Month: April 2014

Apple has started the program for repairing sleep / wake button in the iPhone 5 models that are affected by this problem. You can go even further and firstly ask for the button fix and then for Apple iPhone trade in deal. It can cost you $350 to trade the older iPhone 5 to the newest iPhone 5S device.

The Cupertino-based tech giant offers two ways for fixing buttons. You can either send your device in or go to the nearest retail store and take your iPhone 5 with you. Ask for the not working sleep / wake button repair, which is free if you are eligible for this program. You should also ask about the second program available to customers. This is the $350 trade in deal where you can trade iPhone 5 for 5c or 5S [your choice].

The catch here is pretty simply. No one will offer you this trade in deal unless you ask for it. According to some users, Apple instructed its employees to present the option only to consumers that specifically want to upgrade to the latest model and ask about this.

The deal is available to iPhone 5 users only. The smartphone has to be in working condition. There should be no broken display or other damages to it. If the damage exists, you need to have it fixed before you are able to trade in.

Everyone who is looking for the new iPhone 6 with iOS 8 that is expected to arrive this fall are advised to save their trade-in opportunity for later.

Apple has presented a fix to bugs with iOS 7.1.1 release that you can now download for your device. The firmware improves some options on iOS 7 and solves problems that make a lot of users tired and frustrated. You can learn how to update to iOS 7.1.1 inside this post and use either direct links or OTA-upgrade.

This release comes with minor improvements to the system. It should solve the bugs such as the ability to distantly turn off Find My iPhone application and restore your smartphone without having to enter Apple ID and password. The Cupertino giant has also offered some changes to Touch ID making its response a lot quicker.

As Apple states, you will get the following changes after you install iOS 7.1.1 on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch:

–   Your keyboard should be better in turns of responsiveness

–   Touch ID sensor works better

–   Bluetooth keyboards are also fixed

You can follow iOS 7.1.1 download links to upgrade to this firmware from iOS 7.1. This is good for everything with a non-jailbroken device. Hackers haven’t released the jailbreak for this operating system so they advise everyone who needs jailbreak to not update to the newer firmware version.

iPhone 5 CDMA users can download their firmware using the previous link and GSM owners can get iPhone 5 iOS 7.1.1 for GSM here. iPhone 5S users can download CDMA or GSM model and iPhone 5C should follow these links for CDMA smartphone and GSM cell phone.

Users with iPhone 4S can update as well and iPhone 4 owner can use one of the following sources: GSM Rev A, GSM and CDMA.

iPod touch 5 gen iOS 7.1.1 is here.

Tablet devices can be updates through here:

iPad Air 5 gen – WiFi + Cellular

iPad Air 5 gen – WiFi

iPad 4 gen – CDMA

iPad 4 gen – GSM

iPad 4 gen – WiFi

iPad 3 gen – WiFi

iPad 3 gen – Wi-Fi + Cellular AT&T

iPad 3 gen – Wi-Fi + Cellular Verizon

iPad 2 gen – Wi-Fi (Rev A)

iPad 2 gen – Wi-Fi

iPad 2 gen – Wi-Fi + 3G (GSM)

iPad 2 gen – Wi-Fi + 3G (CDMA)

iPad mini users can install the update this way:

iPad mini CDMA model

iPad mini GSM device

iPad mini Wi-Fi tablet

iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular gadget

iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi release

 User direct iOS 7.1.1 download links to install this firmware on your iDevice and update to better options with bug fixes.

The iPhone 5c model isn’t as popular as a lot of previous Apple handsets and the company is trying to boost its sales by introducing an even cheaper 8GB smartphone to consumers from some European countries. You can now buy a cheap iPhone 5c in USA, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Netherlands and some other corners of Europe, including Finland, Portugal, Austria etc.

It is expected that the common price for the low-cost 8GB model is to be €50 cheaper than the price on the 16GB handset. This could actually bring more customers to the Cupertino-based company if carriers don’t give discounts on the 16GB smartphone.

The news about low sales of the colorful iPhone 5c that was released along with the more expensive 5S model was everywhere on the web. The introduction of the model with less storage a month ago came as surprise to everyone. Can it earn the results Apple wants? Maybe once the sales figures are shared with public experts will see how this idea allows the company benefiting from extending the line of its cheaper handsets.

