Meet the new rose gold iPhone 6s

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Design, Handhelds,

Earlier today, Apple announced the brand new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus smartphones. Be sure to check out our post that covers all of the new features. In addition to announcing the years new flagship smartphones during the Hey Siri, Give Us a Hint event, the company also released a brand new color option for iPhone buyers - rose gold. As you can see above, the rose gold iPhone has a light pink metallic shade to it--more pink than copper. The rose gold color joins the silver, space gray, and gold colors to make up this years iPhone line.

Will you be choosing rose gold this year? You can pre-order the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus from Apple.

Apple iPhone 6s & 6s Plus: 3D Touch, 12MP camera, 4K video recording, starts at $199 on September 25

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Handhelds,

During it's Hey Siri, Give Us a Hint event, Apple unveiled the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus smartphones. The updated smartphones still sport the 4.7-inch Retina HD display for the 6s and 5.5-inch Retina HD display for the 6s Plus, but there's a lot of new stuff that Apple is bringing to the table with this years flagship models:

• 12 megapixel iSight Camera: Apple has bumped the megapixel count in the iPhone for the first time in 4 years, going from 8 megapixels to 12. This is a 50% increase in pixels, and with it comes 50% more focus pixels, making autofocus even faster than before as well.
• 5 megapixel FaceTime HD camera: Another big improvement, as the front camera on the iPhone goes from 1.8 megapixels to 5.0. Apple will use the display itself as the True Tone Retina Flash for those selfies you need to take while in the dark.
• 4K video recording: You can now shoot 4K video directly from the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus
• 3D Touch: This is one of the tentpole features. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus can now sense depth. This is similar to Force Touch on the Apple Watch, but much more advanced. Pushing down on different elements throughout iOS will allow you to select shortcuts, preview information with the "peek" gesture, go further into that data with the "pop" gesture, and more.
• A9 processor: Apple's A9 processor offers 70% faster performance and 90% faster graphics than the previous A8 chip. Not only will things feel much faster, but games are now "console quality" according to Apple.
• Touch ID Second Generation: Apple has doubled the speed of the Touch ID sensor
• Wi-Fi speeds doubled
• LTE Advanced with support for 23 LTE bands, and speeds that are twice as fast
• Live Photos: This might have been the coolest thing Apple showed today. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will capture 1.5 seconds before and after you take your photo

The new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will be available in silver, space gray, gold, and a new rose gold color option. Be sure to check out our iPhone 6s pricing guide.

Apple invites press to “Hey Siri, give us a hint!” event on September 9

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Home Entertainment,

Apple has sent invitations to press for it’s “Hey Siri, give us a hint.” event, happening on September 9th at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. As has become annual tradition, this will be the event where Apple unveils its next set of iPhones, including the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. There are also rumors of a potential iPhone 6c, as well as a long-awaited new Apple TV. It won’t be long now, iPhone fans—Apple takes the stage in just 13 days. In the meantime, feel free to keep bugging Siri and see if she gives you an early scoop.

What's your best guess at what the company will be announcing?

LG G4 hands-on first impressions

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Hot Deals,

When looking at the overall landscape of smartphones in the US, most casual conversation is dominated by talk of Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S—currently that means the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy S6. The thing is, though, that there are other great phones out there that deserve to be a part of the conversation. Last year, my favorite Android phone was the LG G3, and I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on the successor ever since LG announced it.

As most know, I’m one of the rare people who owns multiple smartphones. I didn’t need the LG G4, but I definitely wanted it. LG sent one over, and I’ve been enjoying the process of learning all the ins and outs of the superb camera. If you’re unfamiliar, LG did a great job differentiating the camera on the G4. It’s got fantastic performance in low light situations thanks to the f/1.8 aperture, and sports a manual mode with 15 settings and over 135 options for configuring the camera to capture just the right shot. Pair that with the laser autofocus that gets things looking great in an instant, and the ability to capture RAW images and you have a winner. Super cool.

