The Week in iOS Accessories: Hog heaven

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This week’s roundup of iOS accessories brings to mind just one word: SOO-EY! Here are a few of the new iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch add-ons—porcine and non-porcine—that caught our eye. There’s even a new Apple-branded accessory for our European friends.

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Apple’s iPhone Micro USB Adapter

Apple: Yes, Apple. It was over two years ago that the company agreed to a standard mobile-phone charging interface based on the Micro-B USB connector. At the time, tech pundits wondered how Apple would comply without giving up its proprietary—and much more-functional—30-pin dock-connector port. the answer appeared Tuesday on Apple’s UK online store: the Apple iPhone Micro USB Adapter. Available on October 14—iOS 5 and iPhone 4S day, for those of us here in the U.S.—for £8, the tiny adapter plugs into the iPhone’s dock-connector port and offers up a Micro-B USB port for charging and syncing. according to Apple’s site, the adapter works only with the iPhone 3G or later, and it’s compatible only with “micro USB chargers in certain regions that comply with applicable mobile phone charger interoperability standards.” What’s not clear is whether the adapter also passes audio, remote-control signals, and other data to and from the USB cable. (Hat tip to TUAW.)

Griffin Technology’s MultiDock

Griffin Technology: It’s no secret that the iPad is transforming education, enterprise, and even airline flying. but how’s a business supposed to charge multiple tablets? Griffin’s new $700 MultiDock lets you charge up to 10 iPads at one time; connected to a computer workstation, the device also allows you to sync your apps and media. An LED display offers the charging status of each plugged-in iPad, and you can link three MultiDocks together to manage up to 30 iPads. Each charging bay turns off once the iPad reaches full power; the bays are constructed so that each iPad can be left in is case.

Harman Kardon’s MS 150

Harman Kardon: the venerable stereo maker has launched the $600 MS 150, a high-fidelity system featuring two 30-watt, bass-reflex speakers, a CD player, an FM tuner, and a dock cradle for iPhones and iPods. You also get three auxiliary inputs to connect other audio sources, as well as a wireless remote control. the MS 150 also features an alarm, a sleep timer, and a dimmer to reduce the brightness of the display during evening hours.

iLuv’s WorkStation

iLuv: This accessory maker has come up with a new way to turn your tablet into a heavy-duty work machine. its new WorkStation line of docks and cases transform your iPad into the center of a system reminiscent of IBM’s 1980s personal computers—only cooler, of course. none of the four devices featured in this iLuv press release are yet available for sale on the company’s website, but iLuv says they’ll range in price from $50 to $180. the basic iMM737 model features a laptop-style keyboard and a rotating bracket for viewing the iPad at your preferred angle—iLuv says it will be available in November.

NewerTech’s NuStand

Newer Technology: If you’re looking for an iPad stand that complements Apple’s Bluetooth keyboard, the $60 NuStand 360 is an option. the stand has a weighted base that resembles something you’d find on an iMac, but with the added benefit of letting you rotate the tablet to portrait or landscape orientation, depending on your preference. the stand holds either generation of iPad, and NewerTech promotes the device as ideal for gaming purposes. A rear cutout allows easy access for accessory cables.

Sonoma Wire Works: Someday soon, you won’t be able to make music without having an iPad or iPhone. Sonoma Wire Works’ accelerates that trend with the introduction of the $149 GuitarJack Model 2. the device plugs into your iOS device’s dock-connector port, allowing you to jack in guitars and other instruments via 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch (3.5mm) input jacks. You can even use both inputs to, say, record vocal and guitar tracks at the same time. the hardware is compatible with several guitar-oriented iOS apps. the first units should begin shipping in four-to-six weeks, Sonoma said this week.

Speakal’s iHog

Speakal: Who among us doesn’t love to mix great music and wine? Wait, did I say wine? I meant swine. Speakal knows just where you’re coming from, and offers help in the form of the $120 iHog Portable iPod Docking Station Speaker System, a larger version of the company’s older iPig. (The new product joins similar products such as the iPanda and the iBoo.) the device includes with a 20-watt subwoofer and 28 total watts of stereo sound. the iHog can provide up to five hours of music playback on a single charge of its lithium battery. the device includes a wireless remote that control the both the speaker system and your iPod. Speakal says the shape of the iHog is more than simply adorable: It also provides 360-degree sound, so you won’t have to constantly re-adjust its position when you take it out for a visit to the farm. Barbecue sauce, however, is not included. (The company does not list the iPhone as being compatible.)