It is curious that some countries offer the new model more expensive than the 16GB one. For example, some people note that Germany starts to sell iPhone 5c with 8GB of storage for €499 while the 16GB device is €10 cheaper. This sounds weird.

If such pricing policy is preserved in other countries people will not buy the lower storage smartphone when it is possible to purchase more storage at a lower price.

One of the American carriers T-Mobile changes its price policy on tablets. The company should start offering LTE devices for the price of Wi-Fi models. Its new T-Mobile price plans also suggest the free data use through 2014. This company likes to introduce different promotions for its customers shaking up the market in the U.S.

The operator wants to attract more tablet consumers thus it came up with a new initiative. The Tmobile price policy offers LTE Apple tablets $130 less plans than Apple offers them. The fruit tablet with LTE option usually costs $130 more than the Wi-Fi gadget but for a limited time you can get the LTE model cheaper.

Even if you still have the Wi-Fi model and wish to get the newer device you can visit the carrier’s store and ask for upgrading your tablet for the 4G LTE-enabled iPad. You will pay the same price as you would have paid for the Wi-Fi device. This might be a good deal for a lot of Americans who like to own the latest generation gadgets with the Apple logo.

T-Mobile price plans offer no annual contract but offer different postpaid activation on mobile plans. In other words, you can now purchase the 16GB iPad Air with 4G LTE connection for $499 and not pay $630.

Some consumers can get the 2-year financing with no money down. You can also get the bonus of free monthly 1GB data in 2014. This is an addition to the offer with free 200 MB data that tablet users already get from this company.

This is a good time to buy the tablet if you wanted one for Christmas but found it too expensive. You can also wait till the next-gen model that might be launched this fall. Apple is planning to release the A8 processor devices, as rumored.

Three now offers the updated version of iPhone 5C 8GB model. The smartphone is now available to UK customers who can get revamped tariffs from this carrier. Users are offered to buy the smartphone with a 2-year contract. iPhone 5C Three UK price starts at £35 a month [after a two year plan] with additional £19 monthly payments for the 8GB version for the cheap Apple handset.

What do you get for this iPhone 5c price with 3 Hutchison? £54 monthly payment for 2 years gives you up to 600 call minutes each month, unlimited text messages and unlimited data. If this is way too much for you there is another offer.

The carrier can give you 600 minutes for phone calls, unlimited SMS and 1GB monthly data for £29 a month [this is £6 cheaper] but the tariff is available over 24 months and the upfront charges still apply.

Sadly, there are not differences between the iPhone 5c with 16GB storage that was released last year and the 8GB model presented this spring. Only the storage has been reduced with no more changes. The same device comes with A6 chip and 8 megapixel camera. Customers can select one of the 5 colors presented by the Cupertino-based tech giant.

Sometimes you get into the area where this is no Wi-Fi connection and cell coverage. You can use iPhone chat without Wi-Fi if you have one app installed on your Apple device. You can send text messages to users who are in close proximity to you and you do not need internet connection for this.

iPhone chat app without internet is called FireChat. The program works through iOS software feature “multipeer connectivity” that is built-in into every Apple handset. Users can send SMS to each other while their smartphone are connected through Bluetooth used as an alternative way of communication.

How to Use iPhone Chat Without Internet

Let’s imagine you don’t have cell coverage and internet but FireChat is installed on your iOS smartphone.

Step 1. Make sure that the user who you wish to sell the text message to is within 100 feet. Otherwise your message can’t reach the recipient.

Step 2. Type your message and send it.

Right now the option is probably more interesting to office workers who are in the same room. The program is developed by Open Garden team. It is designed for pranks and might be a good approach for multiplayer gaming.

Maybe multipeer connectivity will be used by other devs in the gaming industry. For now this is the only application of this kind built for iPhone gadgets. Developers of the program are going to extend the app’s features that are now letting only moving information directly from one iPhone to another without Wi-Fi and Internet connection. Maybe it will allow sending data to different gadgets once the program gets updates.

It can also guarantee your privacy and security as the conversations won’t be sent via Internet. Your messages will be sent to another iPhone directly without passing through different carriers and systems.

Note that your SMS will be received by all FireChat users nearby.