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AT&T rolls out expanded 4G LTE coverage to 16 US markets
AT&T customers scattered around the US have something to be happy about today -- 4G LTE coverage was just switched on several market areas. The company announced that the following markets can now access the 4G LTE network with their iPhone 5s, LTE-compatible iPads or iPad minis and other compatible smartphones: Asheville, N.C. Casa Grande, Ariz. Culpepper, Va. Dover, Del. Fredericksburg, Va. Goldsboro, N.C. Leonardtown, Md. Linglestown, Pa. Longview, Wash. Ocean City, Md. Port Townsend-North Whidbey Island-Camano Island, Wash. Prince Frederick and Calvert County, Md. Roanoke, Va. Salem, Ore. Schenectady, N.Y. Shelton, Wash. AT&T plans to extend LTE to a total of 79 new markets by the start of summer, which is just a scant three weeks away. LTE is up to 10 times faster than the company's 3G data network, and TUAW editor Dave Caolo is anxiously awaiting its arrival on Cape Cod so he can rely less on slow WiFi service when he's having his car worked on. Soon, Dave, soon...
Apple runs new iPhone ad, dubbed "Music Every Day"
Apple on Thursday evening began running a new iPhone 5 ad titled "Music Every Day." The ad shows iPhone users in a variety of environments using music on the iPhone for inspiration, fun, work and as a means to bond with friends. "Every day," the narration reads, "more people enjoy their music on the iPhone than any other phone." The ad is a cousin of sorts to Apple's most recent ad, appropriately dubbed "Photos Every Day."
Element Case Sector 5 Black Ops Elite: The tactical case for your iPhone 5
Element Case is one of the few iPhone case manufacturers we talk to on a regular basis that continues to innovate with impressive designs that are entirely different from the mainstream. Whether it's their wood, aluminum and leather Ronin or the original Sector 5 case, you can be certain that an Element Case is going to be something that stands out from the crowd. Today we're taking a look at the Element Case Sector 5 Black Ops Elite (US$219.95), which is the perfect case for the Navy SEAL, SWAT team member, or tactical team wannabe in your life. We're giving our review case away, so stick around until the end of the review. Design To get the amazing look of this design, Element Case worked alongside Hogue, a manufacturer of handgun grips, rifle stocks, knives and holsters. Hogue's G10 material is used for the back plate of the case and the knurled side grips as well. G10 is described by Element Case as "a high-pressure thermoset plastic laminate consisting of multiple layers of woven fiberglass mesh cloth impregnated with an epoxy resin binder." In other words, this stuff is tough! %Gallery-189215% As usual, the frame of the Sector 5 Black Ops Elite is made of ultrathin CNC machined aluminum for light weight and strength. There's a clip on the back of the case, but a tactical holster is also included for extra protection. Speaking of protection, you can make sure that your SWAT team buddies aren't able to see the incoming FaceTime call from your girlfriend since a Stealth privacy screen protector is included. What else is included? You're going to need to know how to field strip this case in the dark with your eyes closed (just kidding), so Element Case throws in a little speed wrench to help in installation and removal. The case comes in four different finishes. There's a black case with black G10 inserts, a black case with OD Green G10, a Desert Tan case with black G10, and Desert Tan with Dark Earth G10. Our review case came in the black and OD Green scheme, which looks extra sexy in my personal opinion. Functionality Like all Element Cases, the Sector 5 Black Ops Elite has a little bit of assembly required. You need to install the aluminum frame first, then install the back plate. The clip on the back plate can be oriented in one of two positions -- once again, you'll need to remove and then replace a pair of Torx screws and some spacers to do so. For the purposes of giving the review case away, I did not install the "rash guards" that are used to prevent scratching of the iPhone 5's frame, nor did I install the screen protector. The adhesive on the back plate is designed for removal. Removing the upper right screw on the case with the included wrench took only a few moments, and then the case opened up like a watch band to wrap around the iPhone 5. There's a bit of what looks like neoprene padding in several key areas, keeping the aluminum frame from directly transmitting shocks from drops and bumps to the aluminum frame of the iPhone 5. Of course, not that long ago Element changed the design of the Sector 5 cases to include small amber plastic pieces that allow for more flexibility of the frame in case it is dropped onto a corner. Once