struggling to find something interesting to whittle away your Easter with… then you should definitely sit back and watch this. Not only was Steve Jobs an amazing ideas generator he was amazing at presenting his new products and concepts. I know most of you have probably already seen this but I was shown this for the first time this week and was totally blown away. Steve Jobs was insanely good at presenting and one of the most captivating communicators on the world stage. The scary thing is that he started off doing this at a very early age when in 1984 Jobs launched the first Macintosh. The presentation below however is the more recent iPhone launch demo from 2007.

Enjoy Steve Jobs – 2007 iPhone Presentation

iPad & iPhone App Review: Super Rugby

Jono — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 01:26:28 +0000

Now that the Super rugby season is in full swing I think it would only be fair to have a look at what’s on offer in the App world for the S15 rugby-head. For the purpose of this review I will take a look at three of the most popular free apps out there.

Basically all the apps provide fixture and results data, live match reporting with the standard analysis on tries, penalties, conversions and drop goals. However, when conducting my review I found it difficult to find apps that provide in-depth game analysis which I find rather frustrating considering data is widely available. Whilst watching a game live, there is a great opportunity to use your app, it would be good to know player and team stats at the micro level e.g. tackles made and meters gained per player.

Union Live 2012

Free

Made by: Sportsmate Mobile Pty LTD

Australia’s number 1 live app which also has a version for the NRL and AFL. This app has the best team analysis with good historical data. Great for pre-game analysis between the two sides you are about to watch. I particularly like the player ages and match experience stats which is great if you like to put the odd wager on at the TAB.

Enhanced match day engine providing faster live scores and live stats.
Automatic live game day refresh.
All new graphical worm.
Improved ladder – including brief and extended overview plus teams next 5 games.
Head to head analysis (the perfect tool for your tipping competition).
Extended player profiles – including club & first grade debut, rep honours and previous year’s stats.
Integrated news from Australian Associated Press (AAP).
Integrated team video channels (via YouTube).
Game day analysis – including team line-ups (ins and outs), form streaks, latest odds, weather and AAP match previews

Super Rugby 2012

Free

Made by: Roopesh Govind

This is probably my least favourite app as it has limited analysis and is flaky in performance. My one accolade is that it is aesthetically nicer than the other apps when it’s working. The news section consists of straight RSS feeds from New Zealand Herald, Fox Sports Australia and Sport24 South Africa. Not bad but could be a lot better.

Match Fixture
Real time Live Score
Real time score event
Completed match scores
Match schedule, team, venue
Top sport news
Team Ladder

Super Rugby Live Scoring

Free

Made By: ESPN Australia

This is my favourite app by far. There is plenty of pre, during and post match analysis. Two of the main stats I like to look at are possession and territory and they aren’t included. Once again these stats are standard and widely available so I can’t understand why they are missing. Player stats include tries, conversions, drop goals, penalty goals, kicks, line breaks and errors. My only bug bear with this is that they are only updated after the game. This is also the only app with a live twitter feed. Great for hearing what the players are saying.

Instant score updates and scorers.

The latest news, weather forecast, odds, winning streak and tipping trends for every game.
The Super Rugby ladder and win/loss history for teams.
The latest Super Rugby news from the major news outlets.
The most up to date twitter posts from your favourite accounts.

iPad (3) Launch Day Photos

Mike — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:40:18 +0000

Apple’s new iPad went on sale to queues around New Zealand today. Here’s some photos from iPad 3 launch day around the country.

Where to buy a New iPad 3

Mike — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:48:09 +0000

So with just under twelve hours until the official launch of the New iPad 3 in New Zealand it’s another fairly hush-hush launch like we’ve become all to familiar with. Never fear though here’s a confirmed list of stores that will have the New iPad available tomorrow morning, most stores will be opening at the regular time and none will be open before 8am. We’ve heard bigger stores will have up to 200 New iPads in stock but still recommend getting along early to get the model you’re after.

Dick Smith
Stores open at the regular time with New iPad 3 stock available at most stores including Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, Whangarei, Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin.

YooBee (Magnum Mac)
Most stores opening one hour early at 8am with New iPads available in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton and Wellington.

JB Hi-Fi
iPad 3 available in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington and Dunedin stores which we think are opening at the regular time of 9am. Update: some stores are opening at 8am including Wellington Central

Noel Leeming
Most stores around the country will have the New iPad available. In fact with stores from Kerikeri to Invercargill Noel Leeming probably has the most locations stocking iPad 3.

Bond & Bond
Only four stores in Auckland and one in Dunedin will have New iPads available on launch day.

PB Tech
We haven’t been able to confirm which stores will have stock but PB Tech will be selling the New iPad tomorrow.

Harvey Norman
Seven stores will be opening at 8am with New iPads available. Harvey Norman wins the prize for best launch image…

Independent Apple Resellers
Ubertec is opening in Parnell, Auckland at 8am and iStore in Takapuna have so far only confirmed they’ll be updating their website at midnight

What time are you planning on buying a New iPad (3) tomorrow and where from? Let us know in the comments and if anyone has any photos or updates from around the country let us know on twitter.

