iPhone Apps to help you celebrate New Years Eve!

Oh, Hi New Years Eve!

In case you weren’t aware, the biggest party of the year is just around the corner! Here at iPhone Antidote we are always wanting the best for our valued customers, and right now that means preparing you to party! We’ve got everything covered in apps to help make your New Years Eve a memorable one.

Countdown– The most important part of the party- the countdown of the last moments of 2012, and with everyone looking forward to 2013 ( and the kiss at midnight!) with hope and joy.

We suggest you check out Countdown Timer Pro– A simple countdown app that also includes an animated NYE time-zone map that lets you see when midnight is rung in all over the world.

The first ever Times Square New Years Ball Drop App looks great. You can customize your own countdown with your time-zone and a selected photo, take part in the official Times Square countdown and even have your face projected onto the Toshiba Vision Sign and send NYE themed e-card to friends and family.

Fashion– You have to look good for NYE, I think we can all agree to that, and here are the apps to help you look your most attractive, sparkliest self.

Trendabl is like social networking for your clothes- you can upload photos of yourself in your outfit options and get expert and random objective advice. ‘Go try it on’ is good for this as well. ASOS and Shopstyle are the go to shopping apps if you think you have time!

Fireworks– If you aren’t in a position to be outside enjoying fireworks, or don’t enjoy crowds, this app if for you. Flashmob New Year’s Fireworks lets you enjoy New Years Eve firework celebrations from all over the world including major landmarks including Sydney Harbour Big Ben, and the Eiffel Tower.

Transport- Make sure you guys are safe this NYE and have your transport options sorted out for getting home on New Years Day! Download the transport app for your town’s network to make sure you can work out what’s going on with going home- no matter how many drink’s you’ve had! If you optimistically drove somewhere and then realized you forgot you were going to drink on NYE, try StearClear. They’ll send a team of two to wherever you are, one to drive you home, the other to drive your car home.

Alcohol – If you’re out and looking for a good bar, Scenetap say that they can tell you how crowded a bar is- what the gender ratio is and the average age of the clientele- mainly focused on Chicago, SF and college towns. If you’re at home, try Mixology– an excellent assistant to cocktail making, even making suggestions based solely on what you have in the cabinet. Drunkguard is a quality app for keeping you safe and out of trouble- it helps you estimate your blood alcohol level (only estimate though- don’t drive if you’re even close to the illegal level), keeps your from drunk-dialing, drunk texting and drunk tweeting.

Resolutions – Now, the serious part of New Years Eve. Everyone likes to dabble or fully immerse themselves in the idea of Resolutions. Most of these will have to do with fitness, money, career or Love. To help you keep these wonderful promises to yourself, we suggest the following apps.

For health– My Fitness Pal, or, for the smokers, Livestrong Myquit Coach.

For money– Mint to keep a track of money going in and out and helping you to save.

For career- Business Building Secrets, Evernote for organization, and CareerBuilder for those looking to switch careers.

Lastly but by no means least, Love. Here are some apps to help you step out and find that special someone in 2013! Give these a try- OkCupid, How about We, or Are you Interested?

Wishing you all a safe and Happy New Year From all of us at iPhone Antidote!

iPhone Antidote 2012 Holiday Gift Guide

Here’s a list of awesome gift ideas for your loved ones just in time for Christmas! From the cheap and cheerful to the truly luxurious, for kids all the way to grandparents, we think we’ve got everything covered for gifts in the iPhone world! Merry Christmas!

1. The good ol’ fall back stocking stuffer- the iPhone case. For this year’s version, we suggest going to zazzle.com or vistaprint.com and ordering a custom iPhone case, perhaps with a picture of your smiling face on the back… or for something more ingenious, try for a picture of the side of your loved one’s face, so when using it, their phone will look see through…

Alternatively, you can go for something a little bit more… flashy, perhaps something you wouldn’t stuff into a stocking. Introducing the worlds most expensive iPhone case- designed by UK brand Uunique, who claim that it’s London Lotus iPhone 5 Case is the most expensive on the market. At $302,985, I bet they’re right.

