| Updated: iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C are on sale, here's where can you get them Oct 18th 2013, 22:40, by Michael Rougeau 
After months of leaks and rumors, Apple finally unveiled the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C at a Sept. 10 event. The two new Apple handsets replaced the iPhone 5 when they launched Sept. 20, and with devices at every price point it seems there will be something for everyone. On contract, the iPhone 5C costs $99 for 16GB or $199 for 32GB, while the iPhone 5S runs you $199, $299 or $399 for 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, respectively. Without a contract the 5C puts you out $549 or $649, with the 5S coming in at $649, $749, or $849. Those are Apple's official prices, and they apply to almost all carriers. Both phones are out in the wild, though securing the gold iPhone 5S has been particularly hard to come by. It's no matter if your a fan of the space grey and white 5S, but going for the gold will be harder for customers looking for a little glitter. Read on to find out which carriers have which phones, plus pricing and availability. AT&T - AT&T confirmed separately from Apple that the iPhone 5C will become available for pre-order on its network on Sept. 13 and both the 5C and the iPhone 5S went on sale Sept. 20. You can pre-register at att.com/iphone. Verizon - Likewise Verizon confirmed both the iPhone 5C and the iPhone 5S will become available Sept. 20, and the 5C goes up for pre-order on the 13th. Big Red will start taking pre-orders at 12:01 a.m. PT/3:01 ET that day. Sprint - Sprint too confirmed that the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S will be available at the standard price points and on the same dates as its cohorts above. Sprint will open pre-orders for the 5C at 12 a.m. PT/3 a.m. ET on Sept. 13. On Sept. 16, Sprint announced a pretty nifty deal: It will take up to $100 off the purchase of an iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S for new customers who port over their number from one of its carrier rivals. That means customers can pick up a 16GB iPhone 5C for $0. T-Mobile - With its contract-free plans T-Mobile will offer the standalone versions of the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S at higher price points, though qualifying customers should note that the Uncarrier's Simple Choice plans will get them the 16GB iPhone 5C for $0 down. To reach the phone's $528 price tag, customers can spread out payments of $22 a month for 24 months. A $99 down payment will fetch you the 16GB iPhone 5S, though of course 24 monthly payments of $22.91 are needed to hit its $649 retail price. Note both phones' total price is less than the off-contract cost of both phones at other carriers. Again, the 5C goes up for pre-order on Sept. 13 and both phones go on sale Sept. 20. U.S. Cellular - So far there's been no word on U.S. Cellular carrying the iPhone 5C or 5S. When TechRadar contacted the regional carrier a spokesperson said that although "U.S. Cellular has previously announced that we will be carrying iPhone products," it "[does] not have any additional details at this time." Update: The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C will be available from U.S. Cellular starting November 8. Further details about pricing and plans have not been released yet. Walmart - Yes, the gigantic retailer plans to sell Apple's latest blockbuster phones. The 16GB iPhone 5C will retail for $79 and the 16GB iPhone 5S for $189. You'll need to pick up a two-year contract with whichever carrier you choose, but you'll save $20 and $10 on each phone respectively. To nab the iPhone 5C, you'll need to pre-order the phone in-store with a requirement to pick up the budget iPhone by Sept. 25. Look for discounts on older iPhone models as well. RadioShack - Head on over to the Shack Sept. 13 if you want an iPhone 5C and don't want to deal with a carrier (at least directly). Retail locations will start taking pre-orders of the new phone when they open that Friday. Each color will be available for Verizon, Sprint and AT&T. Target - Heads up, Wal-mart. You'll have a competitor for the iPhone 5C. Target announced Sept. 19 that it plans to sell the 16GB iPhone 5C for $79.99 on a two-year contract. Customers can start pre-ordering the 5C through Target's Mobile centers now. Note the 32GB 5C will run $199, but Target RED card owners will get an extra 5% off their 16GB purchase. Shoppers will also find the iPhone 5S at Target, but not at a discounted rate. SIM-free - Apple's iPhone 5C pre-order page lists a SIM-free version of the budget iPhone from $549 to $649, though the 5S page only lists the T-Mobile version under contract-free options.        |  | T-Mobile HTC One phones to receive Android 4.3 update on Monday Oct 18th 2013, 20:50, by Matt Swider 
By now, HTC One owners on T-Mobile were supposed to have Android 4.3 up and running, but the overdue Jelly Bean update has been delayed until next week. "It has been held until Monday," tweeted HTC U.S. President Jason Mackenzie. "Apologies for the delay, but this one is out of our control." Mackenzie personally apologized to just about every irate customer of the nation's No. 4 carrier that reached out to him on Twitter. "It's not easy to predict to be honest, but [we] have chosen to keep you up to date along the way," he said in another tweet to a customer. Carrier my wayward sonAndroid 4.3 has been slow to roll out to HTC One smartphones and carrier-locked Android devices in general. Sprint customers were the first HTC One owners to receive the update earlier this month with AT&T subscribers following closely behind last week. Verizon, which became the last major US carrier to launch the HTC One at the end of August, hasn't announced when Android 4.3 will be available to download. However, the Verizon HTC One had Android 4.2.2 pre-installed, so customers of the No. 1 US carrier aren't in angst just yet. The Google operating system update made its debut with the Nexus 7 tablet in late July, so T-Mobile customers have waited almost three months for this update, if it comes out on Monday. With Android KitKat 4.4 expected to launch at the end of the month, it may be just in time so that T-Mobile subscribers don't feel completely lapped.        | | Blip: Google makes a Play-date, event set for October 24 in New York City Oct 18th 2013, 19:35, by Lily Prasuethsut 