the frame is installed, it's time to clean the back of the iPhone 5 with the included alcohol-soaked cleaning wipe. When the back of the iPhone is completely dry, you remove the backing on the G10 back plate and then press the back plate onto the phone. The adhesive for the back plate doesn't cover the bottom half-inch or so, providing a small area to pry off the back if you want to remove it. I liked the feel of the Sector 5 Black Ops Elite -- it's extremely rigid and solid. The belt clip grips well but is easy to install and remove from a belt, and the included tactical holster wouldn't look out of place on the equipment belt of any SWAT team member. The look of the case is amazing as well; Element Case made the Sector 5 Black Ops Elite look futuristic, while the Ronin it shares lineage with looks surprisingly steampunk. The use of Hogue G10 material on the case is pure genius. The material is used for Hogue's line of handgun grips, rifle stocks, and knives (in the handles) and it is not only strong, but has a completely unique look to it. The price of the case definitely puts it into the luxury category, but as the old adage goes, "You get what you pay for." Here's a case that should keep your iPhone 5 protected and lookin' good for years to come. Conclusion It's not the case for everyone, but Element Case has another winner on their hands with the Sector 5 Black Ops Elite. If your tastes tend toward the tactical, you'll love this case. Pros The combination of machined aluminum and Hogue CNC machined G10 make this a strong yet lightweight case One-of-a-kind tactical accessory look Included tactical belt holster adds even more protection Element Case's redesign of the Sector 5 case includes more flexibility in corners for better drop protection Cons A bit expensive, but who's worried about the price tag? Who is it for? The iPhone 5 owner who wants something strong and unique protecting his or her investment Giveaway So, does this case have you drooling yet? One TUAW reader is going to get to take our review unit out into the field -- it could be you! Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before May 26, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Element Case Sector 5 Black Ops Elite iPhone 5 case valued at $220 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
New Mophie Juice Pack Plus gives your iPhone 5 extra oomph
Today, iPhone 5 users have another way to keep their phone charged up for those times when the battery is getting sucked dry. Mophie, which previously brought us the Juice Pack Helium and Juice Pack Air for iPhone 5, today announced the Juice Pack Plus (US$119.95). The case comes in hues of black, white and PRODUCT(RED), and differs from its siblings in thickness, weight, and capacity. The battery in the Plus is a whopping 2,100 mAh, while the Air has 1,700 mAh of extra power and the Helium provides 1,500 mAh. Weight for the Plus and Air is 2.68 oz., while the Helium weighs in at a svelte 2.44 oz. The Plus is 0.70 inch thick, the Air is 0.63 inch thick and the Helium is just 0.59 inch thick. The battery of the Juice Pack Plus is enough to give your iPhone 5 120 percent of a charge -- enough to top it off completely once and then have enough juice left over to make some emergency calls. Mophie says that the black model will ship within one or two days; the white model ships next week on May 22nd, and the special PRODUCT(RED) model will be available on May 31st. We hope to have a full review of the Juice Pack Plus soon.
Study: iPhone retains value better than top Galaxy models
The next time your Samsung Galaxy-toting friends try to annoy you, here's a piece of information you can throw back at them. According to a study published yesterday by investment bank Piper Jaffray, iPhones depreciate at less than half the rate of similar Android devices from Samsung. Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray referred to the new index as "a pulse on what consumers are willing to pay for unsubsidized phones in the US." The index compares US eBay auction ending prices for the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II over a rolling eight weeks to create a trend on resale prices. "The key takeaway from eight weeks of data is that the iPhone is holding slightly more of its value compared to the top two Galaxy phones," according to Munster. The iPhone 5's eBay auction ending value dropped about 11.2 percent in the last eight weeks, while the comparable Samsung Galaxy S III dropped 13.7 percent in value. The iPhone 4S kept its value the best, dropping only 7 percent during the same time period. The Galaxy Note II did the worst job of retaining its value, dropping a full 15 percent in just eight weeks. Munster expects iPhone aftermarket prices to drop as the release of the next model of iPhone draws nearer.
