iPhone have now beaten Blackberry in Business

Smartphones at Work (source: iPass)

A new study contains more evidence the iPhone is taking hold at work, even displacing the stolid business-centric BlackBerry as the smartphone of choice. Of enterprise workers carrying a smartphone, 45 percent said the handset is an iPhone versus 32 percent for the BlackBerry.

According to the Mobile Workforce Report (pdf) from researcher iPass, the percent of enterprise employees packing iPhones rose from 31.1 percent in 2010, while BlackBerry users in the workforce fell from 35 percent. The decline in BlackBerry users was largely due to the RIM device not being able to keep up with the growth of smartphones in the workplace, the report explained.

That slowdown was evident in answers to what smartphone business employees intend to buy in 2012. While 18 percent of enterprise workers plan to get an iPhone, just 2.3 percent said they would buy a BlackBerry.

Android in the enterprise came in a close third, just behind the BlackBerry, registering 21 percent of the business market, overtaking Symbian and doubling its market share from 2010. More than 11 percent of enterprise workers said they plan to buy an Android smartphone next year, with 3.6 percent picking a Windows Phone.

Apple seeds iOS 5.0.1 early to end users for battery life testing, releases internal memo about battery issue

Following the release of iOS 5.0.1 to developers to test the new software against applications in addition to test for battery life and Siri improvements, Apple is now seeding iOS 5.0.1 to certain end users for testing. A small number of customers who have complained about battery life issues in iOS 5 have been seeded the bug fix release through Apple’s AppleSeed program.

Apple warns program participants that their devices will not be able to be downgraded to iOS 5.0, but they will be allowed to upgrade to the final release of iOS 5 when it comes out in the next few weeks. The iOS 5.0.1 update also brings Siri improvements for Australian users, multitasking gestures to the first generation iPad, and other bug fixes.

In addition, Apple Stores have received memos of how to deal with battery life issues. Basically, stores are not to replace phones with battery life issues and are supposed to tell customers to wait a few weeks unit Apple releases a software fix. Basically, if your battery is not working properly: deal with it.

Apple confirms Siri is not coming to any other devices

Confirming what we already told youyesterday, Apple has said the company has no current plans to implement Siri into any other iOS devices besides the iPhone 4S. Apple confirmed the news in an email (seen after the break) to developer Michael Steeber.

Engineering has provided the following feedback regarding this issue:Siri only works on iPhone 4S and we currently have no plans to support older devices.

That doesn’t mean however that developers won’t continue to work on building Siri for later iOS device — like the iPhone 4 and 3GS. Curious to see how it works on an iPhone 4? Check it out after the break, along with a screenshot of the email:

Untethered iOS 5 jailbreak, on its way

For those waiting desperately for an untethered iOS 5 jailbreak, the time may soon arrive. French-based iOS hacker @pod2g has announced viaTwitter that a bug he found can untether Apple’s latest iOS.

Jailbreaking iOS 5

Currently, the only way to jailbreak iOS 5 requires a computer every time the device reboots. Naturally, this is not only time consuming, but also annoying especially if you aren’t near your desktop or laptop. Worst, if you reboot your iPhone without then attaching it to a computer, some of phone’s apps will no longer work.

As Joe White discussed in October:

First, this isn’t an untethered jailbreak solution. Even if you reboot your iPhone using the SemiTether method, some iOS apps (such as Safari and Mail), along with all of your jailbreak apps (Cydia et. al.) will not work. Importantly, the built-in Phone and Messages apps will work though, meaning users will still be able to use their iPhone to make calls and send texts.

According to @pod2g, his untethered solution isn’t yet available for the public. However, he is currently working on it! We’ll keep you updated.

Apple Hides Nearly Complete Panorama Feature In iOS Camera App

There’s apparently more to iOS 5′s Camera app than meets the eye. Unless, of course, you happen to be a top-flight code-monkey like jailbreakerschpwn or Conrad Kramer. Then, the mystery’s not so big.

Of course, since the guys have publicly showcased their findings, everyone’s now in on the secret of Apple’s long-rumored (and still unreleased) panorama feature. Not surprisingly, it’s a pretty barebones experience.