2. Another stocking stuffer, but more of the necessary ‘school shoe’ type. If you don’t know what to get someone, and you don’t really like them that much- get them some iPhone lightening to USB cables. $19. Super… useful.

3. For the reader in the family, sign them up for some audio books. Go to audibleshopnow.com to sign them up, and they get two free audio books of their own picking, plus whatever book you want to pony up the cash for. If they can’t handle people speaking books at them, buy them some books on iBook for their idevice.

4. The gift of music. Music is the soundtrack of our lives. It creates moods, aids memory, allieviates boredom and enhances life events. It can also be a whole lot of fun. For the gift of music, buy them a Pandora gift card, or an iTunes gift card.

Pandora Internet Radio is a service that recommends and plays music based on the user’s selected preferences through any computer or idevice. A one year subscription for Pandora is $36 www.pandora.com/one/gift

Giving an iTunes gift card means your loved one can buy the tracks and albums they really want. You can buy these online over here or at many major shopping outlets- you may want to look around too, as you can often get great deals on these if you buy multiple.

5. Headphone splitter. A very small gift, capable of bringing so much joy. Have you ever needed to share something with a loved one, friend or work colleague in a public space? Ever wanted to watch a TV show in an airport? At school/work? Ever need only the two/three/four of you to hear? The headphone splitter is tiny little gadget gold. Buy one for your girlfriend with a DVD copy of that show you don’t want people to know you watch together. Less than $5 at Radioshack.

6. Speaking of headphones– another excellent Christmas Present. The two top picks from us are; Skull Candy Heavy Metal and BeatsByDre.

For Skull Candy , not only are the Heavy Metal earbuds a very decent, sexy product, all Skull Candy earphones and headphones come with a lifetime warranty, so you’re effectively buying your loved one headphones for life. Right now you can get 50% MSRP by entering the coupon code REDBULL50 at checkout. www.skullcandy.com

If you want to go for a more professional sound quality and have a little more cash up your sleeve, we recommend BeatsByDre headphones. With a range from Wireless to Studio, the listening pleasure is guaranteed with these bad boys. www.beatsbydre.com

7. For the times when headphones aren’t needed, you can give the gift of music OUT LOUD! Good speakers are invaluable and make for a great Christmas present. Our recommendations are on the cute, cheaper side and the slightly more expensive, quality side. How much do you really like them??
For cutesy, go for the Deadmau5 MP3 Speaker from Urban Outfitters. Damn Cute. $35.
For quality, sophistication, and ease of use, try Jambox- either the original or the big Jambox. Also not bad looking, this speaker is wireless, can be used with any of your devices capable of Bluetooth and produces amazingly pure sound quality. They come in multiple colors and you can buy them from multiple retail stores such as Costco, Fry’s, Best Buy, Staples or Radioshack. You’re looking at about $150 for the original, smaller Jambox.

8. If a friend or family member is obsessed with Draw Something or similar game on iPad or iPhone, or simply prefers the antique skill of handwriting, a shiny new Stylus is a perfect present for them. The best one in our opinion for design, precision and overall quality is the Hand Stylus, available as of Sept this year. Go to www.handstylus.com. $29.95

9. Christmas time means snow! Snow means everyone having one freezing cold hand whilst they use their iPhone for updating that all important Facebook status right? No! Staaahp! Get a friend some Touchscreen Gloves and they’ll have two cosy hands all winter long! Best to get are Mujjo Leather touchscreen gloves, $168, second best are Mujjo Knitted touchscreen gloves for the more acceptable price of $32, orrrr, go to the national deals section of livingsocial.com and get some very respectable ( but perhaps not as warm) Sol and Oscar touchscreen gloves for $21.00.