New iPad NZ Price Announced

Mike — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 08:23:57 +0000

A strong New Zealand dollar has seen the new iPad price drop almost 10% across the board. The entry-level 16GB wi-fi only model iPad 3 price is $729 – a full $70 cheaper than the iPad 2 it replaces.

The new iPad goes on sale in New Zealand this Friday 23-March online and at Apple retailers around the country. We’ll have a post up in the next few days with the best places to buy and all your options.

New iPad NZ Prices: New iPad (iPad 3) prices on the left and iPad 2 on the right

Will the lower price make you more likely to get an iPad 3 or get a higher spec’d model?

New iPad First Impressions

Mike — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 03:39:01 +0000

After Jono’s mission to Sydney last week I’ve been lucky enough to be using a new iPad (black 32GB wi-fi + 4G) for a few days and WOW everything about this device is amazing. The speed, the apps, the games and the camera are all made better by the retina display.

Firstly a bit about me, I’ve been a bit of a screen geek for the last decade always needing the clearest and highest resolution display – whether on a phone, laptop or my desk. I sold my iPad 2 pretty quickly as it was just too jarring to look at switching between my 960×480 pixel iPhone 4 (at the time) and 1440×900 pixel 13″ MacBook Air.

The Retina Display
Amazing. Having used an iPad .I think if you’re coming from the original iPad, iPad 2 or another tablet you’ll be blown away as the difference is night and day.

The 5MP Camera
It’s good but not great, using the retina display as a view finder is a novelty and being able to view photos straight away on the large bright screen is the best part. The default camera app doesn’t do HDR so you’ll need an additional app for that.

In bright light the camera performs better and without a flash lighting is going to have the biggest impact on your photos.

Setup & Apps
Easy. Mail, contacts and calendars synced quickly from my multiple Exchange and Google Accounts. I re-downloaded a few apps from iCloud and bought a few more from the app store. Music is there on-demand from iTunes match and all down over-the-air without hooking up to USB to iTunes. The one app I’m still looking forward to playing with is iPhoto which I’ll most likely sync some albums over USB. Everything flies with the A5X chips and my favourite app so far is Ashphalt 6 – a $1.29 car racing game from Gameloft that’s seriously impressive on the retina display.

The Battery
Battery life is the same as iPad 2 and considering the quad-core graphics power of the A5X driving the retina display it’s a much larger battery powering the new iPad. Not larger physically as the new iPad is just a barely noticeable 1mm thicker than iPad 2 but larger in density with 42.5Wh packed into the similar enclosure providing 70% more juice than the iPad 2.

It’s here where the only real con of the new iPad becomes apparant and that giant battery takes a long time to charge so get used to leaving your iPad plugged to a wall socket over night to be ready for the next days use.

I’ll post some more thoughts soon, if you have any questions ask away in the comments.

Apple confirms “The New iPad” goes on sale 8am Friday.

Paul — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 03:20:44 +0000

There is 2 major downsides to being in a second wave country for the launch of a new Apple device. The first of those downsides is well, your in a second wave country. The second major downside is there is that impending feeling of doom, that demand will exceed supply and your second wave country will have the launch date delayed. You have to watch and drool as other people in first wave countries collect their shiny new products, you have to listen to Apple stating record breaking sales and 3 million units sold. Surely with demand like there has been for the new iPad New Zealand launch will be delayed won’t it? No! It won’t.

After initially giving second wave countries a vague “end of March” launch date Apple has now confirmed that the new iPad will go on sale as planned from 8am this Friday. Details are typically sketchy, but we are used to that by now aren’t we? No doubt we will know pricing and who the “selected resellers”opening at 8am will be sometime on Thursday. In the mean time have a read of the statement from Apple today and let us know in the comments where you will be picking one up from and what time you will be queuing from. Will you be braving the rain or braving the almost certain 2 – 3 weeks ship time with an online order?

“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold―the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can’t wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday.”

The new iPad is already available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and the US Virgin Islands and will be available in 24 more countries starting at 8:00 a.m. local time on Friday, March 23 through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

New iPad mission

Jono — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:54:56 +0000

8.50 – That was a pretty cool experience. Now time to test and review. Everyone seems to be talking up the retina display and the A5X quad core processor.

7.30 – Just chatting to a few of the guys here… Is the new iPad going to be the Porsche 911 of the tablet world. High performance matched with best looks. Thoughts?

7.00 – It’s all go here! Dick Smiths down the road steeling Apple’s thunder has been selling them since 6. Sydney is finally awake.

6.00 – Apple staff are so friendly briefing everyone on queue cards and the purchase process. News crew just scanned the line and rumours of no queue at Dick Smiths around the corner.

