A little-known feature in iOS 5 is the new option to create free, custom ringtones and text message alert tones.
The iTunes store is flooding with tones for $0.99 to $1.29, prices that are high enough to make you stick with the iPhone's default tones. But now, with a few easy steps, you can make unique tones that set your phone apart from the many others who share the same standard tones.
Watch the video to learn how:
While you were busy asking Siri for her hand in marriage, CNET discovered that Apple's new voice command service in the iPhone 4S is sporting a serious security issue. Even if your phone is passcode-locked, a perpetrator can activate Siri and use the service to access your personal data.
Apple enables access in the lock screen for convenience so that if you're driving or jogging, for instance, you can quickly complete tasks using Siri without having to enter a passcode.
In testing, we were able to access contact information, addresses, calendar appointments. We could even send text messages … Read more
The "S" in iPhone 4S can stand for anything you want it to, be it Siri or Steve or super. However, after finally spending some time with the iPhone 4S this week, I'm choosing to believe that the S does in fact stand for speed, but you probably already knew that, given the title of this piece.
The iPhone 4S' biggest performance advantage over its predecessor is the dual-core A5 CPU inside, replacing the iPhone 4's single-core A4 chip. When I upgraded from my iPhone 3G to the 4 last year, the speed difference between the two phones was obvious and welcome. This year, I'm not eligible for a subsidized iPhone 4S through AT&T, so I won't be getting one.
Discovering that bit of bad news immediately made the 4S less appealing to me as my mind--doing its best attempt at damage control--scrambled for good excuses as to why I wouldn't want one anyway. Chief among them being, "Well, it's probably not that much faster." … Read more
When it comes to performing do-it-yourself fixes or upgrades on your Mac, one of the main resources to use is the online take-apart guides from iFixIt.
The company has detailed how to open and access internal components of many Mac models, and has gained a reputation for quickly tearing down newly released Apple hardware and outlining what's inside.
The manuals and high-quality detailed images offered by iFixIt can be invaluable, but if for some reason your Mac is not working and you need to use one of the manuals to replace a component, then you will need to access … Read more
Even though Twitter is integrated throughout iOS 5, there's one would-be-awesome feature missing: updating Twitter with Siri. If you ask the fine lady to "Update Twitter..." she politely responds, "Sorry, I can't help you with Twitter."
At least, that's what she thinks.
After some tinkering, I set up Siri on my iPhone 4S to not only update Twitter, but Facebook, too. Now when you're driving, on an evening jog, or need a break from the keyboard, you can speak your status updates instead of typing them.
Follow these steps to get started: … Read more
One pretty cool iOS 5 feature that flew in under the radar is Shortcuts, which CNET's Jason Cipriani dubbed AutoText in his June preview, How to customize AutoText shortcuts in iOS 5.
If you've ever used AutoHotKey, PhraseExpress, or even Microsoft Word, you're probably familiar with this time-saving capability: When you type a customized abbreviation, iOS expands it into a complete text blurb. Thus, something like "omw" becomes "on my way," which is handy when you're texting.
Indeed, shortcuts are most useful for composing e-mail and text messages, though you can … Read more
Whether you preordered, stood in line, or slept on the doorstep of an Apple store overnight, there's a good chance you forgot about all your troubles when you unboxed your new, shiny iPhone 4S.
But before you start taking high-definition videos and commanding Siri, you need to activate your iPhone. This process associates your phone with your Apple account (or gives you a new one), and ties your phone to its carrier.
Upon powering-up, the activation process will begin, and you'll be asked to configure several important settings concerning your account, privacy, and features. Follow the slideshow to … Read more
An attempted upgrade to iOS 5 bricked my iPod Touch, forcing me to spend hours restoring the device. What steps should you take if this happens and how do you protect yourself before you update your iOS device?
The upgrade to iOS 5 started smoothly enough on my end as iTunes seemed to be chugging along updating my device. But about halfway through, an error message popped up, and the process was aborted. When I checked my iPod Touch all the data had been wiped out, and iTunes refused to recognize the device.
After plugging and unplugging my Touch and … Read more
With any new Apple iPhone or iPad, a logistical question emerges that bears considering: how do you buy it without enduring a line or a long wait time? The iPhone 4S goes on sale next week on October 14, and it's crossed my mind that my travails with both the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 weren't pretty. Resellers have recently been largely responsible for making the already challenging Apple Store lines an unbearable ordeal with products being sold out well before most people even knew they were back in stock.
In fact, I preordered an iPad 2 back in the spring, then canceled when I decided that the two-week wait time could be bettered by a quick trip to the Apple Store. I bet wrong, and spent two weeks calling Best Buys and searching message boards for a place that would have the iPad I wanted in stock.
Embarrassing, yes, but this was a common occurrence for many people during the first month or so of both the iPhone 4 and iPad 2's existence.
Related stories Apple's next iPhone makes its debut ZDNet: iPhone 4S is swell, but pricing is the killer app Do Apple Stores need a better product reservation system? Does the iPhone 4S need a redesign? Apple iPhone 4S unveiled (roundup)
I have one simple suggestion, and it's hardly a shocker: take advantage of preorder. … Read more
Yesterday, out of the blue, I received this text message on my iPhone:
Annoying, right? Obviously my first instinct was to answer "NO," but just like clicking "unsubscribe" in an unsolicited e-mail, that's a surefire way to prove to spammers that I exist--and open the floodgates to even more spam.
What's more, I have a limited allotment of text messages every month, and I wasn't about to waste one replying to this demon spawn--who'd already cost me a text by sending one in the first place.
Unfortunately, there's no "block&… Read more
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