T-Mobile raises iPhone down payment amount
The launch of the iPhone 5 on the T-Mobile USA network last month was greeted with a lot of fanfare and a new pricing structure -- customers could pick up a 16 GB iPhone 5 with a US$99.99 down payment and then make 24 payments of $20 to purchase the phone outright. TmoNews reports that the down payment on all iPhone 5 models has been raised by $50, which raises the cost of the least expensive unlocked iPhone 5 to $630. That's not all that much less than the price of an unlocked 16 GB iPhone 5 from Apple -- $650. Of course, there's no monthly payment option if you buy direct from Apple. Customers wanting to reduce the down payment on that T-Mo iPhone 5 should remember that the carrier does take trade-ins of current iPhones. T-Mobile is seeing the benefits of the iPhone already, having sold more than a half-million devices in the first month after launching the device.
iPhone 5 sees faster data speeds on T-Mobile after hacked carrier update
Are you using an iPhone 5 on T-Mobile? Are you in an area with re-farmed 1900MHz HSPA+ spectrum? Well rejoice! Some enterprising folks over at TmoNews have hacked Apple's carrier update for T-Mobile to boost data speeds on the 1900MHz (PCS) HSPA+ band. Better yet, this tweak applies to both T-Mobile's iPhone 5 and the AT&T / unlocked versions -- no jailbreak required. While the official carrier update enabled LTE for the iPhone 5 on T-Mobile, it also decreased data speeds on re-farmed PCS HSPA+ spectrum for many users. The hacked file makes a number of adjustments: it enables Release 9 for dual-carrier HSPA+ and sets the band preference to "auto" from AWS. Follow the source link below for more details and step-by-step instructions.
Apple takes fifth spot in Chinese smartphone market
In the world's largest smartphone market -- China -- Apple's share rose in the first quarter of 2013 to make the company the fifth largest vendor. Numbers from research firm Canalys show that the release of the iPhone 5 and price cuts on older iPhone models drove growth of Apple's sales. Apple's share of the huge smartphone market pie is important to its bottom line -- while 27 million smartphones were shipped in the US during the first quarter, the number in China was a huge 82 million. That share is just 8 percent, well behind Samsung's 20 percent share, but is made up of much more expensive phones. Phones shipped by number two through four vendors Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific, Huawei and Lenovo are usually low-cost models ranging in price from just 400 yuan to 700 yuan (US$64 to $114). Canalys analyst Nicole Peng noted that China Mobile, the largest carrier in the country with 726 million subscribers, has helped drive the large sales volume by heavy promotion of new phones that work on its 3G network. Peng says that Apple will need to release a less expensive version of the iPhone to grab more market share in China. The iPhone 5 starts at 5,288 yuan ($863) and an 8 GB iPhone 4 goes for 3,088 yuan ($504). Peng notes that a 2000 yuan ($323) model would appeal to customers who want an Apple product, but just can't afford the higher price tag. China's smartphone shipments rose 156 percent year over year in the first quarter, making the country a key market for Apple and other smartphone manufacturers.
iPhone 5, HTC One cameras compared by iMore
Here at TUAW, we're strictly an Apple blog, but our friends over at iMore tend to take a more cross-platform look at things. Today, iMore's Allyson Kazmucha published a lengthy and detailed side-by-side comparison of the 8-megapixel camera built into the iPhone 5 and the highly touted 4 MP camera that is part of the HTC One Android phone. How did the iPhone 5's camera compare? Kazmucha took photos at the same place and time with both cameras, so you really get a feel for how each camera responds to certain lighting conditions. The iPhone uses an f/2.4 aperture on a 1/3.2-inch sensor with a pixel size of 1.4 micrometers, while the HTC One has a slightly faster f/2.0 aperture and a pixel size of 2 micrometers on the same sensor. As she points out, these "UltraPixels are larger and should allow for better light sensitivity, particularly in low-light situations." What follows are comparisons of general, motion, low-light and panorama photography. While I won't spoil the excellent post on iMore, let's just get to the bottom line -- the iPhone 5 has better color depth, tone and saturation, while the HTC One is much better at capturing images in low light. In the one sample image at the top of this post, that's the iPhone 5 on the left and the HTC One on the right. The iPhone 5's panoramas tend to knock the HTC One out of the ring, by the way.
iOS 6 obtains FIPS 140-2 certification, opening door to more government use
Close on the heels of last week's announcement that US Department of Defense approval of iOS 6 devices was imminent comes word from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that a cryptographic module in iOS 6 has achieved FIPS 140-2 certification (Level 1). This has, to quote our tipster, "huge implications for government use of iOS (and eventually Macs)." Apple iOS CoreCrypto Kernel Module v3.0, when operated in FIPS mode, "generates cryptographic keys whose strengths are modified by available entropy." CoreCrypto is described as "a software cryptographic module running on a multi-chip standalone mobile device and provides services intended to protect data in transit and at rest." The module met Level 1 of FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2. Level 1 provides the lowest level of security, as no physical security mechanisms are required beyond the basic requirement for production-grade components. CoreCrypto uses FIPS-approved algorithms including Triple-DES, AES, SHS and an additional alphabet soup of acronyms. The module was tested on an iPhone 4, an iPhone 4S and an iPad (single-user mode) running iOS 6.0. It is unknown if the certification is specific to these devices or if it also extends to newer devices like the iPhone 5. A tip of the hat to Allan for letting us know about the certification.