Here I am embarking on a mission to get my hands on the new iPad. I never even owned an Apple product until last year when I bought an iPhone. Nek minit its 4am and I’m on the street in inner Sydney whereby I’ll be keeping you guys up to date on the hustle and bustle outside the Apple store, George St, Sydney. We are the first people in the world to buy the new 3rd gen iPad. If you want the inside skinny be sure to comment on this live blog and I’ll do my best to respond. Stay tuned.

iPad 3 New Zealand launch on 23 March 2012

Mike — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:13:51 +0000

iPad 3 NZ Release Date
This morning Apple announced the iPad 3 will be released in New Zealand on 23 March 2012 in the second week of a global rollout that starts in the USA, Canada and UK on 16 March.

iPad 3 NZ Price
New Zealand pricing for iPad 3 hasn’t been announced yet but it’s staying the same in the United States at $499 for 16GB wi-fi, $599 for 32GB and $699 for 64GB. 4G LTE models are US$629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB. There’s no new 128GB models. No word yet on a cheaper iPad 2.

iPad 3 Features
There are six major upgrades over iPad 2 though only 4 will be initially available in New Zealand.

1. Retina Display
Double the resolution of iPad and 264 pixels-per-inch – existing apps will work but need to be updated by developers to take advantage of the higher res. All Apple apps updated as part of iOS 5.1

2. A5X quad core processor
Twice the processing cores of the iPad 2′s A5 and quoted as being four times the speed of Tegra 3 that powers many high-end Android devices. It has to drive the monster retina-display so in real world use it’s likely faster but unknown by how much.

3. 5MP camera
The same 5-megapixel backside illuminated sensor on the back as iPhone 4S featuring a 5-element lens, IR filter, auto-exposure, auto-focus and ISP built into the A5X processor

4. 1080P Video Recording
No comment, great for mobile newsrooms – please think of others before taking photos or videos with iPad in public!

5. Voice Dictation
It’s not Siri and officially only supports US, UK and Australian English but iPad 3 features the same microphone icon on the keyboard letting you talk rather than type.

6. 4G LTE
No New Zealand networks currently support the faster 4G mobile data speeds up to 72Mbps but it’s nice to know the iPad you buy this month should support the upgraded networks

Battery life
Quoted as the same: 10hrs on wi-fi and 9 on mobile data – incredible with all those pixels!

Form factor
Every so slightly heavier and thicker at 9.4mm (versus 8.8 for iPad 2)

iPad 3 Live Blog

Mike — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:55:56 +0000

8:24 – That’s all folks. We’ve got the new iPad, a cheaper iPad 2 and Apple TV with a new 1080P interface. Stay tuned for New Zealand pricing later today. Hope you enjoyed the live blog!

8:20 – iPad 2 remains on sale starting at USD399 for 16GB wi-fi ($100 price drop)

8:17 – iPad promo playing – so far it’s just been called “iPad” not iPad 3 or iPad HD – referenced in video as “3rd-generation iPad.”

8:01 – New iPhoto app! Features look great, according to Phil ”truly a breakthrough piece of photo software.” Available today

8:00 – Updated iMovie to support 1080P output

7:57 – Phil is back demoing some Apple apps: updates to iWork suite, Garage Band and a new iCloud notes editor.

7:44 – demoing some apps: Sky Combat, Sketch and Infinity Blade dungeons

7:43 – Just like iPhone 4 existing iPad apps will be pixel doubled on iPad 3 – developers should update their apps to make them look beautiful

7:41 – New Zealand launch on 23-March, one week after US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and Australia.

7:40 – battery life is the same @ 10hrs and 9hrs on LTE

7:38 – six main upgrades of new iPad: Retina display, A5X, 5MP camera, 1080P video capture, voice dictation and 4G LTE

7:37 – Two 3G hardware versions in the USA – Verizon and AT&T models

7:34 – demoing mobile data speed with photos and video v iPad 2 “it’s really fast” – available on both AT&T and Verizon in the USA – Rogers, Bell & Telus in Canada

7:33 – 4G LTE – better get upgrading your NZ networks Telecom and Vodafone! 73Mbps download

7:32 – new feature voice dictation, but not Siri?

7:32 – records HD video at 1080P as well

7:31 – anyone else think people look ridiculous taking photos in public with an iPad??

7:29 – 5MP rear camera with same lens as iPhone 4S

7:28 – A5X “quad-core graphics” – 4x the performance of Tegra 3

7:25 - 2048×1536 (double iPad 2) and 3.1 million total pixels – most ever in a mobile device and more than most other screens. Not as high PPI as iPhone but expected to be held further away at 40cm v 25

7:24 – woohoo retina display!

7:23 - Phil Schiller on stage to demo

7:22 – “The new iPad” – looks the same!

7:21 – haha comparing giant crazy looking smartphone apps on a Samsung Galaxy tab with their iPad versions – Twitter and Yelp so far

7:20 – More iPads sold last year than any PC manufacturer sold PCs – take that Dell and HP!

