Each week, our friends at gdgt go through the latest gadgets and score them to help you decide which ones to buy. Here are some of their most recent picks. Want more? Visit gdgt anytime to catch up on the latest, and subscribe to gdgt's newsletter to get a weekly roundup in your inbox.
Filed under: Misc
Just a few short months after Virgin Mobile's Sprint-fueled US arm listed the iPhone 5 for sale, the MVNO is teasing the smartphone's successors as "coming soon." According to the firm's homepage, both the iPhone 5s and 5c will debut for prepaid customers, though pricing and availability remain unknown. Judging by the previous-gen's starting price of $550, however, you might want to start saving up now. The iPhone 4S, meanwhile, remains on the ticket. That handset is currently listed for 15 percent off its $450 sticker price, available today for $382.49.
[Thanks, Jay]
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Sprint
Source: Virgin Mobile USA
When your name is on a Major League Baseball stadium, and you're a mobile operator, you carry the iPhone. Unless you're US Cellular, that is. For reasons that cannot be comprehended by mere mortals, one of the United States' largest regional carriers still isn't offering the iPhone in any variant, despite promising back in May to carry Apple products before the year's end. In fact, things have gotten so bad over at USCC that its Facebook page has gone dead silent since September 13th, with customers far and wide ranting in the comments section about the carrier's inability to get the one phone they all want.
Making matters worse for USCC is the fact that Appalachian Wireless, C Spire, Bluegrass Cellular, Cellcom, GCI, MTA, Nex-Tech Wireless, Ntelos and Strata are all lined up to start selling both the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s on October 1st. We suppose even more could be added as time rolls on and the supply / demand balance rights itself, but it's probably high time for US Cellular holdouts to head on over to a rival. Patience only gets you so far, you know?
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
Source: MacRumors
Apple just set a new all-time record for iPhone launch sales: it reports selling nine million total iPhone 5s and 5c units this weekend, well over the 5 million of the iPhone 5 launch last year. While the company isn't breaking down sales by individual models, it notes that the initial iPhone 5s supply has already sold out. The company also mentioned that more than 200 million devices are already running iOS 7. That's the fastest software upgrade in history, according to Apple. While it's difficult to put the sales and download figures into context without directly comparable numbers from rivals, it's clear that the new devices are off to a strong start. Check out Apple's self-congratulatory release after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
Source: Apple
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
In each issue of Distro, Executive Editor Marc Perton publishes a wrap-up of the week in news.
In this week's Distro, we take a closer look at Apple's two new iPhones, the 5c and 5s. The 5c, despite being less impressive when it comes to features and specs, may actually be the more popular of the two models. As Myriam Joire says in her review, the pastel-hued phone is "a gorgeous handset that brings a breath of fresh air to the iPhone lineup. For many people, it might even be a better choice than the iPhone 5s." That, of course, doesn't mean the 5s isn't worth considering. In her review of Apple's new flagship model, Myriam declares it the best iPhone ever made and says that Apple "took a good product and made it better through hardware upgrades, new features and completely revamped software." If you have an iPhone 5, should you upgrade? You'll have to read the full review to find out.
Also in this week's Distro, we check in with audiophile and Head-fi.org founder Jude Mansilla. His favorite classic gadget? It's a tie between the Newton MessagePad and a portable CD player paired with a good set of headphones, which he says "started me on the journey that turned into Head-Fi.org."
Filed under: Misc
Just over a week ago, Apple pulled the wraps off of not one but two new smartphone options for the iOS faithful. In this week's edition of our slate magazine, the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c head through the Engadget review gauntlet to test Cupertino's latest against the competition. Eyes-On peeks at Chrome bags, Hands-On visits IDF 2013 and Rec Reading investigates Nintendo's secret weapon. A rather colorful issue is ready for your e-reading device of choice via the repositories down below.
Distro Issue 108 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro in the Windows Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter
Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile, Apple
Source: iTunes, Google Play, Windows Store
'C,' it turns out, is for color -- not cookie, or cheap or China. Yes, the pretty in pastel iPhone 5c, Sir Jony Ive's repackaged ode to Apple's last-gen iPhone, as well as the iPhone 5s will be joining Three UK's lineup starting this Friday. The operator will be offering both iDevices on a two-year plan for an initial upfront payment of £49 and £99, respectively. That means you'll still have to pony up a monthly fee for either device, the amount of which depends on the particulars of your voice and data package. Regardless of which you opt for, however, the privilege to surf Three UK's (not yet live) 4G network is included at no additional cost. And it's unlimited.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Apple
We've already seen Walmart undercut Apple by selling the iPhone 5c for less than the MSRP right out of the gate, but it turns out it's not the only retailer offering a deal. Target's also selling the 16GB version for $79.99 on a two-year contract from your choice of carrier, offering a savings of $20. You'll still pay the same $199.99 for the 32GB model, though, and there's no similar discount to be found on the iPhone 5s, either (Walmart has knocked it down ten bucks to $189). You'll find that price in store tomorrow, or you can get your pre-order in on Target's website now.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
Via: 9 to 5 Mac, The Verge
Source: Target