Cell Phone and Mobile Techology News
October 4, 2011 2 Comments
Looks like 9to5Mac has spilled the beans just minutes away from Apple’s iPhone event. Two images show that the iPhone 4S is indeed coming with both the black and white iPhone 4S models being stored on the Apple webstore.
[via 9to5Mac]
October 4, 2011 3 Comments
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Live Coverage of Apple Keynotes. Including Images, Commentary, and sometimes audio and video.
UPDATE: If you are interested in following a live blog, we have a list for you here:
October 3, 2011 Leave a comment
Image Credit: Business Insider (SAI)
According to Business Insider’s Michael DeGusta, Google’s Android is poised to hit 1 Million activated handsets per day sometime in October. If Android continues on that pace, it would possibly activate 365 million devices by this time next year. Back in June Andy Rubin tweeted the following “there are now over 500,000 Android devices activated every day, and it’s growing at 4.4% w/w.”
Now that Sprint is getting the iPhone 5 and Verizon and AT&T will get the iPhone 4S, this could help Android achieve even greater market penetration and puts Android in head to head battle for market dominance with Apple.
October 3, 2011 1 Comment
Image Credit: MacRumors.com
In what would be a huge coup for Now Network, BGR’s Johnathan Geller confirming and Wall Street Journal’s Marketplace Editor Dennis Berman, is reporting, that the iPhone 5 will be an exclusive deal with Sprint, for $20 billion worth of iPhones over the next four years.
Sprint’s iPhone 5 will be a 4G WiMAX based device, although we think that this will be a dual band with CDMA device as well. Verizon and AT&T are expected to get the iPhone 4S this quarter but expect both companies to have LTE versions of the iPhone 5 sometime next year.
BGR is reporting that Sprint’s iPhone 5 will have:
In this scenario, the iPhone 4S Apple will introduce tomorrow will feature the following:
- A low voltage Apple A5 CPU (it won’t be the same as the iPad 2 chip, clock for clock).
- Updated front and back camera sensors. FaceTime HD in the front, 8 megapixel 1080p HD video recording in the back.
- Multiband 3G Qualcomm chipset — North American & International GSM/UMTS/HSPA bands for AT&T and Global carriers, North American CDMA & International GSM/UMTS/HSPA bands for Verizon and Sprint.
- NFC support
- Metal or “premium” plastic on the back case.
- Faster CPU.
- Larger 4-inch screen, similar to LG’s NOVA display but with a higher resolution.
- 1GB of RAM.
- Slightly larger design overall, but thinner and with a larger battery.
- 32GB of storage.
- iPhone 5 exclusive software and APIs (Assistant).
- Dedicated Assistant button, possibly integrated with the new home button, “think gestures or a two-stage button like a camera shutter key).
Update:
MacDailyNews is reporting that they have the pricing for the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 with specs of each phone.
Apple’s iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 5 specs and prices:
• iPhone 4, 8GB, A4, 512MB RAM, 5 MP main camera, black (GSM) – $0
• iPhone 4, 8GB, A4, 512MB RAM, 5 MP main camera, white (GSM) – $0
• iPhone 4, 8GB, A4, 512MB RAM, 5 MP main camera, black (CDMA) – $0
• iPhone 4, 8GB, A4, 512MB RAM, 5 MP main camera, white (CDMA) – $0• iPhone 4S, 16GB, A5, 1GB RAM, 5 MP main camera, black (GSM/CDMA) – $99
• iPhone 4S, 16GB, A5, 1GB RAM, 5 MP main camera, white (GSM/CDMA) – $99
• iPhone 4S, 32GB, A5, 1GB RAM, 5 MP main camera, black (GSM/CDMA) – $199
• iPhone 4S, 32GB, A5, 1GB RAM, 5 MP main camera, white (GSM/CDMA) – $199
• iPhone 5, 16GB, A5, 1GB RAM, 8 MP main camera, (GSM/CDMA) – $199(source unsure if this model will be offered at this price or at all)
• iPhone 5, 32GB, A5, 1GB RAM, 8 MP main camera, (GSM/CDMA) – $299
• iPhone 5, 64GB, A5, 1GB RAM, 8 MP main camera, (GSM/CDMA) – $399
September 29, 2011 1 Comment
Image credit: Tmobnews
USA corporate T-Mobile 400+ stores are about to get a complete face-lift. According to WirelessWeek, the stores will feature a complete redesign which will include all new technology to reduce customer wait times, customers will now be able to meet with sales representatives at private customer service desks and view products in clearly defined marketing areas, making it easier to find what they need. Also included in the makeover will be a whole new look including new hardwood flooring, large digital messaging screens at the rear of the store, vertical highlight panels installed with information kiosks and video monitors intended to increase customer engagement and simplify shopping. Beginning on the east coast, stores will start reopening beginning October 5th and carry on through 65 markets across the country in due time.