After all the recent hubbub about the Nexus 5's brief appearance on the Google Play site, it only makes sense that we should get some official news soon. Which makes a Google Play New York City event slated for October 24 a strange coincidence, does it not? The "night out" invite briefly lists an array of activities including a special performance by Capital Cities. But sounds like the slumber party is missing one thing: a Nexus 5 announcement. A Google rep has confirmed with TechRadar that it's basically a meet and greet for consumer press to learn more about Google Play and that no news will be spilled. So it seems like there really won't be any info about the Nexus 5, and that the event might just focus on Google Play's new look - though we'll keep an eye out just in case, and wait for the imminent Android 4.4 KitKat launch. More blips!These blips won't toy with your emotions.        | | Google Play Music adds 'I'm feeling lucky radio' to ease musical indecision Oct 18th 2013, 17:48, by Chris Smith 
Google's 'I'm Feeling Lucky' search button, which takes users directly to the first page in the listing, has been around forever, but is thought to be deployed in less than 1 per cent of all queries. So the company will hope it finds a more appreciated home within the radio portion of Play Music app, for those users who just can't decide what they want to listen to. The new feature, spotted by the AndroidPolice site, will allow users to auto-generate a radio station based on their previous listening habits. In the current version of the app users need to select an artist or a genre in order to start a custom radio station. One genre According to AndroidPolice, the new button seems to serve up music from the user's most frequented genre, rather than offering up a mix, which seems to take away from the fun a little bit. It also appears, from various reports that the feature is limited to All Access subscribers at present. According to the site, the new version of the app will be rolling out to all users of the iTunes Radio rival in the next couple of weeks.        | | Oreo flavored Nexus 5 spotted in alleged leaked retail box shots Oct 18th 2013, 17:46, by Michael Rougeau 
It's a good week for Nexus 5 leaks - first the new Google and LG flagship made a brief surprise appearance in the Google Play store, and now some alleged box shots have appeared showing the phone in a never before seen white and black color scheme. The Korean website underkg.com, which carries the amusing tag line "Everything under 1kg. Because heavy stuff sucks," posted the photos online, though it has since removed them. The images appear to show various angles of the Nexus 5's retail packaging, and the phone on the box looks like it has a white back with black on the front and sides. The Nexus 5's predecessor came in a lighter shade as well, though the white Nexus 4 was unveiled and released after the black one was already on the market. Nexus 5 specs and batteryHowever, the photos that appeared today have clearly been doctored and should be viewed with skepticism for the time being. The Nexus 5 has yet to be officially unveiled by Google or LG, but we're currently expecting a Nexus 5 launch just before Halloween at the end of the month. The latest leak reportedly showed the Nexus 5 running Android 4.4, revealing some new features coming in Google's next OS update. Another rumor earlier this month claimed that the Nexus 5 will come with two battery options, depending on the size: a 2,300mAh battery for the 16GB Nexus 5, and a 3,000mAh battery for the 32GB. We had doubts about the report, though, since the alleged Nexus 5 manual that leaked before that said the 32GB will sport the smaller 2,300mAh battery as well. Italian site TuttoAndroid was skeptical as well, and said today that it can confirm there will only be a 2,300mAh option. Other than that we're expecting the Nexus 5 specs to include a 5-inch 1080p display and a Snapdragon 800 processor.        | | Sony working on faster wireless charging for Xperia handsets Oct 18th 2013, 17:17, by JR Bookwalter 
Samsung isn't the only smartphone manufacturer looking to shake up wireless charging, as Sony is rumored to be working on technology capable of charging its Xperia handsets in one hour flat. Pocket-lint reported today that Sony engineers may be working on a way of speeding up the process of wireless charging, with an eye toward implementing the technology into next year's Xperia smartphones. According to a report from Nikkei, Sony's new device uses only 10-15 watts of electricity, but supplies twice the amount of current wireless chargers. The result is that, come late 2014, a compatible Xperia smartphone could be charged in half the time, reducing a two-hour wireless charge down to only an hour. Charged upSony's work is reportedly based upon specifications now being finalized by the Wireless Power Consortium, and will be implemented as part of the existing Qi international standard. Similar work is also underway by Rohm Co., who are developing the microchips necessary to charge with the increased 10-15 watts of power without overheating. Earlier this week, a separate report revealed that Samsung is also eyeing improvements for wireless charging for inclusion in next year's Galaxy S5 smartphone. Samsung's technology would allow handsets to be charged from a distance by using magnetic resonance, even when the source charger isn't actually making contact with the device. - Don't forget to check out our exhaustive review of Apple's new iPhone 5S!