Toddy Gear: Keeping your iOS device’s screen free of smudges is a never-ending chore. Toddy Gear has launched its line of Toddy Smart Cloths designed for touchscreen cleaning—and adding a little bit of design sizzle. the microfiber cloths come in dozens of designs and are priced at $10 apiece for the standard size, or $15 for the larger cloths; the latter are also usable as a pocket square for the more nattily dressed among us. the new line is available at best buy and Target stores.

USBFever’s iSoldier stand

USBFever: Aging youngsters of a certain age may remember a time before posable action figures, when toy soldiers were made of a single piece of hard plastic, poses pre-ordained, for recreating the major battles of World War II. USBFever brings those soldiers back to, um, life with its new iSoldier stand for the iPhone. Just tip the $12 soldier on his back to prop up your phone in portrait or landscape orientation. When you’re done, stick him in your pocket and be on your way. as should be expected, the stand comes in just one color: Green. also new this week from USBFever is the $20 Motorcycle Handlebar Mount for iPhone 4.

(Macworld senior editor Dan Frakes contributed to this article.)

Wall Street Daily

If you own a BlackBerry, you’re already aware that Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) experienced its biggest network blackout in the company’s history this week.

The shutdown began on Monday, hitting customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Canada, South America, parts of Asia and the United States at different times over the course of several days.

Obviously there’s never a convenient moment for your network to go haywire. but with the new iPhone 4S available in stores today, and a special Android announcement scheduled for next week, this is probably the worst time imaginable.

Although the problem is now fixed, the damage was done.

As William Blair & co. analyst, Anil Doradla, says, “People who are on the fringes and are thinking about going away from RIM… days like this clearly motivate them to do that.”

So after an event such as this one, what could there possibly be keeping BlackBerry loyalists from cutting ties with RIM?

Well, I suspect many people aren’t ready to give up the device’s popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service yet. but the bad news is only getting worse for RIM. Because even that fan favorite won’t be enough to keep users onboard pretty soon.

RIM’s Downward Momentum Intensifies

With BBM, users can send text messages and emails to other BlackBerry owners over a data connection or Wi-Fi, just like you’d send an instant message on a computer. Essentially, it’s an unlimited texting plan without having to go through a carrier.

Up until now, this service alone has been a good enough reason for some users to stick with their BlackBerry.

Unfortunately for RIM, Apple, T-Mobile and Google have caught on to the service’s popularity. and each now offers a similar – if not better – version.

Here’s a brief rundown of each…

~ Apple: The iPhone 4S wasn’t the only big announcement to come out of the Apple event last week. The company also announced a new service called iMessage. it works exactly like BBM, except you don’t need to have an iPhone to text other iMessage users. all it takes is an Apple device with a data connection. So the iPod Touch and iPad can join in, too.

~ T-Mobile: Last spring, the company launched Bobsled. The application allowed users to make calls through Facebook on an internet browser. but now users can download the application to make free calls to other mobile or landline numbers. and just like BBM or iMessage, it only needs a data connection. better yet, both Android and iPhone owners have access. 

~ Google: Google Voice merges the benefits of iMessage and Bobsled in one application. it can send messages, email and make calls over a data connection. it actually removes the need for a cellular plan through your carrier entirely. You can just sign up for a data package alone – as long as you have a rock-solid 3G or 4G signal in your area. 

Sometimes When it Rains… it Pours

Let’s face it. Even without the massive network outage and the new BBM killers available, RIM was already bleeding subscribers…

According to data from ComScore, RIM’s smartphone marketshare cratered 20% in the three months ending August 31.

It just hasn’t been able to keep up as Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) continue to produce superior devices. (Marketshare for them has jumped by 2% and 15%, respectively.) 

Now that the same technology that keeps BlackBerry owners shackled to their devices is available on other smartphones, don’t be surprised if RIM’s already dwindling marketshare falls off a cliff in the coming weeks.

And shares – which are already tiptoeing dangerously close to a new 52-week low – won’t be far behind.

Justin Fritz

The Apple iPhone 4S letdown: Why it doesn’t matter

Apple CEO Tim Cook at yesterday's iPhone 4S unveiling.

(Credit:Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

commentary It’s easy to point to yesterday’s iPhone 4S unveiling as a ho-hum affair, that is, if you were expecting something more. And the truth is, most of the tech world was.

Look no further than the slew of rumors that took on a life of their own in the extended wait between last year’s model and this one. A bevy of silicon cases flying out of China sporting a dramatic new design derived from an allegedly leaked Foxconn prototype? Check. Gorgeous renderings of devices with a huge display, tapered design, and a change to theiPhone’s iconic home button that’s gone unchanged four versions over? Check. And hey, how about two new iPhones this year? Add that one to the pile too.