September 28, 2011 2 Comments
Well this is a nice site, although it may just be a custom ROM. It appears that a very lucky Ebay shopper got his T-Mobile Samsung Nexus S and it came with a hidden surprise: loaded with Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Check out the video posted by Engadget below.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
[via Engadget]
September 28, 2011 2 Comments
I got asked by a friend the other day, “Hey, do you know how to repair an iPhone 4? I dropped it and broke my screen.” I said, go on the interwebs. He looked at me with a daze and said, “I can’t find a good source. Do you know someone that will fix it?” Stunned, I told him to GO ON THE INTERWEBS because I know there are a ton of sites that give you step by step instructions for repairing your phone. That got me to thinking, there really isn’t a one-stop-shop (source) for all of this information compiled into one page. So as I sit here on my day off, I realize that this is something I can do without spending a lot of hours. So here it goes.
Image credit: DaveOnFlickr
Listed below you will find several sites and videos combined to give you the necessary information required to fix your iPhone 4/3G or iPod Touch.
iPhone 4:
This video below by DirectFix.com is a great ‘walk through’ of how to repair for your iPhone. DirectFix.com also provides the necessary parts and tools to repair your iPhone 4.
iFixit.com puts on complete how-to’s with step-by-step instructions on repairing almost all aspects of the iPhone 4. The guides are very easy to read and come with photos to walk you through the process. iFixit also has question areas if you get stuck or did something wrong through the repair process.
iPhone 3Gs:
This video below by DirectFix.com is a great ‘walk through’ of how to repair for your iPhone. DirectFix.com also provides the necessary parts and tools to repair your iPhone 3Gs.
iFixit.com also has step-by-step instructions on how to repair the iPhone 3Gs screen (in addition to other tutorials). Head on over there to check it out here.
iPhone 3G:
This video below by MissionRepair is a very good video showing you how to repair the screen of the iPhone 3G in about five minutes. It is a very simple video and you can just pause the video as you repair your phone. Make sure to have the proper tools and parts to repair your phone BEFORE you get started.
Again, if you want a step-by-step walkthrough, you can head on over to iFixit and read the 18 step guide.
For the iPhone 3G on AT&T, you can go here.
Here is another excellent guide to repair your iPhone 3G. It is in .PDF format. Click here to download.
Is your iPhone or iPod touch freezing up?
Then it needs to be restored. Check out this very simple video below that shows you how to restore your iPhone or iPod Touch.
iPod Touch repair
DigitalExpress provides and excellent video for repairing your iPod Touch 2nd and 3rd generation.
PDF Instructions for iPods:
iPod 3rd Generation Disassembly
iPod 4th Generation Disassembly
iPod Mini Disassembly
Color iPhone Cases
Want COLOR on your iPhone and make it stand out from the crowd? We’ve got that for you here too.
Need Apple Help?
For those of you seeking service questions or want to go directly to Apple, go here.
*We are NOT responsible if you brick your device or mess it up in any way or void your warranty with Apple. You do this at your OWN RISK.
September 23, 2011 Leave a comment
Yep, it’s been a while since we had a post (or an actual site for that matter) hasn’t it? Well fonefrenzy wasn’t completely dead, we just took some twists and turns along the long bloggers road. And I can say that it has been a humbling learning experience. Basically, I fucked up, more than once.
