This morning Apple and Verizon stores began selling the iPhone specifically built for the Verizon network in the U.S. Lines were tiny or non-existant because many ordered online up to a week ago. Some estimates put the pre-orders at as much as one million phones. Another reason for small lines is that the Verizon iPhone is available today at Best Buy and Walmart as well as Apple and Verizon, which may spread out demand.
Of course the Verizon iPhone isn’t really a new product either. It is essentially the same iPhone 4 that AT&T customers had had since last summer. Some buyers may be waiting for the next generation of the iPhone, expected by most for this summer.
More rumors this week of the next generation iPad. Some report that Apple has already started production, which would be in line with an April release. There is even a far-fetched rumor that a third generation iPad may be out this fall.
Making a restaurant reservation using your iPhone is one of those cool things you see in TV commercials that you actually might need to do in real life every once in a while. The free Open Table app makes it easy. And you can also find nearby restaurants as alternatives if your favorite is booked for the night and read reviews.
You can open your trash folder by double-clicking on the trash icon in the Dock. Then you can select some of the files there and get a File, Put Back menu option. This will attempt to return the file to the location on your drive where it was before you put it in the trash. You can also right+click on a file and choose Put Back, or use Command+Delete. This will only work for files that have been thrown away using the Finder and where the original location is still available.
The guy at the Genius Bar told me the same thing I read in my “for dummies” book. I guess I’m having trouble because I’m somewhere in between.
Verizon customers started pre-ordering their iPhones this morning. The device should be in actual users’ hands by this time next week. Meanwhile, reviewers have noted good call quality while confirming that voice and data cannot be used at the same time.
Apple Stores will open early on February 10 to start selling the Verizon version of the iPhone. In addition to Apple Stores and Verizon Stores, Best Buy will also be selling the Verizon iPhone.
The long-anticipated iPad-only newspaper, The Daily, launched yesterday. The design is similar to many iPad magazine apps, with text, animation, audio and video. The Daily is the first app to feature Apple’s new subscription payment model. You can sign up for a recurring $0.99 per week payment to continue to receive The Daily. It is being offered for the first two weeks for free.
In case you missed it, The Daily launched this week. This is an iPad-only daily newspaper. It is significant in many ways. It is a new publication, not a new version of an old paper. It is iPad-only with content not even available on its web site. It also is the first app to use a subscription payment model. After the first two weeks it will cost $0.99 per week to subscribe. Too early to tell whether it will succeed in changing how we think of newspapers.
Do you like to have the Dock visible all the time, but find that sometimes it gets in the way? You can quickly hide the Dock with Command+Option+D. This turns “hiding” on so you can access items under the Dock, though the Dock still pops up after a second if you leave the mouse there.
If you give presentations often, or record screen capture video, then check out Boinx Mousepose. It dims the rest of the screen and highlights the area around your cursor. It can also show mouse clicks and keys pressed. There are tons of customizable options. I plan on using it in future presentations and perhaps in some future MacMost videos.
“I’d switch to Verizon but I’d have to pay more than $200 to break my AT&T contract.”
Even when Apple doesn’t release a new product it seems to know how to make headlines. The iOS App Store had its 10 billionth app download this week and Apple celebrated with a contest giving one lucky app buyer a $10,000 iTunes gift card.
The 10 billion number is significant when you realize it was done in about 2.5 years. Adoption of the iTunes Music store was much slower, taking about three times as long to reach 10 billion. But then again, the app store is filled with free content which probably accounted for a majority of the downloads.
There was an update to iMovie 11 this week. Version 9.0.2 fixes a nasty bug that plagued many people who found that audio was out of sync when they exported their video.
As the Verizon launch of the iPhone draws nearer we’re seeing some interesting things. Verizon has begun to run commercials for the iPhone thanking customers that stuck with them and “who never stopped believing this day would come.” Apple has an ad that shows both AT&T and Verizon next to each other: “two are better than one.”
AT&T would like to hold on to existing customers too, and has reportedly been offering their old unlimited data plan to those that call and ask. Verizon will be offering unlimited data for $30/month, but indicated that that plan will be phased out in the future.
It is amazing that we can still find new ways to simulate golf in video games. With Flick Golf you can probably guess how you control the swing. But you can also control the flight of the ball. Plus the game plays a little more like an arcade game than a traditional golf game, with bullseye targets and timers.