iOS 6.1.4 update appears for iPhone 5
A somewhat unexpected iOS update showed up this afternoon for iPhone 5 owners. iOS 6.1.4 is a small update at 11.5 MB and the release note shows that it provides an updated audio profile for the speakerphone. The build number is 10B350 for those who keep track of such things. No developer beta of this update was released prior to today.
Win a collector's item: a Behringer iNuke Boom Junior speaker dock
I'm usually very good about turning around reviews; usually within a week or two of receiving a review device or accessory I've had a chance to try it out, take photos, and write it up. But there are two things that have been sitting in my office unopened for a few months, and I finally decided to get going on them. One item is a Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 that I'll be writing up shortly now that the weather in Colorado is cooperating (except for the winter storm hitting tomorrow...), but today's focus is on what's in the big box in the corner of my office -- the Behringer iNuke Boom Junior iPod/iPhone speaker dock. Sometimes procrastination is a good thing. I found out pretty quickly while starting to do research for this review that Behringer is no longer making this speaker dock, which was designed to be an affordable mini version of the 10,000-watt, 700 pound, US$30,000 monster that made a splash at CES 2012. The company gave away a bunch of these smaller speaker docks last autumn with a promotion with the one reseller for the product, Costco. Since the iNuke Boom Junior is no longer in production, I'm not going to write a review. Instead, we're going straight to the giveaway. Here are the features of the iNuke Boom Junior: Three-Way Active Design – Stunning concert-quality sound at home Integrated Subwoofer – Powerful, Deep Lows without Distortion Made for iPod, iPhone and iPad – Dock to play or charge your device Auxiliary Audio Input – Works with Android devices and other music players Wireless Remote Control – Controls audio and most iOS devices Master Volume and Bass Contour controls – Tailor the sound to your liking Video Output Connection – Play movies right from your Apple devices to TV Compatible with iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G, iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPad and any Android® phone or music player with 1/8" (3.5mm) headphone output I was able to test the iNuke Boom Junior with an iPhone 5 using an Apple Lightning to 30-pin adapter ($29, not included), and it worked fine. There's a small Lucite prop that holds up the iPhone 5, but I would not recommend trying a 4th-generation iPad on the adapter as it's just too unwieldy. An iPad mini worked just fine with the adapter. The sound on this thing is great! Seriously, the built-in subwoofer really does produce quite the boom if you're listening to music with a lot of bass. Surprisingly, though, it also handles the treble end quite well and was perfect for listening to the broad freqency and dynamic range of classical music. And with that short description of the iNuke Boom Junior, it's now time to give this unique device to one of our readers. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before May 5, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Behringer iNuke Boom Junior speaker dock valued at $179.95. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Ballistic's new Aspira case line for iPhone 5
This will be a rather quick review, not just because silicone iPhone 5 cases are quite commonplace, but because there are mainly just good things to say about these new cases from Ballistic Case. They're all members of the Ballistic Case Aspira series for the iPhone 5 (US$34.99), and three readers will have a chance to win one. Design The Aspira cases are lightweight, skinny, and colorful. Ballistic has come up with seven cases in the series that will attract the attention of just about everyone. There's a white case with imperial blue accents, a white case with a pink flower pattern, an eye-jarring mint green case with strawberry pink accents, a much more soothing raspberry case with gray accents, a black case with a charcoal gray hexagon pattern and accents, a black case with lime green accents and a black case with gray accents. All of the cases are made of a glossy material excecpt for those accents that cover the corners, ends, and front of the case -- those are made of regular silicone material for shock absorbency. The cases are really light, just a featherweight 0.9 ounce, and they add just a tiny bit of thickness to your sexy iPhone 5. The flower and hexagon pattern cases offer an extra measure of "grippiness" to an otherwise slick surface; something to think about if you want to keep a good grip on your investment. Functionality A good case should provide protection and add some style to your phone, and the Aspira series touches all the bases. Ballistic is well-known for putting a touch more thickness into the corners of their cases which really adds to the impact protection. The cases are all dual-layer, so the back of the case not only has that shiny surface for protection but an inner silicone layer of cushion as well. The non-patterned models use an anti-scratch coating to keep the glossy surface from getting beat up. I like the way that the Aspira cases fit on the iPhone 5. The cases are easy to install and take off, but the fit is snug enough to keep the cases from falling off. One of my pet peeves with some other silicone cases