The iOS 4.1 Update Fixes Most Things, Breaks a Couple | MacNews

Image by k-ideas via FlickrThe iOS 4.1 Update Fixes Most Things, Breaks a Couple | MacNews

I was VERY HAPPY to see the iOS 4.1 update hit the streets last week. Although I had already had my iPhone 4 replaced for the yellow photo white balance issue, I was still having annoying proximity sensor issues and sometimes people would complain that my voice was very garbled while talking on my bluetooth headset. iOS 4.1 really hit the spot in a big way. First off, for most people it corrected the "taking an indoor shot coming out all yellow problem". I did some tests with another iPhone 4 here at my house that hand't been replaced and I took a shot while it was running iOS 4.0.2 and then took the same shot after applying the iOS 4.1 update and well, see for yourself:

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iPhone: Great Device, Lousy Telephone? - PCWorld

Image via CrunchBaseiPhone: Great Device, Lousy Telephone? - PCWorld

If you have an iPhone, this experience may be familiar: Your phone shows only a bar or two, and either you can't make a call or the call you do make is so scratchy and garbled that the person you're calling can't understand what you're saying. Meanwhile, right next to you, someone on a different AT&T phone connects without a hitch and chats away happily. I decided to informally test whether there's a solid basis for that common gripe. My findings: The two iPhones I tested had lower rates of connecting successfully and had poorer voice quality in AT&T low-signal areas than did two non-Apple AT&T phones that I tested under the same conditions.

I tested four phones on AT&T service in two cities over three days. I drove around San Francisco and Los Angeles comparing the performance of the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS against the performance of the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000 and the Pantech Impact in voice calls placed at roughly the same time from areas where coverage from the AT&T network is less than optimal.

What I found was surprising. Calls on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS failed to connect or dropped in midcall far more often than did calls on the other two phones, and the iPhone calls that connected successfully sounded marginally worse than calls placed with the BlackBerry and Pantech phones.    More...

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I have noticed a significant call in drop call quality since my daughter switched from a Blackberry, which broke, to a new iPhone 4

John H. Armwood

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Upcoming iOS 4 update to address iPhone 3G performance | MacNN

Upcoming iOS 4 update to address iPhone 3G performance | MacNN

Apple may be planning on addressing performance issues related to iOS 4 on the iPhone 3G. Steve Jobs allegedly responded to an iPhone 3G owner who voiced frustration that v4.0.1 and v4.0.2 failed to provide a fix, according to MacRumors.

"Software update coming soon," Jobs wrote, without going into further detail.

The company recently admitted that it was looking into reports of problems running iOS 4 on the iPhone 3G. Customers have complained of problems with extremely sluggish speed, overheating, battery drain, and several other issues.

Apple has yet to provide a launch date for the next iOS update, which is expected to be v4.1.

By MacNN Staff

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From the Desk of David Pogue - Three Unknown Features of the iPhone 4 - NYTimes.com

From the Desk of David Pogue - Three Unknown Features of the iPhone 4 - NYTimes.com

It seems as though Apple dodged a bullet. Ever since the Steve Jobs press conference a couple of weeks ago, in which Apple offered free carrying casesbumpers (or full refunds) to anyone whose iPhone 4 exhibits the signal-drops-when-you-hold-the-phone-a-certain-way problem, the jeering and mockery online seems to have gone into hibernation.

Meanwhile, enough time has passed, and enough millions of people have been playing with their iPhones, that a critical mass of tricks and tips have started to pile up. Here's a look at three cool iOS 4 features that nobody, including Apple, seems to be talking about.

* Unified Contacts. The iPhone (and iPod Touch) can sync up with different accounts. The Contacts app might list three different sets of names and numbers: one stored on your phone, one from a MobileMe account, and a third from your corporate Exchange server at work. In the old days, certain names might show up in the All Contacts list two or three times, which isn't helpful.

In iOS 4, the iPhone displays each person's name only once in the All Contacts list. If you tap that name, you open up a Unified Info screen for that person. It includes all the details from ALL of the underlying cards from that person. All of the phone numbers, for example, are tidily rounded up into a single list.