What we got instead was the iPhone 4S, a phone that looks just like theiPhone 4 on the outside but with faster innards. Will people still be lining up for the thing when it’s released next week, and will it sell even better than last year’s model? Yes and yes.

Apple watchers will remember Apple pulled a similar move going from the iPhone 3G to the 3GS. almost identical to the 4S update, the 3GS too was a collection of inside changes. the processor got a boost, as did wireless networking with speedier HSPA. the 3GS also brought a better camera, and Voice Control–the voice recognition software that let users launch a song, or make a phone call with their voice.

As the 3GS’ spiritual successor–the 4S–does that same trick once again. There’s a considerably zippier processor, a better camera, more built-in storage (if you want to pay for it), and faster cellular data networking that works in more places since it’s got both CDMA and GSM hardware built-in. that, combined with theiPhone 4S-specific Siri voice recognition feature, makes for a solid update, especially for 3GS users who are itching to update their devices. For people who bought last year’s iPhone 4? probably not so much.

The thing to point out to those who may have been expecting the next big hardware jump is that Apple’s not just marketing to those two groups. the goal is to keep pulling in new users from competitors as well as those still using feature phones. Apple CEO Tim Cook said as much yesterday while pointing to a chart of how much of the handset market Apple currently occupies.

“Despite all of this success and all of this momentum, the iPhone has a 5 percent share of the worldwide market of handsets. I could have shown you a much larger number if I just showed you smartphones, but that’s not how we look at it,” Cook said. “We look at the entire market of handsets because we believe that over time, all handsets become smartphones. This market is 1.5 billion units annually. It’s an enormous opportunity for Apple.”

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Apple’s plan of attack for that “enormous opportunity” is of special interest. Beyond the 4S, Apple is continuing to sell the iPhone 4 and the 3GS. the company has a long history of continuing to offer last year’s model, but the 3GS is now being offered free of charge. It’s the first time Apple’s ever done that. sure you could get older iPhones for about the price of one month of smartphone service, but this is the first time it’s been offered with no cost up front, just a carrier contract. Apple also added an even higher tier $399 version of the iPhone with more storage. That’s the same price as the original iPhone after its controversial price cut but likely with a better margin than the other two 4S configurations.

In other words, instead of three choices, there are now five. those changes to the product lineup are something I’d expect to have a dramatic effect on sales, especially given that Apple has extended the iPhone onto new carriers, including Sprint in the U.S. and KDDI in Japan.

Furthermore, this isn’t new behavior from Apple. the company does not radically change its computers every year. as we’ve seen with the unibody MacBook Pro and iMac, it’s worked out pretty well to tweak some things, add a new port and make adjustments to carry a product through its lifetime, eventually working towards a major overhaul.

The difference in this case is that the phone world is moving quite a bit faster, with competitors pushing out new models every few months, running operating systems made by other companies. that affords certain luxuries, like not having to wait for an OS update to sync up before releasing a new model. with the iPhone and its other iOS products, Apple’s banking on the fact that users will come to invest in that system by tying in its media stores, app library and the upcoming iMessage platform.

Coming back to disappointment though, worth remembering is the unveiling of the iPad 2 earlier this year. There were rumors abound about Apple packing in a Retina Display, adding speedy Thunderbolt connectivity, and maybe even an SD card slot. What we got instead was a visual redesign of the original iPad that added cameras to the outside, and a speed boost inside. Sound familiar? in the end it didn’t really matter. Buyers still snatched them up, besting sales of the first generation device handily. Would anyone want to mess with that formula? Apple certainly doesn’t seem to want to, not then and not now.

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Cadillac revamps the instrument panel with CUE

Cadillac CUE

SAN DIEGO–Cadillac has introduced a new central instrument panel that features touch-screen technology popularized by smartphones andtablets. The fully capacitive faceplate has an 8-inch touch screen that utilizes multitouch gestures to interact with it. Cadillac says this sets it apart from othercar in-dash units that have an overabundance of buttons and controls.

CUE stands for Cadillac User Experience.

(Credit:Cadillac)

The instrument panel is called CUE and it stands for Cadillac User Experience. In addition to a touch screen that lets you tap, swipe, and pinch in and out, it also has a proximity sensor so that when your hand approaches the screen, certain shortcut icons will appear. You can also enable haptic feedback, so that the screen pulses when you select something. aside from the touch screen, the overall interface features fewer buttons, large icons, and natural voice recognition. You can pair up to 10 Bluetooth devices to it, and it’s also compatible with USB keys, SD cards, and, of course, the iPod oriPhone. The entire faceplate opens up to reveal a 1.8L storage area as well.

