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Add local coupons to Passbook using Valpak

Arguably, Passbook is off to a fairly slow start. Even after having a few months with developer previews of iOS 6, companies and developers have taken their time in rolling out support for Passbook now that it's public.

Starbucks, Target, McDonald's, Airbnb and even a few airlines have rolled out Passbook integration, but it's been a slow process. There's hope after Major League Baseball announced Passbook adoption by e-ticket users surpassed all expectations. Hopefully businesses take note, and either speed up or commit to implementing Passbook.

Big companies have more resources (read: money) to investigate Passbook … Read more

Verizon Galaxy S3 'world phone' coming. But when?

Readers keep asking me for an update. When's Verizon going to make its Samsung Galaxy S3 phones capable of global roaming, as I wrote about in an earlier column. Bad news: Verizon's still not saying when, though it promises the capability will still come.

Let's go back to what I was told by Verizon in June, from my column about using the Galaxy S3 to roam both within and outside the U.S.:

The Verizon model of the Galaxy S3 will be global ready for GSM roaming after a software update that will … Read more

How to simplify sharing your panoramic photos

Sharing a panorama taken with iOS 6 on your iPhone is easy, but takes some work on the recipients end to view. The photo isn't all that tall, it's wide and only provides a general overview of the entire photo unless you pinch and zoom. Then you'll need to swipe back-and-forth until you can view the entire photo. It works, but it's not fun.

The next time you have a great-looking panorama you'd like to show off, use TourWrist, a free iOS app (download link) available in the App Store. Once you sign up and … Read more

iOS 6 users continue to grapple with Wi-Fi problems

A number of Apple iOS 6 users say they still can't connect to Wi-Fi networks, and the problem isn't just with the iPhone 5.

Reports of the glitch have filled up 91 pages on Apple's Discussion Forums since September 19. Most users say the Wi-Fi option on their device is grayed out, preventing them from accessing the feature at all. Many have tried the usual fixes, such as reinstalling the OS, resetting the device, and even getting a replacement unit from Apple. But the problem persists.

Some users have said the bug is isolated to the iPhone 5. … Read more

How to add almost any gift card to Passbook

Do a quick search on Twitter and you'll find many iOS users sending request after request (or in some cases, demand after demand) to retailers, airlines, and merchants for Passbook integration. Passbook is clearly one feature iOS users are eager to use, but the delay in adoption is driving them mad.

Enter Gyft.

Gyft is a gift card app for iOS that allows you to store gift card information in a single, easy-to-access place. Sound familiar?

As TechCrunch pointed out this morning, Gyft received a big update last night, bringing with it the ability to add any gift card … Read more

iOS 6 tip: Change the direction of a Panorama photo

As we've already discussed, the new Panorama feature on iOS 6 for the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 is extremely easy to use. But, my biggest issue when first using it was always being forced to go from left to right while taking a photo. This may not be a big deal in most situations, but there are times when being able to pan from right to left would be ideal.

It took me a few times using the new feature before I accidentally discovered you're able to switch the direction by tapping on the … Read more

Data speeds: iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S3 vs. iPhone 4S

Though its thinner profile and longer screen are two of the iPhone 5's top draws, I'm more interested in what's inside Apple's newest handset. Yes, after a long wait, the iPhone 5 finally adds support for 4G LTE data networks. Of course, I have to point out that a galaxy of Android phones (get it!) have long offered the feature, but that doesn't mean I'm not grateful that at long last the iPhone has caught up.

Editors' note: This article was originally posted September 22, 2012. We will continue to update it as we … Read more

Apple's Siri trounces Samsung's S Voice (hands-on)

I've updated this hands-on to reflect Siri's new tricks in iOS6; it originally posted June 21, 2012 comparing S Voice on the Galaxy S3 -- which is still current -- to Siri on iOS 5. If you're wondering, tomorrow I'll be comparing the updated Siri to Google Voice Actions.

Voice assistants like Siri, S Voice, Google Actions, and Microsoft's TellMe aren't new, but they are evolving into more mainstream features that can expedite results. S Voice, which launched this summer on the Samsung Galaxy S3, is Samsung's answer to Siri. That also makes … Read more

Getting started with Passbook on iOS 6

Passbook is Apple's first foray into something that slightly resembles a mobile payment solution. Passbook is a new app included in iOS 6 that allows merchants to develop Passes to be stored in the user's Passbook.

With the release of iOS 6 only a few hours old, there aren't too many examples of apps that have incorporated Passbook into them, so I used this site to help me make some sample Passes just for this post.

When you launch Passbook for the first time, it will more than likely be empty. There will be a link that … Read more

Understanding Facebook integration on iOS 6

When Apple announced iOS 5 and the tight integration it would feature with Twitter, many people wondered about the conspicuous lack of Facebook integration. We still don't know why Facebook wasn't included in iOS 5, but it is included in iOS 6 and it works great.

In Settings, you'll find a listing for Facebook. Go there to start setting up Facebook's new integration with iOS. If you don't already have the Facebook iOS app installed on your device, you'll be able to download the app there.

You can then log in to Facebook directly … Read more