10. For the friend that loves to use the Camera on their iPhone or iPad, the Griptight Gorillapod tripod for iPhone is a perfect present. Making their iPhone completely stable for that crucial photo taking moment, giving them the ability to set the tripod up on any surface, and giving them the opportunity to be all that much closer to taking the perfect iPhone picture. Or selfie. $30 from www.joby.com ( Currently Free US Shipping).

11. So you got your brother/sister the Tripod, and they’re happy as Larry taking photos. How about you ingeniously join presents together by theme, and get Mom and Dad a photo printer or Digital photo frame, so they can enjoy their progeny’s genius photography? Hammacher Schlemmer sell the The iPhone Photo Printer and the Wireless Smartphone Photo Printer, both of which print out extraordinary quality 300 dpi resolution photos (without ink cartridges), the second with the added bonus of not having to plug your iPhone in to the printer. The first is $159, the Wireless version $219. Take a look. http://www.hammacher.com/product/79938

12. Something for the Chef’s in the house. The iGrill oven Bluetooth thermometer is a digital thermometer that can be connected to any Bluetooth-enabled device, and enables the user to set a timer, view the current temperature in the oven, and look up recipes online. Sweet. $80. http://store.igrillinc.com/

13. If you’re someone who has to make sure the four legged members of your family get presents under the tree, this might be something less tasty but more useful than the usual bones and cat treats. The Tagg GPS Pet Tracker is a waterproof GPS-powered collar so that if they ever go missing, you, or someone in your family can check the Web-based map and know exactly where Scruffy got off to. $99 for peace of mind.

14. This one… Well, this gift idea might just have to be for yourselves, kids. Or me. It’s pretty damn awesome. The Logicom SPY-C Tank.

A futuristic tank. Tick. Moveable camera. Tick. Controllable from any iOS or Andriod device. Tick. It’s own wifi hotspot allowing you to control it both indoors and out. Tick. Night vision mode. Tick. Walkie Talkie Capability. Tick. The Spy-C tank will even let you record videos and upload photos via email or various social networks once they have been saved to your device. Santa… Hey Santa…you there Dude? I… I have a question…
$210.00

15. And last but not by any means least, Apple. D’uh. If you have the cash, spread the Apple joy this Christmas! Of all the products, we think that the iPad Mini or Macbook Air would be most welcome under the Christmas Tree. Both are long serving gifts and both have the ability to help the new owner improve their lives through the magic of technology. iPad Mini starts at $329 and Macbook Air 11 inch starting at $999.

Merry gift giving and the happiest of Holidays Kids!

Apple Maps for iOS 6 review

So, Apple Maps. Garnering a lot of press and a lot of anti-apple ammo, maps was the rather large hiccup of the iPhone 5 release. The premise made sense- take the advantage of owning one of the biggest and most useful apps away from one of their biggest competitors- Google. If they had the brainpower, they could build their own version. And they did, built using Dutch navigation equipment and Tom Tom’s Data.

And it works. Just not… perfectly. Yet. Soon after the release the internet was flooded with screenshots showing the inaccuracy of the application, from wrong destination information to odd looking buildings, roadways etc. Stating that your destination was in the ocean 10 miles out is not very good for a maps application. Unfortunatley the more humerous the inaccuracy, the worse it was for Apple- and anyone relying on the app to get them somewhere…

So. The app itself is not quite fully formed. It does, however, work very well for a lot of people. Here at iPhone Antidote we have used it extensively- across two countries, in the city and in the middle of nowhere, and have only come across one inaccuracy. Don’t get us wrong- there are  apparently lots out there, we just haven’t happened across a lot of them.

Disregarding the flaws for a moment-  the features of Maps are great- turn by turn directions, voice intergration, flyover and vector based maps. The 3D looks brilliant, vibrant and lifelike, and it’s really fun to play with- the pivoting action of being able to rotate the point of view and zoom out so you can play with the whole globe is stupidly fun. A lot of people find the interface a lot simpler to use and more pleasing to the eye.