Cadillac's CUE playing a song. Note the app tray at the top and the scrolling ticker of favorite functions along the bottom row.

(Credit:Cadillac)

The main home screen of the CUE display features the five most frequently used functions along the top of the screen in an app tray. These buttons can be customized with any function or shortcut the driver wants. Drivers can also select up to 60 favorite points of interest, music files, addresses, maps, directions, phone numbers, and system commands to scroll along the bottom row of the screen. if you want to keep your hands on the wheel, the steering wheel has several physical controls to help you navigate through the cluster display, cruise control functions, volume, and more. You still get access to OnStar’s suite of services if you decide to sign up for it.

CUE runs on a version of Linux and uses an ARM 11 3-core processor, which Cadillac says offers 3.5 times more processing power than its competitors. The open nature of the platform lets developers write applications for CUE in the future.

Other features of CUE include weather maps with Doppler radar, 3D turn-by-turn navigation maps, a customizable gauge cluster, AM/FM/HD and XM radio, two USB ports, an SD card slot, Bluetooth with A2DP streaming, Pandora and Stitcher support, and more.

Motorola Droid Razr vs. Apple iPhone 4S: Power Meets Utility

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Data Speed: Apple’s iPhone 4S, while not 4G, is running low-end “4G-type” speeds at 14.4 mbps. This speed is comparable to 4G phones available today, but just doesn’t stack up to the 4G LTE found in the Droid Razr, which can operate between 10 and 20 mbps.

Cameras: The iPhone 4S has an 8-megapixel camera with flash, autofocus, and a state-of-the-art hybrid infrared filter. The Droid Razr will feature a similar 8 MP camera with flash, auto focus, and an image stabilizer. Both rear cameras record video in full 1080p HD. The Razr’s front camera, however, features a 1.3 megapixels, while the iPhone 4S only has a VGA camera.

Where Apple’s iPhone 4S Wins:

Global roaming: The iPhone 4S has CDMA and GSM chips, negating the need for global users to use another phone outside the country. The Droid Razr is CDMA only.

Dimensions: While the Droid Razr is thinner than the iPhone 4S, the 4S is actually a smaller phone overall. The Razr measures 130.7 x 68.9 x 7.1mm, while the 4S measures 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm.

Battery Life: The iPhone 4S can provide between eight to 14 hours of talk time, but has a standby time up to 200 hours. The Droid Razr can reach up to 12.5 hours, but its average battery life is about eight hours. Its standby time slightly edges the iPhone 4S with 204 hours, but phones are meant for talking, not standing idle.

Operating system: The iPhone 4S runs iOS 5, which has 200 new features from the last version. At launch, the Droid Razr will run Android Gingerbread, instead of the long-awaited Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade.

Storage options: iPhone 4S is available in 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB. The Droid Razr will come with 16 GB built in.

Personal assistant: Apple’s newest and most exciting feature, Siri, is a smart personal assistant that can write and send off texts and e-mails, set reminders, schedule meetings, call friends, tell you the weather, and even answer complicated context-sensitive questions, converting currencies or figuring out the number of days until Halloween. Better yet, Siri understands context, so the user doesn’t need to adjust to the system; the system adjusts to the user. 

The Verdict: Both companies have turned out excellent smartphones that will keep users more than satisfied; however, the phones themselves are entirely different from one another. The iPhone 4S is first and foremost about accessibility, but besides an easy-to-use interface, Siri further assists its user by answering questions, calling friends, writing e-mails, and performing a handful of other hands-free applications.

The Droid Razr is a much glitzier offering. The phone features a larger screen, blazing fast speeds, and incredible photo and video quality. The phone doesn’t offer fantastic battery life, but the Droid Razr does deliver what many were hoping for the alleged iPhone 5: A thinner construct. The outside is extremely thin, but its infrastructure also beats Apple by being as strong as the iPhone cases, which are purchased separately from the phone. The Droid Razr is constructed out of KEVLAR fiber and Corning Gorilla Glass to protect the phone against scratches and scrapes, and is also built to resist water attacks, although dunking is still not recommended.

The Droid Razr offers similar features to the iPhone 4S, and then some. Motorola developed an iCloud-like system called MotoCast, which allows the user infinite access to share documents, pictures and music with an unlimited amount of libraries. But one of the best features of Droid Razr is its Smart Actions app, which alters the phone’s settings based on the user’s location. So if you want your phone to save battery at home, go silent at work, and dim at the movie theatre, the phone can adapt to your desired settings automatically. 