Click to continue reading LG G4 hands-on first impressions

Apple releases iPhone Lightning Dock

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, Smartphones,

Apple has just released the new iPhone Lightning Dock, an accessory that will allow you to easily charge an Lightning port-equipped iPhone from a vertical base. The device supports the newest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, as well as the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5s. The iPod touch 5th generation is also compatible. As you can see in the image above, this is simply a Lightning connected that is rising up out of the base, which leads us to believe that this should easily support future models as well.

The iPhone Lightning Dock is powered by your own Lightnint to USB cable, and also has a 3.5mm headphone port, allowing you to listen to your iPhone audio through headphones while it is docked.

You can pick up the iPhone Lightning Dock now for $39.

Good deal: AT&T selling Mophie Juice Packs for $10 off

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, Smartphones, Hot Deals,

If you're finding that the battery in your iPhone isn't quite lasting for as long as you'd like it to, then it would be a good idea to consider picking up a battery case. We've always been fans of Mophie battery cases here at Gear Live, and if you're in the market for one, you might want to stop by your local AT&T retail location. Between now and May 28th, AT&T is offering a $10 discount on all Mophie battery cases, which results in your getting a top-notch external battery at a rare discount. Remember, this is in retail stores, so you'll wanna use the AT&T store finder to find the most convenient location near you.

Apple releases iOS 8.2 with Apple Watch support

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Software,

Following its Spring Forward Apple Watch event, Apple has released iOS 8.2 publicly. The update brings about minor fixes, along with one big feature: Apple Watch support. In order to use the Apple Watch, you’ll need to be running iOS 8.2 on your iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, 6, or 6 Plus. After installing the update, you’ll find the new Apple Watch app on your home screen, which is what you will use to download apps and manage settings for your Apple Watch, should you pick one up.

iOS 8.3 will follow soon, with new diverse emoji and wireless CarPlay support. In the meantime, you can download iOS 8.2 now.

Apple releases iOS 8.1.3, here’s what’s new!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Software,

Apple has released iOS 8.1.3, a maintenance and bug fix release for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The company says that one major feature is that 8.1.3 reduces the amount of free storage required in order to perform the iOS 8 upgrade, which should help some who were "stuck" on iOS 7 and wanted to update, but didn't have enough storage to continue. For me, the update has finally fixed an issue on my 128 GB iPhone 6 Plus that would cause it to crash and reboot when using the multitasking app switcher that's plagued me since release day. Hit the jump for the full changelog that Apple has provided.

Click to continue reading Apple releases iOS 8.1.3, here’s what’s new!

Top 10 Gear Live Videos of 2014

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Handhelds, Home Entertainment, Microsoft, Video Games, Videos,

The sun will set on 2014 in just a few hours, and we are just in time with our annual top 10 list of the most-watched Gear Live video episodes. Over the past year, as expected, there was a bunch of Apple gear that made the list, with the release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The launch of the WWE Network was also groundbreaking, and our walkthrough proved to be the second most popular video of the year. Other items, like a tutorial on upgrading Xbox One controllers, a look at the Fitbit Force, and a how-to on installing the Nest Protect also proved popular as well.

Oh, and if you wanna be sure to get our new video episodes as they come out in 2015, be sure to subscribe to us on YouTube, in iTunes, or in your RSS reader!

Also, you can check out the top ten videos from 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007 - and when you're done, be sure to check out the top 10 most popular Gear Live stories of 2013 as well!

Click to continue reading Top 10 Gear Live Videos of 2014

Apple CarPlay, Power Programmers and Making Your Ride Zombie Proof

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Transportation,

The following article is a sponsored post by AutoAnything.

When the undead rise up and take to the streets, it will already be too late for you to upgrade your vehicle’s power and efficiency. So, while the zombies are still safely nestled in their graves, it’s time to think about how to prepare your vehicle for escape.

Ask yourself: can your car tell you where you need to go and get you there in the fastest and most efficient way possible? Can you control your in-cabin features without taking your hands off the wheel? Chances are you answered no. Fear not, fellow future zombie heroes! We have technology on our side, and with the brains of Apple CarPlay and the brawn of a power programmer, our vehicles can be completely zombie-proof in no time.

Click to continue reading Apple CarPlay, Power Programmers and Making Your Ride Zombie Proof