The user simply turns on panorama mode by clicking the panorama button on the camera options popover, then moves their phone in their air as shown in the on-screen diagram.

Easy enough.

But before anyone flies into a tizzy over Apple “cannibalizing” its third party developers, just consider the as-yet unannounced feature like Apple’s stock HDR experience: It gets the job done, but dedicated apps will almost certainly do everything better.

Look for panorama mode to be enabled in a future system update. Until then, jailbreakers can enable the feature by downloading the just-released “Firebreak” in the Cydia Store.

Panorama mode in options.

On-screen instructions for panorama capture.

Consumer Reports Says iPhone 4S Fixes Antenna Woes, Can Finally Recommend

Consumer Reports Says iPhone 4S Fixes Antenna Woes, Can Finally Recommend

Consumer Reports, which has long had issues with the iPhone, says Apple has finally come out with a smartphone it can recommend.

The magazine initial… Read more

Apple Store iOS App Gets A Major Update – Adds Personal Pickup, EasyPay And Tracking

Apple has just updated its “Apple Store” iOS application, adding three major features: Personal Pickup, EasyPay and tracking.

Personal Pickup allows users to purchase an item from the Apple Online Store and pick it up from an Apple Retail Store. Apple notes in the application’s release notes that “[m]ost in-stock orders are available for pickup within an hour.”

EasyPay lets users scan a product’s barcode in an Apple Retail Store, and pay for the item within the application using an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S. For obvious reasons, this feature can only be used when purchasing accessories.

And with tracking, users can keep an eye on orders they’ve placed through the Apple Online Store from within the iOS app’s “More” tab.

Further changes made in the application include support for Canada and China, and the application now requires a minimum of iOS 4.2. Furthermore, we should note that both Personal Pickup and EasyPay are U.S. only features (for now).

Here’s the appropriate section from the app’s release notes, which details the changes made in full:

• Personal Pickup: Buy in the app and choose to pick up your order at any Apple Retail Store. Most in-stock orders are available for pickup within an hour. (U.S. only)
• EasyPay: Purchase select accessories in store quickly by scanning the barcode and completing your transaction right in the app. (U.S. only, requires iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S)
• Track your stuff: View the status of current and previous orders from the order status section in the More tab.
• Additional international support (Canada, China).
• Requires iOS 4.2 or higher

You can download the Apple Store iOS app in the App Store now. It’s currently available for free.

Siri as Google challenger: Sorting fact from fiction

Siri as Google challenger: Sorting fact from fiction

The iPhone’s voice-activated information retrieval tool might appear a rival to the search giant, but often Siri and Google work in tandem.

… Read more

Apple tested Siri on iPhone 4 and other devices but it means nothing

The story floating around this morning is that Apple is testing Siri on the iPhone 4 and is looking to bring it to the iPhone 4 eventually. The first part is true, and the second part is not. Apple has long been testing Siri on the iPhone 4. In fact, Apple employees are currently running around with Siri on their iPhone 4. In addition, Apple has even left Siri references in the latest iOS 5.0.1 beta for the iPhone 4 – and even the iPad and iPod touch.

Siri runs just fine on the iPhone 4 in both our earlier and more recent testing. Using Siri on the iPhone 4 was incredibly smooth, just like the Siri experience on an iPhone 4S.

But just because Apple has tested Siri on the iPhone 4, and just because Siri files are in the iPhone 4 file system, and just because Siri runs great on the iPhone 4 does not mean Siri is coming to the iPhone 4.

Remember when Apple released the iPhone 3GS with the ability to capture video and people wondered why the original iPhone or 3G weren’t given rights to capture video, even though Jailbreak Apps showed it working fine? Same thing here. Apple is in the business of selling hardware. Don’t forget that.

Apple chose to make Siri an iPhone 4S exclusive for multiple reasons. One being for marketing purposes, take Apple’s newest phone and you get their new and fancy artificial intelligence system. Apple spent hundreds of millions of dollars on Siri’s development, and issuing the software as a free upgrade would not be beneficial to Apple.