Before starting fonefrenzy (the website) in 2009, I was on twitter as fonefrenzy pretty much just retweeting cell phone news and especially webOS. This guy named Phil got a hold of me and asked to me to write for his site. I started writing for PreThinking and broke the news with the first screen shots of webOS. It was pretty exciting to say the least, having every major blog in the world link back to PreThinking for our exclusive story. The site was started by Philip ‘Phil’ Lam, the same brilliant kid that got busted for selling authentic white iPhone 4 conversion kits to the masses. I guess since he spoke fluent Chinese, he was able to find a connection for the parts. I wasn’t privy to the entire story of what happened because by this time, I had already moved on my own with fonefrenzy. Though I did have a ball writing for PreThinking during that period of my life, and I thank Phil for giving me a change to get started.
I hooked up with Daniel Rodriguez from SoCal on twitter and asked him if he wanted to write for FF. We were both pretty jazzed by webOS and both of us started becoming mobile tech addicts. Later, I met with James Patterson, over Google buzz when I posted I was looking for mobile tech writers and we became friends since he was local. James told me about his friend Dillon Hanson, who at the time was stationed in Germany as a medic in the Army, but he has some pretty decent mobile chops too.
Twitter was an avenue to meet a lot of interesting people and I was very fortunate to meet tnkgrl (Myriam Joire) and Matt Bennett. We shot a several mobile video podcasts together called “talking with tnkgrl” (I showed up in the later episodes), Matt and tnkgrl had already been doing this for a while. I was always impressed with tnkgrl’s ability to get hardware. Not only did she have dual degrees but she was a mobile addict too. Myriam and I become pretty cool friends. I just wished I lived in the city, that way we could have shot many more podcasts together. We had hard times with our schedules, particularly mine at the time, to get together for more podcasts. It was fun because I would roll up from the central valley and meet her and Matt at Farley’s coffee, and she would litterally pull out a bag full of phones. Matt and I were awestruck with the shear amount of hardware she’d be packing every time. We would have audio or video problems occasionally but all in all, we had fun and got information out to the masses.
Later on, I went out to cover webOS events like the first dev meetup at Pivotal Labs (the company that coded the Tweed twitter app for webOS). Then I covered the webOS first big dev meetup a Palm’s HQ accompanied by tnkgrl. I met Luke Kilpatrick who, to this day I still have not had the opportunity to have a board session with on the coast. But we will soon Luke! Both tnkgrl and I got to meet and speak with Mitch Allen, Palm’s CTO at the time and he was one of the most down to earth people in the world. I remember earlier when my soon-to-be wife at the time saw Mitch at the Pivotal Labs dev event and she proceeded to tell me as we were leaving that she thought Mitch was hot for an older guy. I was like whatever, because had I said the same about same about Tomomi Imura, I would have received the stare-of-death from my girl.
From there, I attended the Mobilize in 2009 event in S.F., again with tnkgrl and got to meet two of the nicest guys in the blogosphere, Chris Ziegler and Ross Miller, both editors at Engadget at the time. Both of them were really cool and remembered me from emails I had sent them. I also caught up with Chris and tnkgrl earlier this year at the S.F. Engadget meet up when I brought my other buddy James Patterson editor/coder/hacker along with me to the event. And then went to CES the following January as a blogger. I got to peek inside the Engadget trailer and see their setup which was sponsored by Sprint. In retrospect, I truly had no clue as to how to put all that I saw in writing, all by myself, as it was so much information to cover in a short amount of time. I had no direction or plan for the show and that hindered me. Also, I had really lame laptop and a cheap camera I got a target. The whole experience was pretty overwhelming, but I learned what it took to become a blogger, in addition to the tools that were required to get the job done. I felt pretty lost.
Time passed and we kept sporadically writing when each of us had time. Looking back, we were trying to hard to be like the bigger tech sites: Engadget, BGR, Gizmodo, Android Central, etc., doing reviews, reporting news and such. Instead of focusing on ‘our voice’ we tried to emulate these larger sites, competing with paid writers and the ability to write full time – which we didn’t have the time, nor money to do so. None of us had that ability and we were all struggling to bring fresh daily content to the site. So in haste, I made a very bad decision to get more readers on our site; I turned fonefrenzy into a scraper site. I did this to test and see how it would affect our stats. While they improved slightly, our bounce rate was off the charts. We didn’t keep eyes on our site because content was coming from other sites. I did shut down the incoming feeds on my own because ‘our’ posts was getting lost in the massive amount of news that was coming through the site each day. And then I got a phone call earlier this year (2011) from Myriam. She never called, so I knew something was up.