is that they can have a tendency to "sag" a little and look sloppy; that's definitely not the situation with these cases. Conclusion While I think the Aspira series cases might be a little more pricy than they should be, Ballistic has come up with a very functional and attractive line of cases. Pros Good protection for your iPhone 5, particularly on the corners where there is extra padding Fun and bright colors and patterns Textured cases provide a good gripping surface Shiny cases are treated with an anti-scratch coating Cons A bit on the expensive side for a silicone iPhone 5 case. Look here for generic silicone cases for less than $10. Who are they for? iPhone 5 owners who want a thin, lightweight, and attractive case that provides excellent protection. Giveaway Three TUAW readers are going to win an Aspira series iPhone 5 case from Ballistic. We have one white with the pink floral patter and accents, one black with the grey hexagon pattern and accents, and one black with green accents. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before May 2, 2013, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. Three winners will be selected, each winning a Ballistic Aspira series iPhone 5 case valued at US$34.99. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Circadia celebrates 100,000 downloads with new content
Circadia is a great game that I wrote about a little over a year ago -- it's put together by a developer named Kurt Bieg, and until now, it's basically just been sitting on the App Store waiting to be found. But Bieg has just put out a nice solid update for the game, and that gives me another chance to recommend it to you. The game is simple and ingenious -- it's musical, but the music of it is what you make yourself rather than the pop songs that you'll find in Rock Band or other music titles. Beig says in the latest App Store update that the game has reached 100,000 downloads, and that's a great number for a little title like this. He's updated the title to make it work with the iPhone 5, and there's also a new "infinity mode," featuring randomly generated levels that you can play anytime you like. There are also new tone sounds, which is a pretty impressive feat on Bieg's part, and finally there's an in-app purchase to just unlock all the levels, if you happened to be stuck on a certain one. This update really makes this app shine, and if you didn't see it last year, you should definitely take a look now. Circadia is available as a universal app right now for US$0.99.
Eton BoostTurbine 2000 charges your phone, builds arm muscles (updated)
Those of us around the TUAW newsroom are always looking for alternative power sources for our gadgets because we are so dependent on them. Whether it's because of a transformer failure down the street, a widespread outage due to a hurricane, or just because we're nowhere hear a power plug, the TUAW team loves to write about these little generators. There are solar iPhone cases and twig-fueled cookstoves that put out enough juice to keep you going, and now there's the Eton BoostTurbine 2000 (US$59.99). As much as I like the name of this unit, I think the folks at Photojojo have a better name for it -- The Crankerator. That's what powers this sturdy aluminum box; an external hand crank that pops out and lets you (or your kids) charge an internal 2000 mAh battery pack. You can build up some amazing arm muscles while charging the BoostTurbine; a minute of cranking will provide about 30 seconds of power for your phone. Unless you're really bored or extremely desperate, you probably won't use the crank to charge the BoostTurbine up to full capacity. The idea is that before you board Oceanic Flight 815, you'll plug the BoostTurbine into a computer or some other USB power source using the included USB to micro-USB cable and charge it up. Update: Eton has updated information, noting that a minute of cranking is actually good for about four minutes of call time on your favorite iPhone, not 30 seconds as described in the previous paragraph. Then, after you've exhausted all of the power and you really want to watch Fringe reruns on your iPad instead of the prattle of your fellow survivors, you can while away the hours turning the crank to charge the battery. There are four blue LEDs on one end to signify how much charge the battery pack has; pushing down on an inset button for about two seconds activates the LEDs, as does turning the crank. How much power will your favorite device get from the ol' Crankerator? That 2000 mAh is enough to charge up an iPhone 5 (1440 mAh battery). The current rating of the device is only 1 amp, so there's no way that you'll be able to fast-charge your iPad (although it should trickle-charge). The BoostTurbine weighs just 7 ounces so it's not going to weigh down your backpack, and as I mentioned earlier it is a solid piece of aluminum. My only concern is that the crank handle -- the most critical piece when you're in the field -- is made out of plastic. If it breaks, you can always use your Cast Away skills to fashion a new handle out of tree branches and seashells. That crank isn't really that hard to turn once you get it started, but you'll find that keeping the speed up for a few minutes is a challenge. It would be interesting to adapt one of these to a bicycle or water wheel to make power generation a breeze. In case you don't need that full 2000 mAh capacity, there's a 1000 mAh version of the BoostTurbine available directly from Eton for $49.99.