7:19 – recapping history of iPad – people love it for web surfing, email, games, reading and over 200,000 other apps

7:17 – now talking about iPad!

7:16 – Apple TV form factor and price are the same @ USD99 – didn’t mention processor but guessing A5

7:12 – iTunes VP Eddie Cue demoing new high-def interface – looks like iPad with giant app icons and movie posters

7:11 – new Apple TV that streams 1080P!

7:10 – iCloud now supports iTunes movies – goodbye data caps!

7:09 Recapping App Store and iCloud highlights – 25 billion downloads, 100 million iCloud users

7:07 - Now playing a demo of Siri – aarrrggghhhh Siri with an Australian accent

7:06 – video just played featuring Apple stores around the world, 362 in total but none in New Zealand!!

7:02 – 172 million post-PC devices sold in 2011 making up 76% of Apple revenue

7:01 – Apple CEO Tim Cook is on stage talking about the post-PC world portable world that’s lead by iPhone, iPad and iPod

6:55 – Apple’s iPad 3 event is just five minutes away from starting. Keep an eye on this post for the latest!

photos courtesy engadget, thanks!

iPad HD: What to expect

Mike — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:39:06 +0000

It’s now less than 24 hours to Apple’s media event in San Francisco and here’s a wrap of all the rumours we’ve heard and what we expect to be announced. We’ll have live coverage here on iPhonewzealand starting 7am Thursday morning.

Announcement: iPhonewzealand is (not) closing

The Team — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:29:01 +0000

Update 17-Feb: Jono & Mike here, we’ve taken over running iPhonewzealand and are stoked to let you know the site will be carrying on. Stay tuned.

With heavy hearts, the time has come for us to announce that we’re going to be closing iPhonewzealand as at 20th February, 2012. With some help from contributors along the way, we (Dan and Steve) have run the site with every ounce of the spare time that we have been able to sacrifice outside of our normal jobs and family lives. At times this has been quite gruelling, especially around the launch of new devices, so it’s fair to say that this action is also due to a desire to free up some of that precious time.

We’ve been operating since July 2009, back when the device was relatively new and had official support with only one mobile operator in New Zealand, so there was a need for a site like ours to help people get connected on other networks. Dan’s legendary carrier bundles made it possible for people to get going on the network of their choice quickly and easily.

We also helped spread the word about local apps and developers, keeping the ever-growing kiwi user-base up-to-date with news and reviews as an explosion of ‘big name’ kiwi apps such as TradeMe, Stuff and TVNZ hit the App Store.

As of now, new registrations to the site are closed. The site will continue to be here for a while, but with no further updates after this post. If you need to, you can get hold of us via the ‘Contact Us’ link until the site is taken down (in the event that it is not sold), or via our Twitter presence, @iphonewzealand, which will remain open (but mostly inactive) for a period of time.

We welcome any expressions of interest into buying the site or offers from anybody who might like to shower us with cash so that we can do this for a living — please feel free to get in touch with us via the ‘contact us’ button on the header of the site.

Steve Jobs once said that he just wanted to “put a ding in the universe”. That goes for us too, and we hope that on a much tinier scale we managed to do that.

All the best

Steve and Dan

Telecom’s new Skinny sub-brand soft-launches, config profile available for iOS 5 devices

Steve Lawrence — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:57:41 +0000

Telecom has begun to quietly roll out its new ‘Skinny’ sub-brand, which offers pre-paid mobile services over its XT Network with alternative pricing packages and a completely separate brand identity. Looking at the pricing and plans on the company’s website the service does appear to be geared towards calling and texting primarily, but a data add-on of $4 per week for 120MB of data (so roughly $16 per month for 480MB) may be of interest to some iPhone users. Skinny has posted a config profile on Geekzone that can easily be installed on your iPhone should you decide to make the hop, in which case you’ll also need to request a free MicroSIM which you can do through the website or by calling 0800 4754669.

AppView: PhotoFetch – Facebook Photo Downloader

Jayco Design — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:30:41 +0000

A quick, easy way to download photos/albums from Facebook.

Download yours or any of your friends Facebook photo albums and save them to albums in our photo library to be viewed offline and synced to iPhoto or Photo Stream.

Now you can have all your photos on Facebook offline and at your fingertips. On your desktop, laptop, iPad or iPhone.

* Replace lost photos that you had uploaded to Facebook.
* Download the photos your friend uploaded from that trip you went on.

It’s convenient and simple- download it now!

If you find any issues with this app please let us know and we will be quite happy to resolve them!

You can also now contact us on twitter: @JaycoDesign

Price: $1.29

- PhotoFetch

The Warehouse to offer parallel imported iPads from Boxing Day [update: available 6pm today]

Steve Lawrence — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:24:35 +0000

Something stood out on the junkmail yesterday: The Warehouse are going to be offering parallel imported iPads from Boxing Day. The advertised model is the black, 16 GB, WiFi-only model but it’s priced at $719 which is a significant saving over the standard price of $799. The ad doesn’t say whether other models will be available.

