Deals Of The Week Wednesday!

Welcome back kids!

Ready for some deals? Yup? Here they are comin’ ‘atcha:

*T-Mobile are offering 4 lines for $100 a month with up to 2.5 GB of 4G LTE data per line until 2016 if you switch your family to T‑Mobile’s Simple Choice Plan. It’s a pretty stellar deal –  take a look to see if it’s right for your family here.

* Also at T-Mobile, but if you’re not currently on a plan, get a T-Mobile Prepaid Phone SIM Card Activation Kits for just $1 + Free Shipping. Go here and enter code SIMDEAL99 at checkout.

* Save 20% AT BEST BUY on one regular-priced small appliance and enter coupon code  SAVE20SMALLS at checkout to receive your savings. Expires: 10-12-14

*Get a Bunta Frosted Macbook Hard-Case Shell with a Silicone Keyboard Cover for $19.99 from Groupon. Because they funky AND protecty. Gotta love that.

* Best Buy have Beats Mixr On-Ear Headphones on sale for $199.99 down from $249.99 plus free shipping. Get an extra $100 off with an .Edu email student discount. 

*Get a Foscam FI8910W Wireless Camera with Optional 9dBi Antenna for $54.99 from Groupon. Unsure what you would use it for? We use ours to spy on our Guinea pig. So you could do that. (Not on our Guinea Pig, you weirdo)

*Get $10 Off $80, $12 Off $99 or $15 Off $120 Coupon for Brookstone online with coupon code AFF625. Expires: 11-30-14

*12-Month Xbox Live Gold Card for $49.99 From Groupon.

* Get $15 Off $75 at HP online with coupon code 15HPSAVE. Expires: 11-05-14

* Got an old car? We’re so cool with that, because old cars are gangsta, duh. But sometimes they need gadgets to bring them up to date. Get an A.M.P. Bluetooth Receiver for $18.99 from Groupon.

Aaaaaaaand we’re dealed right out. Happy shopping, campers.

Changes in California smartphone laws

A new law, State Sen. Mark Leno’s Smartphone Theft Prevention Act (Senate Bill 962), was signed into California law on Monday indicating a change that will hopefully prevent the massive amounts of cell-phone theft that has been plaguing the state.

After July 1st, 2015, every smartphone sold in in California must by law be equipped with default theft deterrent technology that will render the phone useless to the thief if stolen, eradicating the incentive to steal smartphones almost completely (unless said thief knows a super great place to sell smartphone parts) as well as the violence that comes along with such robberies.

The law dictates that every smartphone sold in California (online or in store) no matter where it was manufactured, must come with a default kill switch that when activated, will remotely turn off the phone and erase it’s contents, being able to withstand a hard reset or operating system downgrade, henceforth making it useless. There must also be the ability to turn it back on by the owner of the phone if the phone was found to be misplaced instead of stolen.

Authorized users also will have the opportunity  to opt out and turn the kill switch feature off, which, just like the iCloud lock, you will have to remember to do if you are selling or giving your smartphone away!

So, good news? Well, we think it’s awesome news that people are trying and succeeding in changing technology laws in an effort to enhance public safety, certainly. But will this effort decrease the amount of robberies in California? We can only hope, and wait and see.

Cellphone unlocking legal again!

Excellent news! Just a few days ago the United States Senate passed Bill S. 517  ( also known as the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act) to legalize cell phone unlocking so that consumers can switch carriers easily once their contract is up with their current carrier!

Yes!!

This means that once you’re finished on your contract you are legally allowed to unlock your phone, hence being able to move between carriers as you please. Originally, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act made it illegal to do so, followed by a exemption period from ending in January 2012, again making it illegal to unlock your phone. A petition was then recorded on the White House website opposing this which gathered over 110,000 signatures.

Hooray for common sense and the people’s voice, right?!

Apple replacing sleep/wake buttons on some iPhone 5 models!

Has the sleep/wake button on your iPhone 5 stopped working? Thought it was a lost cause? There might be some hope yet!