AAPL drops below $400 briefly; Cirrus Logic inventory numbers blamed
Apple Inc. (AAPL) stock fell to its lowest price since December 2011 today following a report from Cirrus Logic, a producer of chips used in the iPhone and iPad, that it was dealing with an inventory surplus. Cirrus Logic said one of its customers is moving to a newer component causing the slowdown, The Associated Press reports. It did not specify which customer made the switch, but Apple is reportedly its biggest customer. Investors took this as a sign that iPhone and iPad sales might have fallen short of expectations. Apple's prices fell about 6 percent, and the market closed with Apple stock at $402.80, down $23.44. At one point, the stock had slipped below $400. Apple stocks have fluctuated in the past few months, hitting an all-time record of above $700 in September due to pent-up demand for the iPhone 5. It is worth noting T-Mobile just began selling the iPhone 5 on April 12, to reportedly strong sales. Apple is scheduled to announce Q2 2013 earnings on Tuesday.
RFLKT and Runmeter: It's basically Pebble for your bike
People love the idea of the Pebble watch. It's an iOS-compatible display that sits on your wrist, so your iPhone can stay in your backpack, purse, or pocket. It's a great way to keep light track of your notifications, and what's going on in your life. It is, however, not a particularly good match to bike riding, where constantly checking your watch for fine detail might end up with a bad case of road rash, small screaming children who you just hit as you checked your inbox, or even the less dramatic wobblewobbleohdear. For years, bikers have used small handle-bar mounted computer systems to keep track of their speed, cadence, heart rates, and distance -- among other OCD-friendly metrics. In the more recent past, vendors have produced iPhone mounts, so you can watch all this data directly as you bike. This also has several negative side effects. First, keeping the screen on and well lit kills your battery quicker than Steve Sande goes through nachos at a Rockies game. Second, when your bike goes down, your iPhone goes crash, and there are few insurance policies generous enough to cover the case of "Oh, I stuck my multi-hundred-dollar-phone onto my bike handlebars" with good humor. Enter the Wahoo RFLKT. It's a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) display that mounts to your bike and keeps your iPhone out of the way. It offers a way for your favorite apps to keep you supplied with data while you ride. Tuck your phone in your sleeve, your back pocket, or your pannier, and you're ready to go. I assumed the RFLKT would blow my cheap Avenir bike system out of the water. Turns out the reality is much more nuanced. Let me start with the hardware. The RFLKT is about a quarter of the size of an iPhone 5, so it's about double or more the size of most bike computers. It can be mounted to stem or handlebars. It has a low-energy screen, runs off a coin battery and in theory can be removed from that mount every six months or so to change that battery. (In practice, I completely stripped the pop-out section and could not, for the life of me, get that darned thing off my bike. I basically ended up destroying the back, using the manufacturer-supplied metal pry bar.) I first ran the RFLKT using the free Wahoo-supplied app. In my preliminary outing, I quickly realized how much I wanted to go back to my standard exercise app of choice, Runmeter. That's because of several things. First, none of the output selections really appealed to me. I like to see current speed, max speed, elapsed time, current time and I couldn't get that on one screen. Second, the app kept making rookie mistakes -- and I knew they were rookie mistakes because I've written GPS apps. These are things that Abvio's Runmeter has long long since figured out and fixed. By rookie mistake, let me give you an example: max speed. When working with GPS, you often lose sync. The quality of the data you receive can vary all over the place, from accuracy within miles to within tens of meters. You have to keep this in mind as you calculate the current speed. When you bike, you earn your max speed. You "walk" that bike up the big hill using your granny gear and you soar down like an eagle. (In my case, that eagle is fat, slow, and middle aged, but it's still an eagle, damnit.) Your max speed should reflect that. With the Wahoo software, I was doing 43 MPH while trudging along on the flat. I may be a persistent cyclist, but I am not a good one and there's no way I live in Lance Armstrong territory, even in my most addled cold medicine dreams. While Wahoo was delivering the right hardware, it wasn't giving me what I needed in terms of software. The second I returned from my initial test ride, I started googling to see if I could use Runmeter with the hardware. Fortunately, I was within days of Runmeter's releasing their new RFLKT support. I contacted Abvio and they set me up with their latest version, complete with RFLKT integration. This is just a $4.99 