This might be cold comfort for any of you who have already bought one in time for Christmas, but for those of you still on the market for a new iPad this could be a deal worth considering.

UPDATE: According to their email mailer, this deal is actually available from 6pm today via the website.

Merry Christmas from the Team

The Team — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 02:15:04 +0000

Another year is quickly coming to an end and today is the last day for us before the Christmas break. We are going to be away for the Christmas and New Year breaks, but to all our readers, we’d like to extend our heart-felt wishes for a very Merry Christmas for you and all your families and a wonderful new year.

2011 really has been another fantastic (if not shaky) year for us and we really appreciate all the continued support you’ve given us. The positive feedback and support we’ve had throughout the year is what keeps us going, and we’ve really enjoyed giving something back to the kiwi iPhone community.

We’ll be raising our glasses in your honour and are really looking forward to 2012 and we hope you’ll be with us when we’re back in full swing in the new year!

Have a good one!

Leading kiwi developers offering their time for free for one day only

Steve Lawrence — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:03:57 +0000

Do you have a burning idea for an app but no coding skills to turn it into reality? Well, this could be your big opportunity. Leading kiwi developers Carnival Labs, who have worked with some of the world’s leading brands including Dreamworks, Intel, Air New Zealand and the New Zealand Herald, are running a competition where you could win their time for a day, during which they will turn your app idea into the real deal.

All you need to do is let Carnival Labs know what you want to do (the full details are set out in the press release below) and their panel of judges will decide the best one. The winner will win the source code and will even be able to upload it to the App Store. Entries close 20/12 so get your thinking hats on and keep reading for the full press release.

iTunes Match available now – no really it is! Still $39.99 per year

Daniel Burgess — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:39:22 +0000

Ok so this time it’s for real… After yesterday’s shenanigans iTunes Match has gone live and is available to New Zealand as of right now. We’ve received confirmation from a number of users saying they have been succesful and have also confirmed it ourselves.

UPDATE: And now, to mitigate any concerns that this may be another mistake, we’ve had confirmation from Apple that the service is now officially available:
Read More

FTW: Apple Releases Apple TV Software Version 4.4.4, Tweaks iOS 5.0.1 for iPhone 4S

Daniel Burgess — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:11:55 +0000

Apple today released a software update for the second-generation Apple TV, bringing the set-top box to version 4.4.4. The update arrives as Build 9A406a, but it is not yet clear what improvements are included in the release.

Apple TV software 4.4.3 was released last month and added support for Netflix streaming in Mexico and an audio output issue when the connected television set is turned off.

Curiously, Apple also appears to have released a slightly tweaked version of iOS 5.0.1 for the iPhone 4S [Direct Link]. The new version arrives as Build 9A406, an increment of one over the original release of iOS 5.0.1 last month.

Continue reading via Apple Releases Apple TV Software Version 4.4.4, Tweaks iOS 5.0.1 for iPhone 4S – Mac Rumors.

iTunes Match available now, maybe?? – $39.99 per year [updated: looking like a mistake]

Daniel Burgess — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:31:14 +0000

As reported on a number of other international sites today iTunes Match (the service that makes your entire iTunes music library available in the cloud) has been coming on and offline for most of the day for countries outside the U.S.

We have just taken a look ourselves and it would appear that whilst it is accessible to New Zealand we may be having the same issues as well. It’s possible that it going live is just a mistake or it could be that the servers are getting hammered. Either way at the moment even though we get a confirmation email to say we have subscribed it is erroring and asking us to sign out and in again. Once you have done that and you go back to your account it does say that you have a subscription and it will expire in a years time, but as yet I cannot get to the iTunes Match tab to actually use the service.

iOS 5.1 beta 2 seeded to devs… you can now delete photos from Photo Stream!

Daniel Burgess — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:43:11 +0000

I am not sure I have been this excited about a beta in some time. Normally they come and go and eventually you get your GM release. But this one had me at hello.

iOS 5.1 beta 2 is available for developers now and with it comes the ability to delete/remove individual photos from iCloud’s Photo Stream, something that I, and many others, feel should have been there from day one.

The update is available for all the usual suspects, iPhone (4, 4S and 3GS), iPad (1 and 2), iPod touch (3rd and 4th gen) and also the Apple TV 2. Keep reading for more or head over to the developer site to download.

AppView: Align It!

Daniel Burgess — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 01:50:10 +0000

A new game from the inventor of Blokka, comes Align It! A fun tile game for people of any age! Frustrating, addictive, difficult. Very simple rules. If you think you’re good at puzzle games then ‘Align It!’ is a must to prove you’re that hot.

This puzzle game is not only smart but very easy to understand.

