iphone4

LAS VEGAS--One of my favorite parts of CES is getting beyond the shiny new smartphones and tracking down the quirky mobile accessories that hide in far corners of the enormous show floor.

Sadly, I had to wait until the last day of CES to start exploring, so I was very fortunate to bump into the founders of CaseInity at the CNET stage (I guess they figured it was a likely place to find CNET editors lurking about).

Based in Philadelphia, CaseInity is developing a unique and very convenient case for the iPhone 4 and 4S called Cord-on-Board. Beyond just protecting … Read more

Don't mess with an angry mob of people waiting in line for a shiny new Apple product--especially if they've got produce on hand.

That was the lesson Apple's retail store in Beijing learned the hard way.

Bloomberg reports that those who had lined up for the iPhone 4S on its launch day in the country became incensed when the store did not open up for sales at the previously announced time.

According to the story, the 500 some person group began "pelting" the store with eggs, later transferring their rage to an unidentifiable "man … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Olloclip, a Kickstarter project in 2011, has come up with an easy way to get some fancy lens effects on your iPhone camera, for a fairly reasonable price.

While the Olloclip wasn't launched here at CES 2012, it's definitely a product to keep an eye on in 2012.

The approach is simple--one piece of equipment, three different lenses for your iPhone 4 or 4S.

Applying the Olloclip and switching between lenses is a breeze, as you will see in the video below, in which Olloclip CEO Patrick O'Neill gives us a rundown of how to … Read more

If you've been patiently waiting for a jailbreak solution for your A5-based device--in other words, your iPhone 4S or iPad 2--it should be exciting news that the jailbreak community has gotten its current program out of the sandbox stage, which generally signals an imminent release.

According to a tweet picked up by iDownloadBlog, hacker "planetbeing" has announced that the iPhone 4S/iPad 2 jailbreak has left the sandbox stage of development. He also states that the jailbreak is "turning out to be more complex than X-Gold 618."

X-Gold 618 was the baseband chip in the … Read more

Android is still beating Apple in the smartphone wars, but the iPhone 4S has narrowed the gap between the two rivals, according to NPD data released yesterday at CES.

Analyzing last year's smartphone market, NPD found that iOS's share surged to 43 percent in October and November from just 26 percent in the third quarter, thanks largely to demand for the iPhone 4S. Though Google's mobile OS maintained its lead, its share dropped in October and November to 47 percent from 60 percent in the previous quarter.

With Apple and Android vying for the top spot, other … Read more

Case-mate's latest tough iPhone 4/4S case, the Phantom, just started shipping, but it's worth calling out because Case-mate is officially launching it at CES in Vegas.

This is a "two-piece" case, but it doesn't include an integrated plastic screen cover like some tough cases do (it comes with a stick-on screen protector).

As noted, the Phantom comes in multiple colors and retails for $50. When I get my hands on one, I'll see if it's worthy of making it onto our Top 20 tough iPhone 4 and 4S case list.

If you own an iPhone 4 (or 4S) you're probably already using a case. But if you're still looking for one, or want a new one, here's another to consider.

Ballistic announced today its latest case for the smartphone, called Ballistic LS Smooth. It "offers consumers an unparalleled protection" while remaining aesthetically appealing.

Similar to the original Ballistic LS cases, the new case is made of strong materials. It's now thinner and better-looking.

The LS Smooth has four removable Ballistic Corners that protect the mobile device from drops and allows for customization. The new … Read more

These have been trying times for Siri.

Not only has she been having to work overtime answering mundane questions posed by those with nothing better to think or do, she's even been helping Santa get off his large, lazy bottom and do his job.

It is, perhaps, unsurprising that she seems to have finally lost her temper. For, as 12-year-old Charlie Le Quesne picked up a demonstration iPhone 4S in a branch of Tesco in the UK, Siri finally let her frustrations out. (Yes, I know she puts on a man's voice in the U.K., but that'… Read more

Christmastime is a time of giving. So it's natural that if you got a shiny new smartphone, you'd want to give your old one away to a friend or family member. But be careful to whom you bestow this present. If the lucky recipient of your generous gift doesn't already have a smartphone and a smartphone data plan, you may be saddling him or her with a higher monthly bill.

In this edition of Ask Maggie I clear up the confusion around whether a smartphone can be used for voice service only. I also offer some advice … Read more