To see which cards the iPhone is combining, scroll to the bottom of the card. There, the Linked Cards section shows you which cards have been unified.

Here, you can tap a listing to open the corresponding card in the corresponding account. You can also unlink one of the cards. For that matter, you can manually link a card, too; Tap Edit, tap Link Contact, and then choose a contact to link to this unified card -- even if the name isn't a perfect match.

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US-CERT Current Activity

US-CERT Current Activity

Apple Releases Updates for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

Apple has released iOS 4.0.2 for the iPhone and iPod touch and iOS 3.2.2 for the iPad to address vulnerabilities in the FreeType and IOSurface packages. Exploitation of these vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or gain system privileges.

iPhone and iPod touch users are encouraged to review Apple article HT4291 and upgrade to iOS 4.0.2. iPad users are encouraged to review Apple article HT4292 and upgrade to iOS 3.2.2. Additional information regarding the vulnerability affecting the FreeType package can be found in US-CERT Vulnerability Note VU#275247.

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The Man Behind the iPhone 4 Has Left Apple

Image via CrunchBase

The Man Behind the iPhone 4 Has Left Apple

The person in charge of developing the hardware for the iPhone 4 has abruptly left Apple. Mark Papermaster's departure comes in the wake of a widely publicized problem with the design of this smartphone.

The device suffers from what's been called the "death grip" after users discovered that holding it in just the wrong way can greatly reduce wireless performance, in some cases cutting off phone calls.

The issue is bad enough that Apple has been forced to give free cases to everyone who has an iPhone 4 or purchases one for the next two months.

It's not clear is Papermaster has resigned on his own, or if he was pressured to leave.

He was originally hired away from IBM several years ago. IBM objected in federal court on the grounds that its former high-level executive knew proprietary trade information. After a long delay, Papermaster went to work for Apple in the spring of 2009.

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AppleInsider | iPhone 4 owners report fewer dropped calls than iPhone 3GS

Image via CrunchBase

AppleInsider | iPhone 4 owners report fewer dropped calls than iPhone 3GS: "By Neil Hughes Published: 11:10 AM EST A new survey of iPhone 4 users has found that owners of Apple's latest handset have experienced fewer dropped calls than those who own an iPhone 3GS, suggesting the real-world impact of the iPhone 4 antenna issue is a non-factor.
ChangeWave Research on Wednesday released the results of a new survey conducted between July 19 and 28 of new iPhone 4 owners. The company waited until a few weeks after the handset launched to allow the impact of the device's antenna controversy to set in.
The survey of 213 new iPhone 4 owners found that users claimed to experience fewer dropped calls than those who own an iPhone 3GS. A June 2010 survey of iPhone 3GS owners found that 6.3 percent had experienced dropped calls. But in July, just 5.2 percent of iPhone 4 owners said they had dropped a call.
'Despite all of the issues surrounding the antenna, in actuality iPhone 4 owners reported experiencing fewer dropped calls on the average than iPhone 3GS owners,' said Paul Carton, vice president of research with ChangeWave.
Those numbers are actually different from the data that Apple reported last month at its iPhone 4 press conference. There, Chief Executive Steve Jobs revealed that the iPhone 4 drops slightly more call, at a rate less than one call per 100 greater. Jobs said he believes this is because there were not many cases that fit the new form factor of the iPhone 4 available when the handset launched in June.
Respondents were also very satisfied with Apple's response to the antenna controversy, in which the company will give away free cases to all customers through Sept. 30. Users can select an Apple branded 'Bumper' case, or a number of other third-party options."

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Apple investigating iOS 4 problems on iPhone 3G | MacNN

Image via CrunchBase

Apple investigating iOS 4 problems on iPhone 3G | MacNN

Apple has begun investigating reports of problems running iOS 4 on the iPhone 3G. An Apple spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that the company is aware of the complaints and is currently looking into the situation.

Many users have reported problems with excessive battery drain, heat, and overall performance. Although the new OS was expected to run a bit slower on the older hardware, even with multitasking disabled, some users claim iOS 4 effectively makes the iPhone 3G unusable in certain situations.

Apple has yet to provide a solution for the problems or advise against the upgrade for older iPhones.

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