iPhone 5

T-Mobile stores gearing up for iPhone launch, Sprint’s Virgin Mobile offers $100 to switchers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 31, 2017

Although it hasn't yet begun officially dressing up its nationwide stores ahead of Friday's iPhone launch, T-Mobile USA is now gearing up for the big day. As part of the preparations for the D-day, the Deutsche Telekom-owned telco last Friday started accepting pre-orders for iPhones. And earlier today, T-Mobile’s retail locations were spotted getting ready with brand-new iPhone-themed uniforms and demo inventory is already en route, but don't expect these devices to crop up at T-Mobile stores until the night before the launch...

Take better low-light panoramic pictures with LLBPano

Cody Lee ∙ April 6, 2013

I'm a big fan of the Panorama capture feature that was added in iOS 6. I'd like to be able to use it while holding my iPhone in landscape mode, but other than that I think Apple did a great job with it.

It doesn't always work very well in low-light conditions though. And that's where the jailbreak tweak LLBPano comes in. It enables Low-light mode on the iPhone 5 when taking panoramic photos...

T-Mobile’s iPhone carrier update is out with support for LTE and Visual Voicemail [updated]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Following up its iPhone 5 pre-order earlier today, T-Mobile has begun rolling out a carrier update to unlocked iPhone customers on its network. The carrier is preparing to officially launch the popular handset next Friday.

We'd heard last week that the OTA (or over the air) update was going to include Visual Voicemail support and LTE support for compatible devices. But it looks like there's more to it then that. Keep reading for the full details...

T-Mobile iPhone 5 now available for pre-order

Cody Lee ∙ April 5, 2013

Last week, T-Mobile announced that it was finally joining the other top US wireless carriers as an official iPhone partner. It will be offering all current models of the popular smartphone, including the iPhone 4, 4S and 5.

The phones won't officially become available until next Friday, April 12. But, as expected, T-Mobile started accepting iPhone 5 pre-orders through its website this morning. And you can grab a 16GB model for just $99 down...

Major SkyDrive update: revamped UI, full-res photos, iPhone 5 and iPad mini support

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

There's a good reason why Microsoft's SkyDrive cloud storage client for iOS has seen its last update in June of last year: revenue sharing. Per Apple's rules, third-party software is required to share 30 percent of proceeds from in-app sales with Apple.

For example, when you fire up Dropbox's excellent iOS client and upgrade to a paid storage tier within the app, your iTunes credit card on file gets charged and Apple earns its 30 percent share.

Though Microsoft wanted to introduce that same functionality into the SkyDrive app, it wouldn't share any revenue with Apple. Neither party would budge and a spokesperson previously said Microsoft was "in contact with Apple regarding the matter."

The two parties have supposedly reached an amicable solution because Microsoft today announced SkyDrive 3.0, a major new version rocking an overhauled interface, support for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini and a few other features...

T-Mobile will update your unlocked iPhone 5 with LTE and Visual Voicemail on April 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 2, 2013

This is quite noteworthy. Following a jailbreak hack which purports to make your unlocked AT&T iPhone 5 (model A1428) work on T-Mobile’s LTE by way of loading a custom carrier firmware, a new report claims the Deutsche Telekom-owned wireless carrier itself will be sending out a carrier update designed to officially enable T-Mobile's LTE and Visual Voicemail, among other features, on unlocked GSM devices.

The update is scheduled for delivery beginning April 5, a week ahead of T-Mobile's official April 12 roll-out of its LTE-ready iPhone 5. The patch is good news for AT&T customers looking to jump ship as they won't be required to buy a newly tweaked iPhone 5 model from T-Mobile in order to enjoy T-Mobile's 4G LTE speeds. There's more to know so go past the fold for full details...

AT&T will begin rolling out HD Voice support later this year

Cody Lee ∙ April 1, 2013

Last week, T-Mobile announced that it was finally going to start offering the iPhone. It will be selling all current models, with the iPhone 5 starting at just $99 down, and will support the handset's HD Voice (or Wideband Audio) feature.

In fact, once it launches the iPhone 5 later this month, T-Mobile will be the only US carrier to support its HD Voice option. But it won't be that way for long. AT&T announced today that it will be rolling out support for the tech later this year...

Jailbreak hack lets you enjoy T-Mobile LTE speeds on your iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

Yesterday, iDB reported that T-Mobile's iPhone 5 is actually a factory tweaked version of the existing AT&T model A1428 device, with support for T-Mobile's LTE AWS bandwidths. As a result, existing AT&T customers cannot use their iPhone 5 to take full advantage of T-Mobile's LTE speeds until after the Deutsche Telekom-owned telco launches its iPhone 5 on April 12, at which point Apple will replace the existing A1428 hardware with this re-tooled version.

But a hack has come along claiming to make AT&T's A1428 iPhone 5 - jailbroken and unlocked (officially or unofficially) - work on T-Mobile's LTE on the 1700MHz band. It accomplishes this by using a custom carrier firmware that enables support for T-Mobile's LTE AWS bandwidths. However, it won't make your AT&T device compatible with T-Mobile's speedy 3G DC-HSDPA on the 1700MHz band nor will your Verizon iPhone be fooled into accepting T-Mobile's LTE bands...

The Mist: a minimal and lightweight iPhone case for people who don’t like cases

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

If you follow me on Twitter or listen to our podcast, you know I'm not a big fan of cases. There are two main reasons why I'd rather go for a naked iPhone. One, I consider myself a minimalist when it comes to design and aesthetics, and using a case goes against that. Two, and maybe the most important reason, is that I think the white iPhone 5 is such a beautiful device that it should be considered a criminal offense to slap a case around it.

This being said, I quickly changed my mind when I dropped my iPhone a few weeks ago as I was walking through the door. It appeared it had fallen face flat on the tiles. As I picked it up, I was preparing myself for the worst as I was pretty sure the screen was cracked. It was not. As a matter of fact, it just had what most people would consider a tiny dent right on the chamfer, but that was enough to make me reconsider my "no case" policy...

Survey: better the screen, bigger the paycheck for in-app game sales

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 21, 2013

We ran across an interesting yardstick when measuring how much mobile consumers will spend on in-app purchases: screen quality. No, we're not talking about whether your phone's screen is too covered with smudges and grime to see the "buy" button. Turns out, in-app purchases could be ten times as much, depending on the device screen.

Per one app firm, the connection between screen quality and in-app revenue is most evident with Android handsets, but is totally absent with iPad users...

Precise renderings depict just how bulkier Galaxy S4 is versus iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Though Samsung's new Galaxy S4 smartphone has just a slightly larger display compared to its predecessor, the 4.8-inch Galaxy S3, its five-inch screen puts in the phablet category, especially compared side-by-side next to Apple's iPhone 5. Because the device won't launch before end of April, we're currently unable to compare their form factors in person.

Enter Martin Hajek, a 3D artist who made a name for himself with painstakingly rendered mockups of Apple's rumored products. The latest from his kitchen: a fresh batch of precise renderings which give us a good idea how the two devices compare size-wise...

Galaxy S4 is pricier to build than iPhone 5

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 20, 2013

Ah, the cost of competition. Samsung's recently unveiled Galaxy S4 may raise the bar for Apple, but it comes at a price. The new smartphone isn't expected to launch until April, however we already know how much it cost the South Korean company to build its latest device: $244.

According to IHS Suppli, parts and manufacturing for a 16GB S4 not only cost more than the current Galaxy S3, but also seventeen percent higher than an iPhone 5 with sixteen gigabytes of storage. Seems Samsung is encountering the same financial challenges as Apple when it comes to ensuring your handset remains technologically in step with competitors...