Apple has released a statement to The Loop regarding a recall of some iPhone 5 models because of broken sleep/wake buttons, which means if you are one of the device owners affected- you could get it replaced for free.

Here’s the lowdown-

You’ll need to enter your iPhone’s serial number here to see if your device is one of those affected by the recall.

If your phone is affected and you want to get it fixed for free ( duh) you can bring it to any Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service provider. Your device will have to be sent away to an Apple repair centre to be fixed, however it is believed that for the interim some Apple stores are lending customers iPhone 5 16Gb models. You can also mail your device directly to the repair centre if you’d like.

According to Apple your device will take 4-6 days from the time it is received until it is returned to you, and all customers should back up all their data and erase all content and setting before sending it in to get fixed. All devices that receive a new sleep/wake button will be updated to iOS 7.

If you’ve got an iPhone 5 that is affected by this recall and you’ve already paid for an out-of-warranty replacement, you should contact an Apple customer service rep to ask for a refund.

This recall and placement program will be effective for 2 years after the initial retail purchase of your device.

According to some reports there are stores that are offering customers affected by the recall  a $350 upgrade credit for a new device, but you must specifically ask for it, your phone must be in perfect condition other than the sleep/wake button, and it’s of course not guaranteed.

By the way, why doesn’t Apple have a cooler name for that button? Writing sleep/wake button over and over has cemented the fact that it’s a pretty stupid name. It should be called, like, the enforcer button or something. Just saying, Apple.

Good luck Guys! Let us know how you go if this recall applies to you!

Image courtesy of Techcrunch

WWDC dates announced! Details here!

Apple’s annual World Wide Developers Conference dates have been announced!

This year the conference will run from June 2nd through to June 4th, and developers have had the opportunity to apply for random ticket selection up until today- a different approach to other years.

Here is the run down from Apple themselves:

So, what can we expect?

You should definitely expect to hear Tim Cook making announcements regarding the iPhone 6 and iOS 8 and outlining their release dates and specs. Apple TV will most likely be getting an upgrade, however an actual Apple TV will most likely not be making an appearance.

There is a chance an iWatch will be announced, although analysts and basically everyone in the tech world go back and forth on this one. We think there is a 72.5% chance, but we’re not betting the farm.

We’ll also get pretty video’s played at 9:42 am, inspirational speeches, and special appearances by Craig Federighi and Jony Ive!

Are you excited?? Cos WE ARE!

Images courtesy of Apple & Unitedcats

iPhone Tip Of The Day!

GUYS GUYS GUYS!!

Guess what?

You don’t have to have WiFi turned off when you’re in airplane mode!

Yeah, it automatically turns it off when you enter Airplane mode but you can turn WiFi back on afterwards!

Sweet!

iPhone Tip Of The Day Camera Edition

Got iOS 7? You special little kitten you! Wanna know a camera trick?

You can now focus photos on iOS 7 without tapping the screen with your finger!

Instead, focus the photo by holding down the volume button for a few seconds, like you would do on DSLRs and point-and-shoots.

Nice!

Image courtesy of thedailytouch.com & OMGcutethings.com

How to turn off ‘Find My iPhone & Anti-theft Activation Lock’ from the phone you’re selling!

If you’re thinking of selling or giving away a stinky old iPhone, you need to understand how to turn off the ‘Find My iPhone’ function. ESPECIALLY if the device has been upgraded to iOS 7, whereby it will also be loaded with Apple’s Anti-theft Activation lock.

That’s not it. The Anti-theft Activation Lock introduced with iOS 7 is however super awesome for preventing theft by rendering the phone basically useless and worth roughly one eighth of its proper resale price. However, it also does this if you forget to turn it off before you sell it or give it away.

For instance, here at iPhone Antidote, we cannot give you the total quoted amount for your iPhone unless the Anti-theft Activation lock is turned off.

So, you guys need to know how to turn it off! And luckily for everyone involved, whilst not being the funnest 3 minutes you ever spend (we hope) it IS super easy! High Five!

There is a couple of different methods depending on the condition and location of your iPhone. If your iPhone works and is with you, you should-

Remove your iPhone from Find My iPhone by turning  it off on the iPhone.