The iPhone 4S is the undisputed king of smartphones, but the Droid Razr gives it a run for its money by delivering what the people want: a thinner build, a better display, and the fastest speeds available. While it currently runs Android Gingerbread, hopefully it can be upgraded to Android Ice Cream Sandwich once that becomes available. we will have to see how people react when the Droid Razr becomes available in early November.

The iPhone 4S starts at $199, while the Droid Razr will sell for $299 with a new two-year Verizon Wireless contract.

There Is A Lot Of Iphone Instances Accessible » Fab Articles

For the reason that introduction of the iPhone, many different instances have been designed by several manufacturers that serve as safety to your iPhone. just the fact that a case exists does not imply that Apple approves of it as a superb iPhone case.

The silicone safety case is likely one of the many differing types available. The iPhone instances comprised of silicone are available in several totally different colors. Relying in your choice, you may get them in pink, purple, blue, black, and lots of other colors. The iPhone instances conform to the body of the gadget and also accommodate the assorted features of the gadget. some circumstances have an open window for the display screen space, whereas others feature a clear display screen protection. Deciding which one is right for you will lead you through many different choices from totally different manufacturers.

The crystal plastic case is another choice to protect your iPhone. a few of these plastic instances characteristic helpful belt clips and they’re additionally obtainable in a rainbow of colors. The laborious crystal case additionally comes with an LCD screen protector. as with silicone cases, the plastic case choices are numerous and have been put to market by many manufacturers.

For the more luxury minded, there are additionally leather-based cases for the iPhone. These cases are available many alternative designs and colors. They’re usually manufactured from hard leather and are extra cumbersome than most iPhone cases. they come in different sorts of leather and will be flip lid or pouches.

You can also get pocket pouches that can maintain and defend your phone. These are very useful containers of iPhones as a result of they’re smaller than most and all it’s important to do is slide out your iPhone if you wish to use it. other types of iPhone instances are flip-lid circumstances that shield the iPhone and give users direct entry to the screen by just flipping the lid. Though they offer good protection, they are bulky and do not simply fit into your pocket.

The iPhone has fast grow to be a fashion assertion, and for the style followers there are even designer circumstances by effectively-known designers such as Louis Vuitton. The fashion trade has found a niche for these specialised gadgets and most of the shoppers of the large model names admire this.

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Fresh iPhone Apps for Oct. 17: iTunes Movie Trailers, BiteHunter update, Corona Indie Bundle, Get the Flock Out – iPhone app article – Phil Hornshaw

Check out the latest in new releases and upcoming theater fodder with iTunes Movie Trailers, one of Apple’s new free apps that allows you to stream HD movie trailers and purchase tickets when you want to go out. use iTunes Movie Trailers to figure out the movie portion of your next date, and BiteHunter’s updated app to handle the “dinner” part. It aggregates meal deals in your area by drawing on tons of sources, which now include services such as Groupon. in games, you can continue to save money with the help of the Corona Indie Bundle, an app that includes five games for the price of one. And finally, you can practice dealing with stupidity in get the Flock Out, a game that’s about herding “artificially stupid” sheep as you take on the role of a sheepdog.

Check out all the latest movie trailers on your iOS device with iTunes Movie Trailers, a new app from Apple released along with its upgraded iOS 5. the app lets you stream HD video trailers for all kinds of upcoming films, just as you can do at Apple.com. there are also hundreds of other videos, including behind-the-scenes featurettes and clips from films ranging from indies at festivals to the next blockbuster.

There’s more than just watching trailers on offer in iTunes Movie Trailers, though. the app also allows you to check out a calendar of new movie releases, buy tickets for local theaters and see a list called “Top 25,” showing the most popular trailers and films in theaters. You can mark trailers as your favorites to watch them again and share them using email and Twitter as well.

BiteHunter scours your area for restaurants offering deals on meals, then brings you a list of what’s on offer (and where) so you can always find a cheap lunch or something that sounds appetizing. the app includes information on more than 50,000 deals, located by monitoring lots of sources, including restaurants’ Twitter feeds, deal sites and more. You can search by restaurant, then see a list of all its available deals, and you can even share those deals with others using social network integration.

A big update to the app brings in deals from more than 200 new sources, including Groupon and Yelp, to help make sure you’re getting the cheapest meals possible. A new “BiteNow” feature has been added that lets you make use of limited-time deals from Groupon and Living Social, great for finding deals when you’re looking for a meal right away. the app has also been redesigned to be more accessible, and you can create and set up a profile that lets you customize the experience.

Not one but five popular mobile indie games are yours for just a buck in Corona Indie Bundle, and that alone makes it worth picking up. the games themselves are each worth at least a single dollar, and you can quickly switch between the experience from the app’s main menu.

