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How to make free ringtones and text tones in iOS 5

Administrator — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:31:47 +0000

A little-known feature in iOS 5 is the new option to create free, custom ringtones and text message alert tones.

The iTunes store is flooding with tones for $0.99 to $1.29, prices that are high enough to make you stick with the iPhone ‘s default tones. But now, with a few easy steps, you can make unique tones that set your phone apart from the many others who share the same standard tones.

Watch the video to learn how:

Free custom ringtones and text tones for iOS 5

[Read more]

You can now buy text message alert tones in iOS 5

Administrator — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:20:34 +0000

(Credit:
Screenshot by Sharon Vaknin/CNET.)

Although Apple made most of the new features in iOS 5 public, a few unexpected features have cropped up in the new operating system.

As MacRumors discovered, you can now purchase alert tones in iTunes to use as your default text message or alert tone, or as a custom alert for a specific contact who texts you.

To access these new tones, head to iTunes on your iPad, iPhone , or iPod touch and go to More > Tones > Genres. Scroll down to view the new section for “Alert Tones”. Categories include dialogue, music, and sound effects.

iTunes is already stocked with an awesome selection of alert tones, like Al Pacino’s famous line, “Say hello to my little friend,” and R2-D2′s Weeeoowww. Right now, all alert tones are priced at $0.99.

To apply any purchased alert tones to a contact, find the contact, tap “Edit” and tap the box next to “Text Tone.”

[Read more]

How to block text-message spam on your iPhone (AT&T)

Administrator — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 01:16:14 +0000

Yesterday, out of the blue, I received this text message on my iPhone :

(Credit:
Screenshot by Rick Broida)

Annoying, right? Obviously my first instinct was to answer “NO,” but just like clicking “unsubscribe” in an unsolicited e-mail, that’s a surefire way to prove to spammers that I exist–and open the floodgates to even more spam.

What’s more, I have a limited allotment of text messages every month, and I wasn’t about to waste one replying to this demon spawn–who’d already cost me a text by sending one in the first place.

Unfortunately, there’s no “block” option on the iPhone itself–a feature Apple is long overdue to offer. But if you’re looking for ways to stop SMS spam, you do have a couple options. (Both of them are for AT&T users only. If you have a Verizon iPhone and know of similar solutions, please post them in the comments!)

First, head to http://mymessages.wireless.att.com/ and register for an account. (This is different from your existing AT&T account.) After entering the verification code sent to your phone, you’ll see various message settings you can modify.

A lot of text spam comes in the form of e-mail sent to your phone’s text-message e-mail address (yes, it has one: yourmobilenumber@txt.att.net). Thus, check the b… [Read more]

iOS 5 Speech-To-Text Feature Revealed

Administrator — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 05:36:28 +0000

, before it was unveiled at
.
Couple of weeks back, folks at
had published a screenshot from an Apple iPhone test unit, which indicates that the feature will be called
. They have published another screenshot from iOS 5 with a microphone in the standard keyboard.
As you can see, it is quite simple. Just click the microphone icon next to the space key and start talking. Once the key is clicked, a new microphone overlay will appear as long as you are talking. After that, the text will appear in the text field as you can see in the screenshot above.
Apple ‘s certainly aware that individuals comb through every new developer beta looking for hints of upcoming features. In this instance, they’ve obfuscated the names of various pieces of the interface. For example, calling the microphone button “forward delete key” and the keyboard pretends to be a “Dvorak” keyboard. The move is a reflection of the increased scrutiny of Apple ‘s moves but also the relative significance of this feature that Apple has gone out of its way to hide.
Back in June, we saw couple of screenshots, which
that was released to developers.
The screenshot confirm that Apple is definitely working on integrating Nuance speech recognition technology in iOS. We hope that Apple introduces it at the
launch later this fall.
Are you excited about the possibility of Nuance’s speech recognition technology deeply integrated in iOS 5? Let us know in the comments.

Rich Text For Mail – Jailbreak App Enhances Mail App

Administrator — Thu, 12 May 2011 06:28:10 +0000

'iPhone 5G' Case Reveals Redesigned Camera Flash, Thinner Bezel
How To Jailbreak iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS Using Redsn0w For iOS 4.3.3 [Windows / Mac]
Updated Redsn0w For iOS 4.3.3 May Fix Battery Drain Issue
PwnageTool & Redsn0w For iOS 4.3.3 Updated; Includes Bug Fix & Improvements
JailbreakMe 2.0 Released To Jailbreak iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G On iOS 4, iOS 4.0.1 And iPad On iOS 3.2.1, iOS 3.2 Using Mobile Safari [Updated]
iPhone 4S Will Come With Minor Cosmetic Changes, Better Cameras, Faster A5 Processor & HSPA+ Support
How To Fix iPhone Or iPad Wi-Fi Connectivity Issues After Upgrading To iOS 4.3.3
How-To: Backup the iPhone , Restore from a Backup & Delete a Backup

