MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

TwelveSouth's PlugBug fixes one of those problems you didn't know you had, in a very clever way. It's a $34.99 attachment that adds a USB charging port to the standard MagSafe power adapter for an Apple notebook. This way, users can charge an iPhone or iPad -- or any other USB device -- and a MacBook simultaneously, using the same wall outlet. If one isn't using the MagSafe connector, it...

Over the weekend, there was a report that Apple did indeed acquire 3D mapping company C3 Technologies. In our original profile of the company, we mentioned that it was purchased in part from Saab AB, a Swedish aerospace and defense company. The technology had originally been developed for...

MG Siegler shares word that Google is preparing to launch a native iOS application for Gmail, offering some expanded capabilities beyond the current mobile-optimized version for Safari. According to Siegler's sources, the app may even have already been submitted to Apple for App Store approval.Google is on the verge of launching their native Gmail app, multiple sources tell me. In fact, I...

Switching off automatic time-zone sensing in iOS 5 can improve iPhone battery life significantly, according to iDownloadBlog. The site claims that a bug in iOS 5's GM release causes the GPS-enabled location tracking connected to the automated time-zone function to run constantly. This unnecessary use of the GPS circuitry may drain the battery exceptionally quickly. To fix the alleged bug and...

A major update to the Plex Media Server was released over the weekend, with significant updates to both the server and client software. Plex is a media player, similar in some ways to Apple's Front Row, but much more powerful. The software automatically organizes movie and television files ripped from DVD's or acquired from other sources and pulls title and plot descriptions from online...

As noted by Gizmodo, one NASA engineer has used the iPad 2's FaceTime video conferencing feature to his advantage when creating a Halloween costume:A very smart dude by the name of Mark Rober figured out that if you strap two iPad 2's to yourself, you can create this incredible, freaky hole effect.The two video conferenced iPads gives the impression of a gaping hole in the middle of his...

Apple is giving away free redemption codes for the excellent Jetpack Joyride game via its App Store Facebook page. Simply head to Facebook.com/AppStore and follow the appropriate directions to receive a redemption code. Apple rolled out revamped App Store pages on Facebook last year with searching and sharing tools, though this is the first time Apple has actually given away an App to Facebook ...

Personal finance site Mint has released an iPad-native client, along with an upgrade to version 2.0 for iPhone users. Mint, which Intuit bought for $170 million in 2009, is designed to help users keep track of spending and budgeting. It automatically imports data from bank, credit card and investment websites, but does not actually control anything -- it only downloads transactions, to lower...

Sprint today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2011, and while the carrier did not begin offering the iPhone until after the quarter ended, it was still able to beat analyst estimates and report a smaller-than-expected loss. Perhaps most significantly, Sprint reported a net gain of 1.3 million subscribers during the third quarter, the carrier's best performance in over five...

Jeff Robbin and Tony Fadell were the co-leads behind the development of the original iPod. Now, 10 years past the iPod's introduction, Jeff Robbin is reportedly in charge of Apple's effort to remake the television. But what of Tony Fadell? He promised Steve Jobs that he wouldn't make anything that would compete with Apple products and instead started a new company, Nest Labs, to remake the...

Lisa Bettany, one of the developers behind ">Camera+, has posted two interesting series of photos comparing the camera quality across all generations of the iPhone, as well as to Canon point-and-shoot and professional-level cameras.The iPhone 4S is dramatically clearer and sharper than previous iPhone versions. Using separate focus and exposure in Camera+ on the iPhone 4 & 4S significantly...

Earlier this month, Apple released Apple TV software version 4.4, adding a number of new features to the set-top box including Photo Stream support, AirPlay mirroring, and NHL and Wall Street Journal content. The update was not without its issues, however, as a number of users reported that the update temporarily bricked their devices, requiring that they be connected to iTunes with a micro USB...

A reader who purchased Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography in multiple forms sent in this image of three different ways to read what could be Amazon's bestselling book of the year....

Reuters reports that China Mobile has announced a new milestone of ten million iPhone users on its network, despite the fact that it is not an official iPhone carrier.China Mobile, the world's largest mobile carrier by subscribers, has 10 million iPhone users even though it does not yet have an agreement with iPhone maker Apple, its chairman told Reuters on Monday. Wang Jianzhou also said...

AllThingsD reports that Siri co-founder Dag Kittlaus has left his position at Apple, moving on following the rebirth of the voice-powered personal assistant as a key feature of the iPhone 4S.There were several reasons for the departure, which was amicable and has been planned for a while, sources said. They included Kittlaus’ family being in Chicago, a desire to take time off and an interest in ...

Updated: It turns out that Seamus McGarvey was misquoted. From The Hollywood Reporter: "I was talking about how up and coming film makers have access to a whole range of new technologies which expand our options as filmmakers. I mentioned that the iPhone and the Canon 5d Mk2 were devices currently used on many Hollywood productions. I used the Canon on some shots on Marvel's The Avengers...

In a statement released yesterday, Andrew Sherrard, T-Mobile USA's Senior Vice President of Marketing, blamed Apple for T-Mobile's lack of an official iPhone offering. He said the main issue remains Apple's unwillingness to build hardware compatible with T-Mobile 3G and 4G networks. T-Mobile thinks the iPhone is a good device and we’ve expressed our interest to Apple to offer it to our...

There have been a few slight changes in the iPhone 4S's external design, as compared to the original iPhone 4. The most noticeable is that the antennas have moved around the edge of the stainless steel band. But more importantly, at least for iPhone owners who put a case on their phone, is that the ambient light sensor or ALS has moved to the left several millimeters, according to CNET. But that ...