It’s definitely something that holds promise, which, yeah, is not really what you want with a cornerstone feature of a new operating system. You want that shit dialed in.
So, Good Guy Apple organizes a press release where they tell their own customers that they made a mistake in releasing their maps too early, that they were sorry, and advised them to go to their competitors- please. They showed remarkable customer service by admitting their mistake and doing the right thing for their customers.

Apple have told their customers that they are improving maps and that the problems like buildings or roadways looking a bit funny will be fixed by user feedback, so an increasingly perfected system. Until that point is reached, we suggest using Apple maps until you run into a problem, then using Google maps as a backup. To do this- go to google maps in safari, and you will be prompted to ‘save as an app for your mobile’ by touching the arrow on the bottom and choosing the option to add to homescreen.

Happy travelling.

New Apple Releases today!

Apple had a bunch of upgrades released today!

The new iPad mini, along with a revamped full size iPad, a 13- inch Macbook Pro with retina display and a new superslim iMac update. Let’s have a look!

# The 13 Inch Macbook Pro with retina display comes with a hefty price tag – $1699 (With free shipping)- but with over 4 million pixels making the screen pop with vibrant color and amazing quality,  this model being the  lightest Macbook Pro– and with incredible power, storage capability and speed, it is apparently well worth it for professionals who can afford it.

Considered to be very similar in performance to using the 15-inch model that was released over summer, the advantage of the 13-inch is that it is significantly lighter- by almost a pound.

It is generally agreed that Apple are making the Macbook Pro their flagship laptop– the one that elicits all the gasps, the one that is the dream laptop, and according to all sources, they are well on their way.

#The new iMac update comes with an all-new design– impressively reducing the thickness of the machine ( 40% less volume than the previous model) , drastically improving the speed of the machine and totally re-engineering the widescreen display.

The new machines come in 21.5 inch and 27-inch displays that have been improved by adding an anti-reflective coating– making it 75% less reflective, and by moving the LCD right up behind the cover glass making the display a lot clearer and brighter.

The machine also comes with 60% faster graphics, a brand new ‘fusion drive’ which combines huge storage capacity with lightening fast speeds. This combined with the latest Intel quad-core processers means that this machine packs a lot of power- and a lot of speed.
The 21.5 inch will be available in November at a starting cost of $1299, and the 27-inch will be available in December at a starting cost of $1799.

#With the new iPad mini weighing in at half the weight of the full size iPad (.68 pounds), and the screen being two-thirds smaller ( 7.9 inches rather than 9.7) , the first impressions out is that yes, the mini iPad is small, but it is not tiny or dinky. Having kept the impressive build and feel of the full sized iPad it has the same feeling of the iPhone 5- amazingly light in the hand and yet you still feel like the device is a serious one.

The screen resolution is impressive for it’s size with the same number of pixels present as on the iPad and iPad 2, it has a front facing and back facing camera, up to 10 hours of battery life, a fast A5 processing chip, and all apps made for the iPad are able to be used on the iPad mini.

Apple aren’t really entering into the tablet wars as much as a lot of people thought- rather, they are just releasing an extremely good, smaller version of a very good device. Prices start at $329, with pre-orders starting October 26th.

#The fourth generation iPad was also released today, with an upgraded A6X chip that makes it run twice as fast as the previous model whilst still retaining the 10 hours of battery.  It also comes with Apple’s new lightening connecter and and wifi speeds that are up to twice as fast as the previous model.
The new model comes in the same storage and pricing configuration as the previous iPad, starting at $499 for the 16gb wifi models. Preorders start October 26th.

In good guy Apple news, customers who are understandably annoyed that they purchased the 3rd generation iPad within the last 30 days will be able to swap out the two devices at *certain* Apple retail stores at no extra cost. Customers are advised to call ahead because the option to swap the iPads is not made by Apple, but is instead a store by store policy.