in-app purchase for Runmeter Pro (which is what I use), Cyclemeter, and Walkmeter owners. I should warn you that Runmeter is clearly an app written by engineers instead of artists, but it's one that has served me well for years and one I'm wildly enthusiastic about. It does everything I need in terms of tracking my exercise. With RFLKT, it let me select one of about a dozen pre-designed templates and customize it to show exactly the statistics I wanted to see. Sure, the menus to do this tweaking were a bit antidiluvian, but if you're a tech geek to start off with, you shouldn't have too much trouble picking and customizing one of the choices shown here. I had to reset the RFLKT (there are instructions right inside the settings of Runmeter on how to do this), enable Bluetooth Sensors, and upload my custom screens. It wasn't particularly painful, although it did take some time to figure my way through the menus. Using a RFLKT display isn't exactly like using a bike computer. You gain some things, you lose others. Take speed for example. Because of the GPS sync problem, your Runmeter speed will always lag unless you use an external sensor. That means you can be flying down that mountain and still register 7.7 MPH for a while. For speed and distance measures to be accurate, they need a wider range of sampling time. Side by side, my Avenir bike computer knew my speed changes as they happened. I found myself referring to that much more often for MPH versus the RFLKT monitor. You can, however, integrate other sensors into the Runmeter/RFLKT experience to fix that. If the Runmeter app can integrate with the sensor (they have posted a list here), you can add it to the RFLKT display -- this includes digital speed and cadence from Garmin and Bontrager, negating any issues of GPS sampling. You can also add heart monitors, giving you some extra performance feedback. Regardless of speed, the distance portion of the solution was wicked accurate. There's no need to measure your tire or estimate its pressure and multiply the circumference to calculate how far you've gone. Need to go 3.7 miles? The RFLKT/Runmeter combination gets exactly that. It's brilliant. Other measures like date and time and max speed are also super-precise. I have no intention of buying new sensors so I found that I liked having both displays -- traditional and RFLKT on my bike, even though I had to sacrifice one of my night-riding lights to fit it there. I have small girlygirl handlebars, which don't offer a lot of real estate. I also had to pad the RFLKT with not one but THREE layers to get it to fit the bar and stay firmly mounted. Speaking of displays, I really do wish the RFLKT offered a lip the way my Avenir does, giving a little shade and offering glare protection. The RFLKT is pretty obviously a 1st gen device, and I expect it to evolve to be a little cleaner, and less boxy over time, but even as is, I really fell in love with it. On Monday, I had a chance to sit down and talk with Steve Kusmer of Abvio, the man behind Runmeter to talk about RFLKT, its technology and how the app has integrated itself with display. The relationship is longstanding. "Wahoo has provided the technology we've used for over two years to access Bluetooth devices. With the RFLKT, Wahoo provided the hardware, a wonderful design point, and we built from there. We've been demoing the RFLKT since September and just now released support in our software." The RFLKT took a lot of its design influence from the Palm Pilot. "It had to run on a simple battery and last forever. The RFLKT works with a coin cell battery, can be alive for months if not a year, and powers down on idle, when nothing is being used. Plus, it uses BTLE with minimal bandwidth. It has buttons and it's programmable. It's very simple but effective." Kusmer talked about integrating the device into riding. "Once I put the RFLKT on my bike, it becomes a different experience. It's providing a lot of value that enhances my experience." Making Runmeter work with the device helped leverage the app's underlying features. "We've been spent more than four years deployed -- started back in 2008, and we have spent a lot of time on the underlying data architecture for storing and displaying application data. It's very hard to do this right. One spike of data and your Max Speed is toast. We went through a year or more of iterations on trying to figure out the heuristic so bad GPS data doesn't whack your data. "We love RFLKT because we could take our data architecture and match up with anything you want to do on RFLKT. We can display 148 different statistics -- from your current speed to your previous interval average heart rate --- all readily accessible during your rides on the RFLKT." What you get in the end is a terrific combination of software (from Abvio) and hardware (from Wahoo) and one that I was really happy using. You can pick up a RFLKT for $130 at Wahoo. Runmeter is free with a $4.99 in-app upgrade to Pro, and another $4.99 in-app upgrade for RFLKT support. Cyclemeter and Walkmeter are $4.99 each.