NZiDev is underway

Daniel Burgess — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 01:15:34 +0000

NZiDev got underway today and if last year is anything to go by this is going to be a great weekend for iOS developers. As we previously said unfortunately we are unable to make it this year however if you are there and want to share your weekend with us then make sure you add the #NZiDev tag to your tweets and why not leave a comment below on your experience at NZiDev.

You can also post a longer articles on particular subjects to our NZiDev forum post.

FTW: iOS 5: Cable Releases for Photography

Daniel Burgess — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:41:37 +0000

If you’re a photographer, then you know that a cable release is a tool to take a picture without touching your camera. Now, the iPhone can do this, too.

iOS 5 introduced many new features for photographers. Among these is the ability to use the Volume up button to take photos. As a result, the Volume up button on your headphones also works to take photos! It seems perfectly obvious that it should after the fact, but it’s not something most of us are likely to try.

New Zealand Developers Showcased by Apple

Daniel Burgess — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:41:59 +0000

We already knew that we had some great developers here in New Zealand and now, for AlphaSprite, Apple know it too.

You may remember back in September last year we took a look at CoachPad, an app for the iPad that allows you to sketch out and display formations and tactics all using your iPad in a simple and intuitive way. Well now that same app has been included in Apple’s latest iPad 2 television advert.

Airing in November 2011, it revolves around the emotive theme of ‘Love’ and how people engage with the iPad 2 on a daily basis. CoachPad appears at the beginning of the clip where a basketball coach shows a gameplay strategy to his team on an iPad 2.

Congrats AlphaSprite.

iOS 5.1 beta available to devs now

Daniel Burgess — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:33:24 +0000

Apple have today released iOS 5.1 beta to the development community for testing. Along with it they have also released Xcode 4.3 beta which is required if you are wanting to develop and test your applications with iOS 5.1 devices.

According to reports there are a number of bug fixes and changes in this release including references to an iPad 3 and a new “geofencing” setting that apparently stops battery drain in the Reminders app when it’s not in use.

Head over to the developer site to download and see the full notes.

More info on 5.1 here: iOS 5.1 roundup: new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV references, minor tweaks

Online Apple Store sale event coming this Friday [updated: now live]

Steve Lawrence — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:37:49 +0000

Generally speaking, Apple doesn’t really do sales or discounts but once a year it gets into the festive spirit and hosts a sale via its online store. This year, the event falls on 25th November (that’s this Friday) so mark your calendars and head over to the Apple Store to grab yourself some discounts on things that might be on your Christmas shopping lists. The actual discounts aren’t announced in advance so it’s a case of wait-and-see, although the graphic above does seem to indicate that a broad range of products will be included. Anything on your wish list? Share in the comments.

UPDATE: 9to5 Mac have published leaked information on the discounts in line for the US Store, which should be similar to what we see here.

UPDATE 2: The event is now live. The headline deals include:

$61 off iPad 2
$31.01 off iPod touch
$15 off iPod nano
$161 off MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iMac

NZiDev 2.0 coming to Auckland 3rd-4th Dec 2011

Daniel Burgess — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:12:16 +0000

That’s right, NZiDev is back for another year [NZiDev 2.0] but this time it promises to be bigger and better than ever and it’s coming to Auckland on the 3rd and 4th of December.

Last year was a massive success with over 100 iOS developers from all over New Zealand gathering to discuss everything iOS and we had the great pleasure of attending. Unfortunately this year we will not be able to make it, however keep reading to get the low-down on all you need to know about this years event.

Accessory review: Opena Case combines man’s two greatest creations

Steve Lawrence — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:00:26 +0000

If you love iPhones and you also happen to love beer, be prepared to reach for your wallets. Chillicase have begun to sell the Opena, a hybrid iPhone-case-slash-bottle-opener, right here in New Zealand. Stick with us for a tour of an engineering feat which combines two of the greatest passions known to man!
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#4SonXT Launch parties how did they go? [video] [gallery]

Daniel Burgess — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:25:36 +0000

As you may or may not have heard Telecom threw a couple of launch events last night to celebrate getting the iPhone 4S. Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch seemed to get the queues whilst Dunedin didn’t have much of anything. However in the other three centres a great time was had by all and, as far as we know, no one went home disappointed or empty-handed. Keep reading to see our launch party thoughts, video (nicely edited by Steve) and gallery of pictures.

© Dan for iPhonewzealand, 11/11/2011.
15 comments
Post tags: gallery, iPhone, iPhone 4S, launch, party, Telecom XT, video, XT
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iOS 5.0.1 goes live… promises to fix battery woes and more

Daniel Burgess — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:13:50 +0000

This morning iOS 5.0.1 has gone live to the public and according to the release notes, among other things, will fix battery issues from iOS 5 and will improve voice recognition for dictation with an Australian accent. No doubt it will also seem a lot snappier, smoother and faster then any previously release of iOS as well… but don’t all new updates?? See below for full details of the update.