Corona Indie Bundle offers a point-and-click item search game in the Secret of Grisly Manor and casual titles like Float, in which you have to keep balloons in the air and from popping. There’s Robot 99, a game that’s all about saving falling robots from destruction; a top-down puzzler called Walkabout; and Chicken’s Quest, in which you’ll make a path for chickens to keep them out of danger until they reach a goal in each level.

It’s time to herd some sheep in get the Flock Out, a top-down puzzle game in which you control a sheepdog tasked with keeping a flock of sheep from danger. You control the dog by drawing a line from him to where you want him to go, creating a path so you can approach the sheep from one side or the other to drive them where you want. You’re scored on the speed and efficiency you use to get the sheep to the goal in each level.

Get the Flock Out! includes 38 levels and, as developer Wooji Juice ltd. puts it, “artificial stupidity,” in that the sheep are designed to act, well, like sheep. the game also includes all kinds of obstacles and puzzle solutions you’ll use to get sheep where they’re going – including cannons to fire them.

Apple iPhone 4S 16GB (AT&T)

The iPhone 4S ($200 for 16GB with a two-year contract from AT&T) might not be the most exciting iPhone to date, but don’t write it off: the improved camera, faster processor, and the addition of the Siri personal assistant make for one powerful smartphone. if you’re upgrading from a 3G or a 3GS, you’ll see a huge difference. but if you’re currently rocking an iPhone 4, you might want to wait for the next upgrade. the phone’s iOS still has a few things that irk me, and I wasn’t overly pleased with the call quality (though no “antenna gate” issues this time), but otherwise the iPhone 4S impresses.

The iPhone 4S is largely identical in design to the iPhone 4, which, in my opinion, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. it took a bit of time for me to get used to the iPhone 4’s slightly rectangular shape when I reviewed it last year. I grew to appreciate its aesthetic, however, which is both distinctly Apple and different from the pack of other high-end smartphones.

The overall design exudes elegance–from the rounded, individual volume up and down buttons to the ring/silent switch and the power/sleep button up top. Like last year’s black iPhone review unit, the face and back are made of glass that is specially treated to withstand scratches and oily fingers, according to Apple. Despite the company’s claims, though, I found the front and back of that earlier unit covered with fingerprints after only a couple of hours of use. this year, I got a white review unit and found fingerprints to be less of an issue.

I have to give credit to Apple every time a new iPhone comes out for making the unboxing experience such a treat for consumers. the packaging is sleek and minimalist, free of any gaudy carrier or app branding. when you slide open the box, you’re not greeted by thick heavy phone manuals that you’ll end up tossing in the garbage. the iPhone 4S seems more like a luxury item than just a mobile phone. Competing phone manufacturers should pay attention.

Like its predecessor, the iPhone 4S has a 3.5-inch, 960-by-640-pixel IPS display. when you compare the 4 and 4S displays to the 3GS, you’ll notice a huge difference. whereas the iPhone 3GS’s text–in the menus, in apps, or on Web pages–appears thick, fuzzy, and undefined, the iPhone 4’s text is razor sharp, even when enlarged (as we tried doing when viewing a PDF).

The “Retina display”–so named because it surpasses the number of pixels that the human retina can process–also greatly improves the sharpness, clarity, and visible detail of images. I compared it to the Samsung Galaxy S II’s Super AMOLED Plus display as well as the HTC Sensation’s Super LCD display and found that I preferred the colors and sharpness of the iPhone over the other phones. the iPhone display fades in bright sunlight, however, whereas the other phones’ screens were much easier to see.

When iOS 5 debuted, I tweeted that it fixed just about everything that annoyed me about iOS 4. I was disappointed, however, by the lack of innovation in the update. Features like tabbed browsing, a single view for notifications, and the ability to use the volume rocker as a camera shutter button are long-standing Android features. Still, iOS 5 works well, runs smoothly, and is an overall strong update, and that’s really what’s most important.

We’ve discussed the new features of iOS 5 elsewhere, so I’ll only highlight a few of my favorite updates. the big news here is that you can finally update your iPhone (or iPad) over the cloud–you don’t need to connect it to your PC. another welcome change is the update to notifications. when your phone is locked, you’ll see notifications on the lock screen. when you unlock your phone, they disappear. if you’re already logged into your phone, the notification will pop up on your screen. you can see all of your notifications in a single view in the very Android-esque Notifications Center. if you’re using your phone, notifications will appear as a pop-up at the top of the screen, then disappear. To see all notifications, you simply swipe your finger down from the top of the screen. Your notifications are sorted by app and category. at the top, you’ll also see widget-like stock and weather updates.