I was left with a frantic message to call her back right away. I was at work and had a client with me, so I called her as soon as I could. When I returned her call, she proceeded to tell me that she was now the Senior Mobile Editor for Engadget. At this time, several of the Engadget editors split to form their own site This Is My Next, soon to be renamed The Verge. She called to offer me job as a mobile writer for Engadget. I was stunned. She told me to submit an app and she would talk with Darren Murph, the managing editor for Engadget, about hooking me up with a job. I had an ‘in’ for a dream job of my life. And believe me at the time, I had gone through two different employers and was not happy in my career at all. I am an extremely hard and dedicated worker but my compensation plan changed several times, and not for the better. In addition, my hours got worse each month.
So I submitted my application and three stories to Myriam and she passed them along to Darren. Well, my decision to ‘scrape’ other sites content totally backfired and bit me in the fucking ass. You see, all of the articles we wrote, over 1,000+, were obscured by all the feeds I had pulled into the site as a test run like Techmeme. Myriam gave Darren my URL and he started reviewing the site. He then saw posts from scraped posts from Engadget. Myriam hadn’t checked my site in a while and wasn’t aware of what transpired at all and was a little taken back. So I wrote an email explaining that I had written over 660 articles by myself on FF, not including the 160+ over at PreThinking. But the damage was already done, and I was not given the opportunity to write for Engadget after that fubar of a decision. To put salt on the wounds, I got a C&D letter from AOL’s attorneys, which weren’t happy about me scraping content from their newly acquired flagship tech blog. I fucked up and I had nightmares about it for weeks. I got so depressed, I wasn’t even associating with my coworkers, friends and family at all. It was pretty disheartening to have such a wonderful opportunity to do what I LOVE, only to be stripped away from me because I wanted more content on our FF. So I decided to shut down the site and start over with another blog with James.
Well, although the concept was pretty good, an all tech site with ‘buddies’ didn’t seem to work out to well. Dillon got back from the Army and started going to back to school and wanted to spend time with his family. Daniel didn’t like the direction of the site and had other stuff going on in his life, so he took a vacation. James and I had been working crazy hours and we both had families, which made it hard to contribute to content of various formats of technology. I want to say that James put a shitload of time into coding the new tech site to make it all pretty and running smooth, but to no avail, besides James and I throwing up posts, no one else contributed much. So I decided to shut it down.
So what now? Well, my first love is mobile tech and always will be. Each day we get glimpse of how much better the future will be every six months with better processors, better hardware, better cameras, refined OS’ and the like. Fonefrenzy will continue as a site dedicated to mobile news, just not ‘breaking’ mobile news. We are going to become a more tutorial/opinionated site, whereby we try and strive to give you unbiased and sometimes hard core fucking biased thoughts of products, services, business related news, hardware reviews, video and audio podcasts and other mobile tech tidbits. Basically, back to our roots but better. If you love us, great. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, etc. If you don’t, leave your hate filled, profane rants in the comments section and if they are good enough, we will respond accordingly. If they suck, we’ll just ban your IP 😉
And last, thank you the many readers over the years for checking out our blog.
January 28, 2011 1 Comment
Sony’s new Playstation Suite was not the show stealer at Sony’s press conference in Tokyo (see NGP), but it is still huge news for the mobile industry. Playstation Suite is a software framework that will allow Playstation One games to be ported over to Android devices running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) later this year. This is not only huge news because it’s awesome, but because it marks the first console maker to port over their own ecosystem to cellphones/tablets (In no small part due to the previous limitations of cellphone/tablet GPUs I’m sure).
January 24, 2011 2 Comments
Thanks to the guys over at XDA dev forums, this video shows you how to install both Android and WP7 on your HTC HD2. Follow the walk-through video above to make your hot little HD2 dual boot both OS’. And note that we are not responsible if you brick your device.
[via XDA dev forums]
FoneFrenzy - Mobile Technology Blog 
Recent Comments