Vodafone breaks the silence, announces pricing and midnight launch

Steve Lawrence — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:34:06 +0000

Vodafone have finally broken their silence on the iPhone 4S and have this afternoon announced handset pricing, subsidies, plans, and confirmed that they, too, will be hosting a midnight launch at the following stores: Queen St, Auckland; Lambton Quay, Wellington; George St, Dunedin; and Riccarton Mall, Christchurch. It will then be available in all Vodafone retail stores from 9:00am. The handset-only price is $1049, but subsidies and contracts appear (with just a cursory glance) to be similar to Telecom’s offerings. Keep reading for the press release and full pricing details.

© Steve Lawrence for iPhonewzealand, 10/11/2011.
17 comments
Post tags: 4S, iPhone 4S, launch, launch day, plans, pricing, subsidies, Vodafone
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Details for Telecom’s iPhone 4S launch parties [poll] [launch-pics]

Daniel Burgess — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:53:22 +0000

With less than 24 hours to go we thought we’d make sure you know what is happening for the launch parties (yes, parties!) Telecom will be hosting at 12:01am and what happens if you are not in a “main centre”.

You’ll find a poll below to let us know your plans are and our live blog will kick off in earnest later on this evening. Click here for that. (moved all the pics over to flickr to save bandwidth)

Now, before anybody asks why we haven’t done a post like this for Vodafone, the reason is simple: Vodafone haven’t announced any launch details for us to give you. Telecom have been very up-front with prices, plans, launch times and registration processes with very little left in doubt and that’s a massively refreshing approach compared to the fiasco of last year’s iPhone 4 (un)launch from Vodafone. If we do hear anything from Big Red, we’ll let you know. Info on the Vodafone launch can be found here.

Finally!! Telecom to get the iPhone 4S!

Daniel Burgess — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:45:24 +0000

Finally after much will-they-won’t-they and then the whole website-links-coming-and-going thing, Telecom have finally stepped up and announced that they will indeed be offering the iPhone (all versions) and what’s more they will be launching the devices at 12:01am on 11th in the 4 major centres (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin). Keep reading for more info and the full press release… including plans.

iPhone 4S now available for pre-order

Paul — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:40:13 +0000

The iPhone 4S is available for pre-order right now via the Apple Store website. At the time of writing this, the shipping time is 1-2 weeks so the question is… pre-order and wait for it to be delivered, or risk another potentially shambolic retail launch on the 11th? What are you going to do? Share in the comments.

UPDATE: As pointed out by a lot of readers, Telecom’s website briefly showed an ‘iPhone’ link this morning, and then went away again. See screen shot below. There is speculation that this could mean Telecom are getting it, but it could just as easily mean that Telecom are going to offer some ‘bring your iPhone to XT’ deals like it has in the past.

iPhone 4S launches in New Zealand November 11th, pre-orders open Friday

Steve Lawrence — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:21:39 +0000

After a short but agonising wait, Apple has confirmed this morning that the iPhone 4S will launch in New Zealand on November 11th with pre-orders opening November 4th. Pricing has also been confirmed with the 16GB model priced at $1,049, the 32GB model at $1,199 and the 64GB at $1,349. Keep reading for the full press release.

A slice of Apple comes to the core of Christchurch

Steve Lawrence — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 07:47:01 +0000

This Saturday marks the opening of Christchurch’s new temporary city mall, a development project called Re:START. Made from modified storage containers the mall will be located on both the north and south sides of Cashel Street in the spaces occupied by now-demolished buildings. As both Cantabrians and iOS addicts, the part that excites us the most is that Apple reseller YooBee will be among the list of tenants.

Where to buy the Steve Jobs biography in New Zealand

Steve Lawrence — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:08:22 +0000

In case you were unaware, Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography has been released internationally and is now available to purchase. There have been several unauthorised Steve Jobs biographies released in the past, but this is the first official and authorised publication and promises to be a great read. I thought I would provide a quick wrap-up of how and where you can purchase the book in New Zealand and how much it will cost.

© Steve Lawrence for iPhonewzealand, 25/10/2011.
25 comments
Post tags: Biography, Books, eBook, iBook, Physical Book, Steve Jobs
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Fix Your iOS5 APN Issues Via Wi-Fi

Chris — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:27:25 +0000

By now most of you with iOS devices will have managed to update to the new version and will be enjoying it without issue. However some of you are experiencing the APN horror story.

Fear not there is a way to fix it!

Update: MMS and mobile data switch

The floodgates are open: Apple launch a barrage of updates and new apps

Steve Lawrence — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:49:47 +0000

I hope your broadband data cap is in good standing, because it won’t be by the end of the day! As well as the long-awaited iOS 5, Apple have released a barrage of updates for both Mac and iOS apps as well as launched some brand new ones. Keep reading for a summary of what’s new.