In mail, you can now add rich formatting, like bold and italic text, to messages, along with being able to indent text. Mail now has a built-in dictionary as well. another highlight is the iMessage app, which lets you send messages to any iOS device, regardless of whether it has SMS support.

When Apple says that the iPhone 4S camera has 60 percent more pixels than the iPhone 4 camera, it means that an 8-megapixel camera is technically 160 percent of the resolution of a 5-megapixel camera. So really, it doesn’t translate directly to improved image quality, as more megapixels aren’t an indicator of better image quality on small-sensored cameras. the higher megapixel count does mean that you’ll be able to print out images at a bigger size without losing resolution, or to crop images without the cropped area losing resolution.

We did a head-to-head subjective lab test of the iPhone 4S’s camera versus a heap of Android phones including the T-Mobile myTouch Slide, which got top scores in our last Android phone camera roundup. the other

Android phones included the Samsung Galaxy S II, the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide, the Motorola Droid Bionic, and the HTC Sensation 4G.

We also tested a couple of other devices alongside these smartphones. To see how much the iPhone 4S’s new camera has improved over the previous version, we included last year’s Apple iPhone 4 (the black one) in our test group. and for a control subject, we used a stand-alone camera–the Nikon Coolpix P300–to see how the best phone cameras compared with a well-respected pocket camera.

It was a close call for overall image quality, but the iPhone 4S ranked third in our tests, below the undefeated myTouch 4G Slide and the Samsung Galaxy S II, which came in second. you can read the full results of our tests here.

In my own casual hands-on use, I found the iPhone 4S’s 8-megapixel camera to be a huge improvement over the iPhone 4’s. My outdoor photos looked gorgeous with bright, yet natural colors and sharp detail. Lower-light photos weren’t as good; while the flash certainly helps, it does give people a strange color tone.

I’ve never been a fan of the iPhone camera’s user interface. it is clean and simple, but a little too simple. you can’t tweak camera settings, like white balance, for example, and it only offers you one other shooting mode, HDR (high dynamic range). the myTouch 4G Slide lets you pick from many different modes, like Macro, Night, and Action modes. I do like the new grid option in iOS 5, however, which uses a bit of augmented reality to help you take level photos.

While I’m pleased with the camcorder boost to 1080p, I don’t like the fact that you can only capture video in 1080p. Why isn’t there an option to record in a smaller size? true, 1080p looks better than 720p, but you might not want to always record video in such a high resolution. for example, have you ever tried uploading a minute-long 1080p video to YouTube over 3G? it is excruciatingly slow. Uploading over LTE 4G, on the other hand, is an entirely different (meaning speedier) experience.

Every single Android phone I’ve ever tried lets you switch between video resolutions. this is yet another reason why I prefer the Android camera interface (the native and a few of the manufacturer-added interfaces) to the iPhone’s.

According to Apple, data speeds for the iPhone 4S are double those for the iPhone 4, at 5.8 megabits per second for uploads and 14.4 mbps for downloads. the iPhone 4S can intelligently switch between two antennas for even better call quality, as well as faster download speeds. Using the FCC-approved Ookla app for measuring download and upload speeds, I tested the iPhone 4S over AT&T’s network in various parts of San Francisco. in the three areas I tested (The Mission, South of Market and Russian Hill), I averaged 0.38 megabits per second for download speeds and 0.21 mbps for upload speeds. this is a far cry from Apple’s claimed speeds.

But at last, the iPhone goes dual-core. again, Apple is playing a bit of catch-up here; we saw the first dual-core phones all the way back in January. Still, having the A5 is better than getting no processor upgrade at all. the A5 is the same chip found in Apple’s iPad 2, which is a very good thing; when we reviewed the iPad 2, we noted the zippy scrolling in the browser, as well as the speed when we used iTunes and quickly navigated through various menus and galleries.

As you’d expect, iPhone 4S is equally as speedy. Dual-core doesn’t necessarily mean double the speed, but you can see the difference between the two chips the most in video, gaming, and Web browsing. in our SunSpider JavaScript benchmark results, the 4S had a faster page loading time than the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II and the Motorola Droid Bionic, both of which have dual-core chips.

Call quality was a bit on the disappointing side. My friends’ voices sounded hollow and unnatural. One of my friends reported that I sounded as if I were in a tunnel, and another reported that they could hear some background noise, but it wasn’t too distracting. I didn’t experience any dropped calls, however. I even tested the iPhone in a notorious cell phone deadzone in San Francisco (a street in Hayes Valley). Data speeds were sluggish, but I was able to carry a full conversation without losing the signal. the iPhone 4S’s new antenna technology seems to solve any “you’re holding it wrong” antenna issues.