And that’s a wrap! We hope you guys enjoy these products if you can!

iPhone 5 review pt 2

Now that we’ve looked at the physical features of the iPhone 5, lets have a look at the real magic, the stuff that actually takes you where you want to be.

We’ll start with what is specific to the iPhone 5, then we’ll look at the what comes with the new operating system update- iOS 6.

Along with being larger, the iPhone 5 screen has the ability to be 18% brighter than the 4S.

It has built in wireless LTE technology that connects to faster networks so that you get much faster browsing, access to emails, etc. It also includes Wi-Fi N support which allows incredibly fast wireless connection to 5GHz networks, which means faster downloads, streaming and browsing when connected wirelessly AND gives you a better range for connecting to more wireless access points from greater distances.

This technology combined with the new processer in the 5 makes the device noticeably faster and more efficient, and according to Apple, twice as fast as the 4S. Snazzy.

The camera on the iPhone 5 is much improved, with better HDR, faster picture taking speeds and the ability to take panoramic photos of up to  240 degrees. You just watch, the next trip you go on- all your photos will end up panoramic. It’s kind of addictive.

The audio quality is significantly improved on the 5, with higher fidelity speakers that are not only louder but carry a much better sound quality. There are also three microphones on the 5, which help with noise cancellation and improve video sound quality.

Overall the iPhone 5 proves to be simply a better, faster, and more efficient user experience. Seemingly small changes have noticeably improved the phone greatly from previous models- and that’s before we even look at the improvements that come with the new iOS 6 operating system- over 200 new features– stay tuned!

The iPhone 5, Whatsup?

So now that we’re past the anticipation, the big event, the jubilation and by some accounts the disappointment, how is the iPhone 5 really doing? Is it better? As good as expected?

Articles leaking the new software and hardware features of the phone were building public anticipation right up until the announcement. Although most of those proved correct and worth the excitement, marking massive improvements to the 4s, there was some disappointment that there wasn’t a huge secret feature that Apple had managed to keep a secret.

Nevertheless, due to sly marketing or actual unexpected demand that led to limited supply, the iPhone 5 sold out in it’s presales in unprecedented time. Two million phones in about an hour starting at midnight September 14^th– twice the number of the presales for the 4s. In the three days following the actual release on Sept 21, Apple says they sold over 5 million more iPhones. AT&T are saying that it was the biggest iPhone launch by a long shot.

So, all pretty good.  There were, of course, those who said that the numbers were disappointing, that the device wasn’t worth any of the anticipation, etc, etc, those damn Samsung owners, so used to complaining they don’t know something to be happy about when they see it.

And here is what to be happy about: The new Features of the iPhone 5

Let’s look at the hardware first- after-all, first impressions only happen once right?

It looks great. Like, great. Still available in black and white, with the outside frame made completely from aluminium and glass. It’s pretty.

The iPhone 5 is 20% lighter than the 4s and by gosh you can feel it… It almost feels like a child’s toy in your hand, except much, much more serious. And sexy. A lot of the lightness has to do with the thinness of the device- 7.6 mm. Smooth all over. Fitting to the hand, no matter the hand.

The height has been increased to 4 inches, enabling the screen to contain more content- more icons, emails, calendar, and it makes watching movies a lot better. Awesomely, Apple have managed to keep retina display  effect- continuing the iPhone’s dominance in sharp high resolution screen display.

Apple kept the width of the iPhone the same as previous models, which has faced some contention, with people ( Even Steven Wozniak) stating that they believe it should have gone wider or stayed with the width and height. In saying that, the retained width and the increased height makes it seem not only a better device than the 4s but also remains the one-hand manageability.

Lastly, the iPhone jack has moved, making it more pocket friendly, and the dock shape has changed from a 30 pin dock to an 8 pin dock called lightening. Excellent news overall, somewhat dampened by the added expense and somewhat relative bother of buying and using adapters. But, there’s only one way forward, and in the pursuit of excellence, sometimes you gotta buy adaptors.