© Steve Lawrence for iPhonewzealand, 13/10/2011.
17 comments
Post tags: Airport Utility, Cards, Find My Friends, iMovie, iOS 5, iWork, Lion, Remote, update
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iOS 5 available now…Go Go Go!!

Daniel Burgess — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:28:27 +0000

Finally the day has come… iOS 5 is available for the general population to download. The update is available now via iTunes for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch 3rd and 4th gen, iPad, iPad 2, and Apple TV 2.

There’s a whole raft of new features (over 200 of them), too many for us to go through, but below is a list of the main ones (via Apple). We thought we’d leave it up to you guys to tell us what you think, what you’ve found, what you like and what you dislike. So hit the comments below and let us know what you think of the new features and what’s your favourite.

iTunes in the cloud now available from New Zealand store

Daniel Burgess — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:46:11 +0000

Amongst other updates that are coming with iCloud, Apple has quietly updated the iTunes Store on iOS 5 to now allow for iTunes in the Cloud, meaning the music you purchase in iTunes appears automatically on all your devices and you can also download your past iTunes purchases.

It needs to be activated by going to “Settings >> Store” and then you will see that under Automatic downloads there is now a Music option. This will likely already be there once you download iOS 5 if you are not a dev and don’t currently have it. Once you have done that you will see purchases in the iTunes app and you will be able to download your pas purchases.

Unfortunately iTunes Match is still only available for U.S account holders. Image gallery after the break…

Hat tip to JarrodM for the heads upRead More

iCloud now open to all

Daniel Burgess — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:42:19 +0000

A short while ago Apple removed the beta and developer tags from iCloud.com and the iCloud preferences in the latest version of OS X Lion (which is still only available for devs right now). iWork won’t work fully just yet as it requires an update to the iWork apps, which we assume will be available tomorrow along with iOS 5 and OS X Lion 10.7.2. Anyway, hit the link above to start your transition to iCloud, oh and you may want to read some of the FAQ’s first: MobileMe to iCloud Transition FAQ’s

iTunes 10.5 now available

Steve Lawrence — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:36:39 +0000

iTunes 10.5 is now out of beta and available to download. It seems a bit hit-and-miss as to whether it will pop up on Software Update but going to itunes.com seems to be the best source. The download weighs in at 103MB and you should grab it now in preparation for iOS 5 and all the goodness that has to offer. Enjoy!

Facebook for iPad available now

Daniel Burgess — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:42:19 +0000

Yes that’s right folks, Facebook have finally released their app for the iPad and it’s available at the link below. They have also issued an update to the iPhone app and from our initial look at it, it’s a pretty nice update with a whole new interface. Hit the download link below (it’s universal) and get your ‘Like’ on.

Steve Jobs has passed away aged 56…

The Team — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:08:29 +0000

It comes with great sadness that we are writing this post, however we have just heard that, as reported by Apple, Steve Jobs has passed away today at the age of 56. Like many of you, we foolishly hoped that this day would never come. His departure is a massive loss not just to Apple but the entire industry. Our condolences to Jobs’ family and to all of those whose lives he touched.

From Apple:

If you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email rememberingsteve@apple.com

Rest in peace.
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Today’s iPhone 4S announcement and what it means for New Zealand

Steve Lawrence — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 06:20:26 +0000

After all the hype and the months of insufferable wild speculation, it pains me to say that if today’s announcement could be summed up in a word it would be: yawn. This will certainly go down in history as one of the least exciting iPhone keynotes (in my opinion at least), but for New Zealand in particular there is even less to be excited about. Why? Keep reading.

© Steve Lawrence for iPhonewzealand, 05/10/2011.
63 comments
Post tags: 4S, announcement, Apple, iCloud, iOS 5, iPhone, New Zealand
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In case you hadn’t heard, iOS 5 GM 9A334 is available now

Daniel Burgess — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:58:43 +0000

I know, I know… we are late to the party, but iOS 5 GM 9A334 is now available for download from the dev site.

Let us know what you find in the comments.

Reminder: Tomorrow is iPhone announcement day. Give us your predictions!

Steve Lawrence — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 06:49:06 +0000

No doubt about it, the past few months have been ridiculous in terms of rumour and speculation surrounding the next generation iPhone. Thankfully, we don’t have to put up with it much longer because tomorrow morning at 6am NZT Apple will be unveiling the real thing on home turf in Cupertino, California. Unfortunately, it won’t be possible for us to live blog the event this time but all the usual iPhone blogs such as TUAW, 9to5Mac, The Loop and This is my next will be, so if you’re getting up early head to your site of choice and get ready to refresh like you’ve never refreshed before. We’ll provide a wrap-up later in the day with any New Zealand-specific news, should any materialise.

Will we see a slightly tweaked iPhone 4 revealed as the iPhone 4S? Or will the tear-drop shaped iPhone 5 debut? Maybe 2degrees or Telecom will become official carriers, or Vodafone will actually hold a launch party? Share your thoughts in the comments!Read More