Weekend Poll: Are you switching to T-Mo?
On Friday, T-Mobile finally launched its iPhone line, offering some great deals along the way. Did you hop over and place a request for an iPhone 5? American customers now have more service choices than ever. From Cricket to Straight Talk, Virgin to Sprint, you can now shop plans, devices, and options more than ever before. How are you making your choices? Is T-Mobile's appealingly inexpensive basic plan winning your heart? Or do you need more sophisticated choices and premium features? Do you need truly unlimited data? Or is a high-allocation with a cap enough for your needs? Are family plans important? Or do you depend on tethering? What feature is driving your choice of carriers? Join in this poll and then add your comments about what matters most to you from your iPhone plan. %Poll-81982%
T-Mobile kicks off iPhone 5 sales today, celebrates with new ad
T-Mobile is now selling the iPhone 5 and some stores are seeing lines for the Apple smartphone, says a report in TechCrunch. Lines were forming in Washington, New York City and other locations. The iPhone is available on T-Mobile with a low US$99 up-front payment and a 24-month payment plan. The iPhone is compatible with T-Mobile's Simple Choice plans that do not include a contract. Customers can choose a plan and cancel it at any time without paying an early termination fee. To promote its new handset, T-Mobile released its first iPhone commercial that emphasizes the carriers 4G network and its no-contract service plans. According to iDownloadBlog, T-Mobile's parent company Deutsche Telecom has a big advertising campaign planned for the iPhone 5. [Via TechCrunch and iDownloadBlog]
Musubo's Diamond, Chamfer iPhone 5 cases: review and giveaway
Musubo is a Hong Kong-based manufacturer of smartphone accessories, and the company recently released a flurry of iPhone 5 cases to meet the demand for protection of Apple's flagship phone. Today I'll take a look at the Musubo Diamond (US$32.99) and Chamfer (US$24.99) cases, and then TUAW readers have a chance to win one of three Musubo iPhone 5 cases we're giving away. Design I'll start off with the least exciting of the Musubo cases, the Chamfer. The name describes the design perfectly -- it features a wide chamfered edge around the back side of the case. Made out of tough polycarbonate material with a soft-touch feel, the Chamfer comes in red, blue, green, pink ,purple, silver and black colors. The company includes some goodies with every case, so the Chamfer has not only a screen protector in the box, but a small foldable video stand and a screen cleaning microfiber cloth as well. Not bad for a $25 iPhone 5 case! Moving on to the flashier Diamond case seen at the top of this post, we find a design that is sure to attract the fashionista in your family. A soft thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) shell gently cradles the sides of the iPhone 5, while a hard and glossy diamond-patterned back protects the back of your phone. That transparent diamond design really stands out as different, and has a very three-dimensional look to it that transforms this relatively inexpensive iPhone 5 case into something special. The Diamond is available in black, purple, red and blue. Functionality Both Musubo cases do a fine job of protecting the iPhone 5 sides and back, and the included screen protector helps to keep your screen scratch-free. I found the little foldable video stand to be quite useful and a welcome addition to the Musubo cases. The TPU shell on the Diamond case makes installation a snap, as the material flexes enough to facilitate squeezing the iPhone 5 into place. However, I found the polycarbonate construction of the Chamfer a little stiff, really requiring a good push to put the iPhone 5 into the case. Conclusion Musubo has proven to "think outside the box" when it comes to case designs, as you can see from this 2012 TUAW review of the totally unique MatchBook Pro and several other iPhone 4/4S cases. With the Diamond and Chamfer, the company continues its mission of supplying stylish and inexpensive protective cases for Apple's latest smartphones. Pros Relatively inexpensive for "style" cases Diamond's design is quite novel and fun Cases ship with free foldable video stand, cleaning cloth, and screen protector Cons Chamfer case was a little difficult to install and remove due to the stiffness of the material it is made from Who are they for? Anyone who wants an fashionable iPhone 5 case without spending a lot of money Giveaway We have three Musubo cases to give away -- two of the Diamond cases (black or purple) and one of the silver Chamfer cases. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before April 14, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. Three winners will be selected. One will receive a Chamfer case valued at $24.99 while two will receive a Diamond case valued at $32.99. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