       | | Apple says it couldn't read your iMessages even if it wanted to Oct 18th 2013, 17:13, by Michael Rougeau 
Research firms QuarksLab claimed on Thursday that Apple can theoretically intercept users' iMessages and read them or hand them over to authorities, but Apple responded that that's simply not true. "iMessage is not architected to allow Apple to read messages," an Apple spokesperson told AllThingsD. "The research discussed theoretical vulnerabilities that would require Apple to re-engineer the iMessage system to exploit it, and Apple has no plans or intentions to do so," the spokesperson continued. Just a theoryQuarksLab presented its findings at the Hack in the Box conference that took place this week in Malaysia. The group said that while Apple's end-to-end encryption is secure, Apple "can change a key any time they want, thus read [sic] the content of our iMessages." The security and hacking community so far has reportedly found few faults with QuarksLab's theory, which is apparently quite complex. However, the researchers emphasized that they're not claiming Apple does read your iMessages; only that it can if it chooses to. To iMessage or not to iMessageiMessages are messages sent between iOS devices that Apple has long claimed are more secure than standard SMS messaging. The iMessaging service supposedly even thwarts U.S. law enforcement agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration. Then again, the service clearly isn't foolproof.        | | Fighting talk: Why the iPhone 5C deserves to die Oct 18th 2013, 15:30, by Phil Lavelle 
The iPhone 5C was hardly a surprise unveiling. Apple's growth into world's premier smartphone manufacturer means it's now virtually unable to keep a secret. There are too many people involved in the production line and every tech website wants that exclusive. But as soon as we started seeing coloured cases that was it, the scrawl was on the wall. And what a mess it was. Playing with a 5C is like watching X Factor when you're hungover. It makes you want to put your foot through your television. Rotten AppleSorry Apple, but the fact is this: it seems people don't really want an iPhone 5C. Don't just take my word for that, look around you - how many users have you seen in the last month carrying a device that looks like it's covered in crayon vomit? Exactly. I was recently in line at the Apple store in Cambridge on the day the new Apple babes were born. The line had hundreds of people in it but the scene was comical as the doors opened and the iPhone 5S sold-out announcement came. There was this collective sigh and only about ten people remained in line to get their hands on the cheaper version. The demand just wasn't there on launch day, and it just isn't there now. Why? Well, better to turn that question around. Rather than ask why nobody wants one, how about why would anybody want one? It's just last year's model whacked with the ugly stick to make it look like a more affordable, fun version. But in the end, the iPhone 5C lacks the premium feel an Apple device would tend to muster. What's fun about an old phone in a toy case that costs you an arm and a leg? Mutton dressed as lambAnd price is part of the problem here. The inferior product normally comes with a significant rebate, but the 5C still costs a bomb. That's where Apple's dropped a huge clanger. If people can afford a 5C, it's not that much extra to get the 5S which will hold its value more and has that feeling of being a newer and better device. It's not the first time Apple has done this. Take an old product, stick the components in a new shell and tell the world to sit down. Relax. There's a new kid on the block. Yep, I'm talking about YOU, iPad Mini - you're just an iPad 2 in a smaller frame. What a great way of clearing out the inventory. Of course, Steve Jobs always talked about there being no need for smaller tablets. But he also derided the idea of a cheaper iPhone. Then again, he's not running the show now, Tim Cook is. And despite Jobs telling him to run Apple how he felt it should be run, not how he thought Jobs would have done, the fact is there has been a change of strategy. Apple is eyeing up a slice of the budget market. Trouble is, Apple's customers don't tend to be the budget types. The iPhone 5C deserves to fail. Why? Because Apple has launched it so half-heartedly. It hasn't given it a killer feature, nor is it piling them up and selling them cheap. There's pretty much nil incentive here to own one. Cupertino has arrogantly assumed that those on a budget will find the cash to pay just that bit more for a 5C. It's a lesson Tim Cook's going to have to learn fast if he wants to keep profitable and stay in a job.        | |
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