So, that’s the physical- see it, breathe it and touch it iPhone 5 features. Stay tuned for the software specs, a look at Apple’s Maps V Google Maps and how YOU can profit from buying the new iPhone 5. (This one’s important… just so you know…)

Pictures of the New iPhone 5

Here we go guys!  We have several new pictures to show you of the new iPhone.  They all appear to be from trusted sources, and it really looks like this is what we are going to end up seeing this September/October.  Not too many changes that haven’t been noted previously, but its still pretty nice to get a good look at what the finished product will end up looking like.  Here are the pics!

iPhone with Facebook: Maybe in iOS 6

iPhone already has Twitter; wouldn’t you be delighted to have Facebook integration into iOS?  Well, as per reports Apple is also considering the same to get on-board with the most popular Social Networking platform.

Apple joining hands with Facebook?

Reportedly Apple Inc. is in official talks with Facebook to work on a piece of code to integrate the Facebook app into the iOS. Possibly named Sundance, this integrated app would grant Apple users to interact with other iOS apps directly avoiding the sign-in on each occasion.  It’s not only Apple who gets the benefits—at a time when share prices are dropping horrendously and facing tough competition from twitter and others, this would be a golden opportunity for Facebook to get into the iOS devices.  Twitter, integrated more than a year ago in iOS 5 is receiving quite a good response and surely Apple Inc. at this critical point of would keep no stone unturned.

It has been two years since we started hearing buzz about Facebook-Apple co-operation. But there are issues—low similar sort of services can run parallel like Apple’s music network or Ping. But in recent times Apple’s stance has been softened to a great extent, even at last D10 conference Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted at future co-operation between the two Giants.

At a time where Facebook is having their own share of problems with the pricing issue at stock markets and on the back foot, Apple perhaps thinks it’s the best to push forward with the integration. Well, whatever it is—iOS users are the one who would be getting the benefits.

iPhone going to Mainland China? Maybe soon

Apple Inc. is in talks with China Mobile to take the next iPhone to mainland China, thanks to a next-gen Qualcomm chip in the iPhones compatible with China Mobile’s innate 3G technology.

Telecom Giant China Mobile to go Apple way! At last

You may be thinking; what took China Mobile so long to bring in the iPhones? Well, the main problem for the World’s biggest telecom service provider is technical constraints of their indigenous 3G technology.

China Mobile which already boasts of the largest customer base in the world is in talks with Apple to bring in the iPhone to the Dragon country. According to latest news, Xi Guohua, Chairman China Mobile had confirmed to the shareholders that they are ‘actively cooperating’ with Apple Inc to make the collaboration possible. Though he declined to divulge further details, this can be looked upon as an effort to compete against the rivals—China Telecom and China Unicom who have already struck  deals with Apple earlier.

Reports further suggests that China Mobile is looking to venture to Hong Kong with 4G services—which could be the first instance China Mobile would be going outside mainland China.

China Mobile going International

Are we going to have another Chinese International Giant? Maybe , as China Mobile Chairman Xi made their intentions pretty clear in a recent interview. He confirmed that they have already for license to operate in United States and are hoping to have the clearances soon. The Chinese giant already having a customer base of 667 million is looking to try out with LTE mobile network with 850 BTS all over China by as early as June 2013.

Though only time can tell if iPhone gets into mainland; China Mobile is certainly having a great run at the Hang Seng Index—their stocks are already up by 13% compared to last year.

iphone 5 name still in the running.

There is still a chance that the new iPhone might be called ‘iPhone 5’.

Although this would be a great opportunity for them to change it up and to make the naming sequence more logical to it’s customers, Apple had earlier this month sought to gain ownership of the domain iPhone5.com with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The case has now been settled without the assistance of WIPO, making us think that Apple paid enough coin to gain ownership. This may lead some to jump to conclusions, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that the iPhone will be the ‘iPhone 5’, as they may just be trying to control sites so directly connected with their new baby… but it does make you think, which is great PR anyway you look at it.