We’re still conducting our battery life tests and will update this review once we get those scores in. in my own use, I didn’t notice much of a difference between the battery life of the iPhone 4 and the 4S.

I’m a bit on the self-conscious side so I wasn’t really keen on the idea of talking to my phone (without someone on the other end, that is). I was, however, intrigued by the concept of a virtual personal assistant. Siri is a sassy little thing, offering cute and often funny retorts to silly questions (Q: what do you look like? a: in the cloud, no one cares what you look like). Once that novelty wore off, I started trying to use Siri for actual tasks. Siri found a vegetarian-friendly restaurant near a music venue I was attending, texted my friend while I was trying to administer flea medicine to my cat, and looked up a recipe for making guacamole.

Siri is pretty good at understanding everything you say to it (Siri has no gender, FYI), but try to speak clearly. I also found that there are certain words it just can’t understand–“plantains,” for example. I do wish that the phone had a text option for situations like this. being able to spell out the word to Siri is much easier than yelling “plantains! plan-tains!” into the iPhone over and over again. Siri is still in beta, however, so hopefully some of these minor annoyances will be fixed.

As the phone editor at PCWorld, I get this question a lot: “Should I get an iPhone–or something else?” the “something else” usually translates to the latest and greatest Android phones. this question is hard to answer because it truly depends on what you’re looking for from your phone. is this your first smartphone ever? You’ll probably find that the iPhone 4S has less of a learning curve. are you a tech tweaker? You’ll probably benefit from the deeper customization options of Android. Want to try something completely different? give Windows Phone 7 a test drive. if you currently own an iPhone 3GS and are due for an upgrade, going for the iPhone 4S is a no-brainer. if you currently own the iPhone 4, however, I’d recommend holding out for the next-generation iPhone. true, the camera and overall speediness have improved, and Siri is a neat feature, but otherwise the upgrade is incremental. You’re probably pretty happy with your iPhone 4’s camera and performance, so the upgrades might not justify the cost. Finally, if you’re looking into buying your first smartphone and want an iPhone, go for the less expensive iPhone 4.

Forget Extending The Power Grid, The U.S. Should Act More Like A Developing Nation

Globally, there are 5.3 billion mobile phone subscribers–but according to Green Power For Mobile by The GSMA Development Fund, nearly 500 million people worldwide do not have a means of charging a mobile phone at home. while these statistics are staggering, they are an example of how the traditional infrastructure of the past has not kept up with the technology of the future. Upgrading the energy infrastructure to meet these new needs is one of the greatest wealth-generating opportunities of our lifetime.

When looking at the simple yet growing problem of mobile phone and electronics lacking a place to plug in, we see that there are entrepreneurs trying to find solutions and new business opportunities. For example, in just the past few years, we have seen the evolution of new solar-powered cell phones for impoverished places in Central America, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific–and there is no grid or plug involved. and last year, Vodafone introduced a solar-powered mobile handset for India, where a third of the population does not have access to the power grid.

Still, when we think about charging a mobile phone, BlackBerry, iPhone, or anything else in the developed world (especially the U.S.), do most of us picture anything but a plug? The answer is obviously “no.” Yet as in the move from landlines to mobile phones, the cost of extending the grid to all of the citizens of emerging markets will never be cost effective. so extending the traditional “landline” infrastructure has to be rethought as consumers continue to discover the electricity-consuming tools of the 21st century.

Most people will go home tonight and charge their cell phone. many will charge more than one mobile phone, a computer, and an iPad (or some other kind of tablet). this gadget lust has contributed to our insatiable hunger for power sources. but, the “haves,” in this case, could learn from the “have-nots.” To service the 500 million cell phone users with no access to electricity, we are finding answers on a distributed scale.

Small-scale solutions like solar phones, solar chargers, wind-up chargers, base station charging, and village charging stations are all real and viable–in fact, they are cheaper than both the grid and the diesel power that feeds it.

In the developed world, we like to think big. but we might be better off to think small and ask these questions: Can we find solutions to charge one phone with no grid? Can we provide electricity to a new home subdivision without extending the existing grid? Can we tap electricity stored in electric vehicles and server battery backup units to help light a city? The answer to every one of these questions is “yes.”

Why? Because, the technology is here.We just need a new business model to unleash the answers we already have.

Jigar Shah is CEO of the Carbon War Room, a nonprofit that harnesses the power of entrepreneurs to implement market-driven solutions to climate change and create a post-carbon economy.

[Image: Flickr user Håkan Dahlström]