iPhone

Ever heard the term "kludge"? It refers to a workaround, a cobbled-together solution to a problem. Usually, it ain't pretty, but it works.

Collect3's CoBrowser is a kludge, a way around Apple's limitation on apps that enable tethering. With it, a Wi-Fi iPad can tap an iPhone's 3G connectivity--no jailbreaking required. It's extremely limited, and it ain't pretty, but it works.

Just to clarify, CoBrowser doesn't actually tether your iPad to your iPhone. Instead, it shares the latter's screen with the former, and then only for Web browsing. Before you … Read more

Those of you ready to shop for the holidays now have a new tool to find the best prices.

Available today in Apple's App Store, Amazon's new and free Price Check for the iPhone tries to find the best deals on items among both online and offline retailers. iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users shopping at their favorite outlets can compare prices on the shelves against those at other stores as well as at Amazon and other online vendors.

You'll find a variety of ways to get the app to recognize an item. You can take a picture of the product's bar code. You can snap a photo of a book, DVD, CD, or video game. You can speak the name of the product. If all else fails, you can simply type the name of the item into the app's search field.

Amazon then matches the product's photo or description with the same item already in its database and provides a list of vendors and their respective prices. Price Check even offers details on the item and reviews from other Amazon users.

If you find an item and a price you like, you can buy the item directly through the app, whether it's sold by Amazon or by another retailer through Amazon. You can share prices on your favorite items through e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter as a not-so-subtle holiday wish list for friends and family.… Read more

Apple is launching iOS 4.2 today.

The company announced that its latest operating system update for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad users will be available today, though the software was not yet available for download at 7:00 a.m. PT on Apple's site or directly through iTunes. MacStories and MacWorld are reporting that iOS 4.2 will debut by 10:00 a.m. PT.

The eagerly awaited update will bring to the iPad new features that already hit the iPhone and iPod Touch through last summer's iOS 4.0 release.

iPad users will now be able … Read more

File this under "it should have been free all along." Apple's "Find my iPhone" feature, previously a feature of the subscription-based MobileMe service, is now free--with a catch: it's only free for users of the iPhone 4, iPad, or newest fourth-generation iPod Touch.

That means that while many iDevices--be they iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch--can be updated to iOS 4.2, only the most recent versions of each will get the free "Find my iPhone" functionality.

The service finds your iPhone, if by "find" you mean "get a rough … Read more

Apple's iPhone is one of the most sought-after devices on the market, and according to a new survey, it also has the highest customer satisfaction rating among smartphone buyers.

The survey, conducted by market research firm ChangeWave, asked 1,212 consumers who had purchased a smartphone in the last six months how satisfied they were with their purchase.

Apple's iPhone topped the list of customers who said the were very satisfied, with a 77 percent approval rating. Motorola came in second with 71 percent, followed by HTC (63 percent), Samsung (45 percent), and RIM (44 percent).

All four … Read more

The big Apple news this week was the announcement that The Beatles music collection is finally available at the iTunes App Store, but that wasn't the only news to come out of Cupertino, Calif. iOS 4.2 for iPhone and iPad is extremely close to release, and we put together a slideshow of some of the new features across both devices. Check out our hands-on look at the iOS 4.2 Gold Master and the slideshows for each device here.

This week's apps include an image-editing app that offers a big list of useful tools and a castle defense game with RPG elements and a surprising amount of depth.… Read more

The BoxWave Keyboard Buddy is the latest physical keypad case for the iPhone 4. Like the ThinkGeek version featured before it, this accessory is physically connected to the smartphone but still requires a Bluetooth connection to work. However, unlike ThinkGeek's TK-421, the keypad slides rather than swivels out. This makes it look a little like the Motorola Milestone.

At $70, it's pricier than the TK-421. The good news for the international crowd is that BoxWave ships to a lot more countries than ThinkGeek, so you may actually be able to get your hands on one without using complicated … Read more

Android is now running neck and neck with Apple's iOS as the largest U.S. smartphone platform on the Millennial Media mobile ad network.

The number of mobile ad impressions (how often an ad appears) in the U.S. for Android jumped 8 percent in October over September, according to Millennial Media's "October Mobile Mix Report." That increase means both operating systems accounted for a 37 percent share of all impressions tracked by the ad network.

Ad requests (the number of times a mobile ad is clicked on) rose for both operating systems last month but … Read more

LOS ANGELES--Earlier this year Mini said it would integrate Web radio and other smartphone apps with its cars, but gave little detail of how the system would work. At the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, we had a Mini representative to give us a demo of its new ConnectedDrive system.

To answer our most immediate question, Mini developed its own iPhone app, so Web radio, Twitter, and the other functions it is offering actually reside on the phone, using its processor power and data connection. With the iPhone connected to the car's USB port, control of the app gets taken over by the Mini's onscreen interface.

Added to the list of audio sources on the Mini's LCD was Web radio, right along with satellite radio, AM, and FM. That Web radio entry only appears when a phone bearing the Mini ConnectedDrive app is hooked up. The Web radio feature of the Mini app lets you listen to thousands of radio stations that stream their audio to the Internet.

The Mini ConnectedDrive app also offers Google Local Search, Twitter, and Facebook. The interfaces for each of these functions have been designed by Mini to avoid on-road distraction. For example, the Twitter feature does not let you type in a Tweet. Instead, the car comes up with canned Tweets that you can send.

This Tweet function is kind of brilliant, as it uses data the car knows, such as location, current temperature, or how long you've been driving. It can take this data and punch it into Tweet templates, letting you easily update Twitter with your location or what a nice day it is while you're driving around. Mini suggests this feature will encourage social networking amongst Mini owners, making it possible for them to enjoy a drive together while keeping organized. For example, a lead car could Tweet direction changes. Users will also be able to create their own Tweet templates. … Read more