AT&T To Simplify Text Messaging Plans, Downplays Impact Of Verizon iPhone

Administrator — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:41:02 +0000

Folks over at Gear Live have come across a some interesting information that they say has been leaked from retailer Best Buy’s internal training documents.
.
look an overall better choice and making it a far more attractive proposition for Best Buy consumers with its new text messaging plans. Let’s now delve in to the details of these plans.
According to the first report, AT&T will offer simpler text messaging plans starting January 23. The current plan offers 200 messages for $5 and 1500 messages for $15 per month respectively. These plans would be replaced with just one plan that would offer 1000 messages for $10. What remains unchanged is the $20 unlimited messaging plan. Interestingly, users on the older plans would be allowed to continue with them – even after they change devices through an update.
. Employees are being told that even though Verizon has been touting its 4G network at the time of the CES, their soon to arrive
is a 3G device. The idea is to project the CDMA iPhone as an outdated 3G device on an advanced 4G network.
“Verizon’s entire presence at CES last week was focused on one thing and one thing alone: 4G. Its LTE network is now live in 38 markets and a flurry of 4G phones will launch in the coming months. But their iPhone … the smartphone millions of Verizon Wireless subscribers have been dying for… is a 3G device.”
From what we gather now, Best Buy would not be selling the Verizon iPhone at least in the initial months and for the same reason, it plans to convince buyers to consider the alternative handsets available with them – instead of the “outdated” CDMA iPhone 4. Strangely, Best Buy seems to forget that the AT&T iPhone it sells also uses “outdated” 3G technology.
AT&T is also known to have sent internal memos to its employees explaining why the GSM iPhone 4 is an overall better proposition than the CDMA one. AT&T is banking on the shortcomings of CDMA technology that includes its inability to talk and surf the web simultaneously. The other points include AT&T’s faster network speed, which is claimed to be 35% faster than Verizon on average, global GSM coverage and availability of Wi-Fi hotspots for AT&T iPhones. It also reminds employees that 80% of iPhone users on AT&T are on their attractive business and family plans, which would make a switch to Verizon a not too attractive proposition.
next month?
,

Google Voice App For iPad And iPod Touch Released; Allows Users To Send & Receive Free Text Messages

Administrator — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 10:13:16 +0000

and also includes some improvements. Google had released
last month.

iPad and iPod Touch users will be able to send and receive free text messages except, of course, make cellular calls with the
. However, Google Voice app comes with a feature called Click2Call that will allow iPad and iPod Touch users to initiate Google Voice calls from their phones.
Marcus Foster, Product Manager at Google explains how the Click2Call feature works:
Simply click any ‘Call’ button in the Google Voice app on your iPod or iPad and then select which of your phones you want to ring. Google Voice will call your phone and then connect your call.
Bonus Tip: Tap and hold messages in your inbox to archive or delete them.
.

If you are an iPad or iPod touch user then please let us know what you think of the official Google Voice app in the comments section below.

[via

iOS 4.2 Beta 3 Reveals Bookmark Bar, New Text Tones; But AirPlay Support Removed From YouTube App

Administrator — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 22:47:48 +0000

According to the Italian website,
.2 beta 3 includes number of bug fixes. They also found it faster and more responsive.
They are reporting that iOS 4.2 includes the following new features:
iPad: Enable/Disable alert sounds for New Mail, Sent Mail, Calendar Alerts, Lock Sounds, Keyboard Clicks
, we were excited to find out that we will be able to stream content from apps likes of YouTube, Netflix, etc over AirPlay to
. But MacStories has also observed that Apple has removed AirPlay support in the native YouTube app in iOS 4.2 Beta 3, which is quite disappointing. Let’s hope that the feature is available in the final version.
What's on your wish list for iOS 4.2? Tell us in the comments section below.
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iOS 4.2 Will Finally Allow You To Search For Text On A Web page In Mobile Safari

Administrator — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 09:08:31 +0000

Now in iOS 4.2 beta 1 you just use the regular old search field (still confusingly labeled Google by default) and start typing the text you want to find.
Where previously you only got suggested search terms, now you get a second list at the bottom for words you can search on the page. Tap one and the first match on the page is highlighted in yellow and a set of buttons slide up on the bottom for “Next” and “Done”, as well as a counter for how many matches of the word there are on the page, and which one is currently highlighted (e.g., 7/16). Hit next until you find the one you want, hit done when you’re finished. If you want to change the find term, the search box is repositioned alongside the controls to make it convenient.
I’m sure most of you will find this feature useful. It’s strange that it took Apple so much time to bring it to the iDevice.
You can also checkout our roundup of all the new features that have been discovered so far in iOS 4.2
.

Apple Working On Audio Text Messaging For iPhone

Administrator — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:41:04 +0000

In order to tackle these issues, the patent filing calls for the ”
” of multimedia data by the sender's device followed by the transfer of this data over a voice channel to the destination device. This is in contrast to the use of data channel for conventional text messaging. The filing notes that the technology can enable any textual data on the display screen, like contact numbers, to be vocalized before being sent over a voice channel.
“The invention, however, provides a mechanism whereby data is passed between a sender and receiver unit by way of voice channel only bypassing use of the data channel used in conventional arrangements. In this way, a sender can select that data which he/she desires to send to a receiver unit using by first converting the data into an appropriate vocal/voice format which is then forwarded to a receiver unit by way of the voice channel. Once received at the receiver unit, the vocalized data can be converted to an audio signal, which is then output by way of an audio output device (such as a speaker, earphone, etc.). This arrangement is particularly well suited for people having visual problems or in those situations where viewing the data on a small display screen (typical of most personal communication devices) is problematic.”
The filing further notes that in the absence of a backend-server, undelivered messages cannot be stored for future transmissions in the traditional way. To solve this, the inventors describe the use of a memory device to store the multimedia data until the voice channel to transfer the data is established.
notes, such a technology could enable the
to be used like walkie-talkies where text clippings may be replaced by voice clippings.
Sounds interesting, let us know what you think in the comments.