Simple! On your iPhone, go to Settings > iCloud, then tap to turn off ‘Find My device.’ It will ask for your Apple ID password ( The one you use in the App Store), then BAM, both Find my iPhone and the Anti-theft activation lock is turned off.

YAY!

If your iPhone is not with you, already sold or given away OR broken or water damaged so that it won’t turn on, it’s also, really, really easy. HIGH FIVE!

If you can’t use your iPhone because it’s too damaged, or you’ve already sold it or given it away, you can remotely remove it from Find My iPhone and remotely remove the Anti-theft Activation Lock.

Your iPhone must be powered off. Easy to do if it’s broken! Also easy enough to do if you’ve sold it to a company such as ourselves or you can get in contact with the friend that you gave it to.

Then:

Sign in to icloud.com/#find with your Apple ID (the one you use with iCloud & the App Store).

Click ‘All Devices’ at the top of the page. Wait for the website to locate your iPhone, then select it from the drop down menu. It should appear as offline and grey.

A menu of options will appear on the right hand side of the screen. IGNORE THESE ( Unless you want to remotely erase your iPhone)

Click back on the ‘All Devices’ button at the top of the page. There should now be an X next to your iPhone.  Click it. Click it good.

Click “remove” on the next screen to confirm.

Aaaaaand you’re done! Now someone else can now activate the device, making it worth a whole lotta more clams from us/high fives from the friend you gave it to!

If you guys have any problems removing the anti theft activation lock from your iPhone – please contact us and let us know! We’d LOVE to help you out! And we give hugs too!

Images courtesy of  Appleinsider, Doblelol, grandfather.com, bidorbuy.com, iPhonehacks.com, Cheezburger.com & Dashburst.com

iPhone Tip Of The Day! Texting edition.

The world of text can be an intimidating and confusing one.

Tone, intent and, well, the ability to spell can all be lost in translation when considering the great communication tool that is texting.

Hence, welcome to the first part of our  iPhone Tip Of The Day, texting edition. First up – timing!

You know, sometimes you just really need to know what time you sent that text to Billy to tell him that you really like his new Tricycle.

And maybe you weren’t paying attention when you sent it because your heart was racing too hard because what if Billy naturally understood that when you said you liked his Tricycle you really meant you want to hold hands? And now you might have sent him the message at the same time as Stupid Cathy from next door and we all know what Cathy likes.

Life can be hard.

But never fear, we’re here to help! To find out what time you sent a message swipe from right to left in the message stream and a time will appear next to each message. 

Also? We… we really like your Tricycle.

Images courtesy of  Catsmob, funnyjunk & Dailydot.

iPhone Tip Of The Day! How to lock your screen orientation!

Sometimes, we wanna look at the world like this:

Horizontally! ( Cos it’s like the horizon, see?)

Sometimes, we wanna look at the world like this:

Vertically! (Coz, it’s, like, vertical)

Your iDevice does both! Magic! Your device should switch from vertical to horizontal orientation depending on at what angle you’re holding the device, and it should choose the view based on what is best for you at that point in time.

But.

It does get it wrong, sometimes. Sometimes you’re lying in bed and reading and it decides that BAM NOW YOU SEE THINGS THE OTHER WAY.

Except sometimes looking at life from a different perspective is just realllllly annoying, stupid orientation moving the wrong way.

So here’s what you do! In iOS 7- simply drag the control centre from the bottom of the screen. Three quarters along to the right you’ll see a lock symbol. Like this:

Angle your iDevice so it’s vertical/horizontal- however you want it to be for task you’re doing (playing mushroom wars does SO count as a task). Press the lock and it will say Orientation Lock on. Press it again and it will say Orientation off.

In iOS 6, press the home button twice. This will bring up the dash, which, if you swipe to the right you’ll see the same lock as pictured above. Press it on and off to turn the orientation on and off.

CAKE!

mmmm cake…

Images courtesy of  Gizmodo.com.au, imore, findyourmiddleground.com, osxdaily.com & Solofoods.com