Articles about iPhone

Over the years Facebook has done plenty of tinkering with the News Feed -- and not always for the better. Like Google, the social network frequently experiments with new ideas, and groups of users are often used to beta test features. One such recent experiment saw the arrival of a new version of the timeline for some users via a rocket icon in the Facebook app.

Now this new option is rolling out on a wider scale. Known as Explore Feed -- and retaining the rocket icon from beta testing -- the idea is to encourage Facebook users to look at more content on the network rather than just the post of their friends and pages they follow. You'd be forgiven for missing the option as it's not entirely obvious.

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WhatsApp is now rolling out a new update for its messaging app that finally gives users the ability to send any type of file that they want. This feature was first seen in the beta channel last month.

That means that, among other types of files, users can now share items with extensions like APK (Android apps), DOC (Word files), XLS (Excel files), and so on. It is not the only change in the latest version of WhatsApp though.

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Apple has offered PayPal as a payment option for quite some time now, but support and availability have been limited. That changes, starting today.

The big news comes for iPhone and iPad users, who will be able to add PayPal as a payment option directly from their device. That integration is rolling out now, with Canada and Mexico being the first markets to get it.

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In 2017, it is not uncommon for people to own many mobile devices. Using myself as an example, I regularly use an iPhone, iPad, and Nintendo Switch. Let's not forget my portable MacBook Pro too.

If you own a bunch of mobile devices like me, such as a smartphone, tablet, and slim laptop, Satechi has a really cool new product for you. Called "R1 Aluminum Foldable Stand," it aims to provide an optimal viewing experience for all of your devices -- including Nintendo's popular Switch gaming console. When you aren't using it, it can fold up to go into a drawer, laptop bag, or luggage.

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We've known for a few months that Qualcomm is interested in banning iPhone imports in US, and now the company is making its intention official by filing a patent infringement complaint with the International Trade Commission (ITC).

Qualcomm claims that Apple infringes at least one of six patents that it has on "key technologies that enable important features and functions in iPhones," which is why it has requested the ITC to investigate the matter and "ultimately [...] bar importation" of those devices.

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Last week we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the first iPhone. Now, if Apple sticks to it usual schedule, we will all be anxiously awaiting the newest iPhone debut for the next 2 months.

It’s hard to imagine a world without iPhones. Today, most people wouldn’t even consider leaving home without it. Apple’s impact on the world we live in spans far beyond telecommunications. Over the past decade, the iPhone has grown to become Apple's biggest moneymaker and its influence on human behavior and interaction continues to inhabit our everyday life.

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Modern takes on Maslow's hierarchy of needs (jokingly) refer to a wireless internet connection as being a necessity. While Wi-Fi may not be -- in the strictest sense of the word -- necessary, it's certainly true that it has become the prey that we now hunt for.

To make the search a little easier, Facebook is now rolling out its Find Wi-Fi tool globally. What previously started as a small-scale test is now available around the world for Android and iPhone users, so anyone looking to minimize data usage will be able to find an easy way online.

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On this day in history, all the way back in 2007, a device that not only revolutionized an industry but changed the way everyone thought about all industries, was unleashed on the world.

Okay, okay, before I go any further, I know what you're thinking. "Oh, great, another one of those flowery, rose-colored articles about the nostalgia of all things Apple and how the iPhone changed cell phones forever. Kill me now." No, that's not what this is. It's a much broader reflection of how the landscape has changed around media, consumer culture, and communications of all forms, and the fact that mobile technology has been there every step of the way.

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It may seem strange now, but when the iPhone originally launched (10 years today, as if you didn’t already know by now), it wasn’t viewed as a smartphone in some quarters because of restrictions placed on the device by Apple.

Wireless industry analyst firm ABI Research’s definition of a smartphone was "a cellular handset using an open, commercial operating system that supports third-party applications", but Apple at that time was blocking third-party apps from the iPhone.

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On January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone at the Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco. It was the usual quality presentation from Apple’s sorely missed boss, with some great moments of humor. Our first glimpse of the phone was in fact actually a mock-up of an iPod with a rotary dial in place of the usual click wheel. The audience clapped and hooted. Jobs then went on to show the real device, and it was pretty mind-blowing.

Here was a phone that looked nothing like a phone. It looked nothing like an iPod, for that matter either. It was pretty much all screen, controlled by touch using your finger -- or fingers, thanks to the power of multi-touch -- and was, according to Jobs, powered by OS X. The device could tell if you were holding it portrait or landscape, and knew when you were holding it up to your ear, and so prevent you prematurely ending a call with the side of your face. It came with a 620MHz processor, 128MB of memory and a 2MP camera. It was a magical device. This was the future, being shown right here. A device to be coveted by all. But I didn’t want one.

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The original iPhone went on sale ten years ago today, and in celebration I’ve been trawling through the BetaNews archives. Sadly we didn’t review the first iPhone, but we did gather together some of the best press and user comments following the device’s announcement, and they are amusing to say the least.

Below is the original story written by Ed Oswald, and underneath that are some of the best reader responses to it. Knowing what we know now, I think you’ll find it entertaining.

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When the original iPhone went on sale ten years ago today, there was a lot of excitement, and people queued up outside of Apple stores to get their hands on what was to be a game-changing device.

Trawling through the BetaNews archives I found two examples that best illustrate the excitement at the time, including a very illuminating first hand report from Tim Conneally. First up is a selection of photos from iPhone launches across the US.

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Steve was right, and I don't refer to Apple cofounder Jobs, but to an iPhone buyer I met 10 years ago today. He was among the eclectic group of people waiting outside Apple Store Montgomery Mall to spend $499 or $599 on the fruit logo company's first smartphone. The amount was outrageous at the time for a locked, unsubsidized handset. "I think this is a day that you’re going to see a change in how computers, how handheld computers are done", he told me. "I think we’ll look back in 10 or 15 years, and like on that day the gadget came out...it changed the game". Could anyone realistically disagree a decade later?

But you had to be a believer in June 2007, with iPhone launching on a single carrier (newly rebranded AT&T) in a single geography (USA) from a company with no cellular device experience going against hugely established competitors—with Nokia, the smartphone's inventor, standing atop the heap. By every sensible measure imaginable, Jobs and his team took nothing but risks, making Steve the customer's prediction all the more remarkable.

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Just a few weeks ago, Apple revealed iOS 11 at WWDC 2017. While a few things have been taken away in this version of the operating system, plenty have been added, and this is being seen as one of the most significant upgrades for iPhone and iPad owners.

iOS 11 will be an important aspect of the upcoming iPhone 8, but it's also going to be a substantial update for anyone with an iPhone 5s or newer, or a supported iPad. We've already seen a developer preview released, but now there's an official public beta of iOS 11, and you can install it right now.

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Back in April, Imagination Technologies revealed that it had been dropped by Apple and would therefore no longer be supplying GPU chips for use in iPhones, iPads and other products. Now, having lost 70 percent of its value, the UK company is putting itself up for sale.

Shares in Imagination fell dramatically after Apple ditched it, but news of the sale led to a jump of 21 percent. The company is valued at around £425 million ($538 million) and the announcement comes after several parties expressed interest in an acquisition of Imagination Technologies Group plc in its entirety.

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