The next reason is the iPhone 4S is a more closed control group for the Siri “beta” than if Apple were to open Siri to the tens of millions of iPhone 4 customers. Third is the future. We’ve been hearing a lot of whispers about the future of Siri from multiple sources, and the A4 single-core processor will simply not do. When Apple releases something in a certain way, they have good reason.

Moral of the story: your iPhone 4 will not be getting Siri (legally).

Free paid iPhone apps for the shot period

They aren’t Mario and Luigi but we have some plumbers that need your help. In today’s puzzler offering, help assemble the pipes so that the Flooze can flow to the proper location. Speaking of cartoony sorts of things, we have an app that turns your child into a cartoonist It’s both an entertaining and educational experience. Life isn’t all fun and games, but sharing and otherwise moving photos and notes around doesn’t need to be hard work. One of today’s slick apps allows you to push photos from your iPad to Dropbox and more with just a quick and simple swipe.

All app prices are subject to change at any time and without notice regardless of stated free duration. Price changes are solely under the control of the developers.

iPhone:

Perfect Photo ($.99 -> Free, 13.3 MB): Taking the perfect photo is tough, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it perfect in the end. Perform over 16 different adjustments and corrections, plus add any one of 12 different overall effects. Save the edited photo to the camera roll, clipboard, or Perfect Photo’s documents folder to be exported via iTunes File Sharing, Share photos via your Facebook wall, Twitter feed, Flickr or Tumblr gallery, email, or print them to an AirPrint printer.

Perfect Photo is available for free for a limited time. It has a 4.5-star rating with a total of 551 ratings.

Pipe Mania ($.99 -> Free, 67.1 MB): Construct a path of piping to successfully guide the Flooze from the faucet to the drain. This puzzler features more than 350 sub-levels spanned across 39 full levels and four modes: Classic, Arcade, World, and Bonus. Challenge others by submitting scores through the Scoreloop system.

Pipe Mania is available for free for a limited time. It has a 3-star rating with a total of 4 ratings.

ToonPAINT ($1.99 -> Free, 3.6 MB): ToonPAINT is more than just a cartoon image filter, as it allows you to customize the process in a variety of ways and put your own little creative touches on the image. Images can be imported from your library or you can take a brand new one. They can also be painted by hand or filled in automatically, although the latter option comes at a cost ($.99).

ToonPAINT is available for free today only (11/05). It has a 4.5-star rating with a total of 23 ratings.

Universal:

Kubrik ($.99 -> Free, 25.3 MB): A claymation-style graphics physics platformer where you need to equip a small robot with one of several gadgets to get him back home. The game features 60 levels spread across three worlds.

Kubrik is available for free today only (11/05). It has a 5-star rating with a total of 5 ratings.

Monster Fight Pro ($.99 -> Free, 41.7 MB): An action-RPG where instead of being a magnificent warrior you take the role of a giant green monster. The game features five large maps to roam, three difficulty levels, and Game Center integration.

Monster Fight Pro is available for free today only (11/05). It has a 4-star rating with a total of 6 ratings.

iPad:

Swipy-(e-mail yourself or save in Dropbox by swiping) HD($.99 -> Free, 1.7 MB): Swipy allows you to quickly capture notes or photos and have them sent to your inbox or Dropbox with a swipe. It’s as easy as entering the necessary email and Dropbox information, and then just typing or taking a photo from within the app. Swipe to share. Couldn’t be easier.

Swipy-(e-mail yourself or save in Dropbox by swiping) HD is available for free for a limited time. It has a 5-star rating with a total of 18 ratings.

Toontastic ($1.99 -> Free, 176.3 MB): Kids love watching cartoons and now they can enjoy creating their own. Toontastic takes children through the fundamentals of how to make an animated story, but not in an intimidating way. The app includes 10 playsets, plus a custom choice, and over two dozen characters from dragons to spaceships and even cowboys. Additional playsets can be purchased in-app for $.99 each.

Toontastic is available for free today only (11/05). It has a 5-star rating with a total of 6 ratings.