Okay, you’ve got an iPhone 4 — now what?

Whether you were lucky enough to score an early delivery, blazed through a pre-order reservation line, or camped out all night, you're going to want to take full advantage of your hard-won new iPhone 4 once you get it home. As we said in our review, the core experience of using an iPhone hasn't changed too dramatically with iOS 4 and the new hardware -- it's instead been refined and extended with some new capabilities. That means you'll need to poke around a little and download some updated apps to really see all the benefits -- there's some fun stuff to uncover. So without further ado, let's run down the list of things to try and do with your new iPhone, as well as highlight some essential apps that'll let you get the most out of your new toy. Read on!Continue reading Okay, you've got an iPhone 4 -- now what

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Pioneer lowers prices on Elite A/V receivers again, the well-heeled respond with derision

Pioneer is introducing a new batch of Elite A/V receivers aimed at making the line more affordable (if less, well, elite). The VSX-30 and VSX-31 feature iPhone and iPod control via Pioneer's iControl AV app, HDMI 1.4a with 3D support, THX Select2 Plus audio, and an Ethernet port for accessing Sirius XM, Rhapsody, and files off of your home network. If that weren't enough, they've even thrown in an composite video cable for your iPod / iPhone so you can enjoy your portable audio and video on the big screen. The VSX-30 will run you $550, while the VSX-31 (with a second A/V zone) is going for a cool $650. It's not exactly a Swarovski-bejewled HTPC, but we guess it'll do in a pinch.

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Exclusive: BlackBerry 9800 for AT&T fully exposed!

We've just been sent a mother lode of shots of RIM's upcoming BlackBerry 9800 -- a phone whose market name is still unknown -- but whether it's called the Bold, the Torch, or something else altogether, we think we're looking at near-final hardware here. The software is identified as version 0.9, but you can clearly tell from the UI that it's running BlackBerry 6 with an ever-so-slightly refined look and subtle 3D elements missing from prior releases. This particular phone is AT&T-branded, and it starts up with a carrier logo screen that proudly proclaims the 9800 a world phone -- sure enough, the About screen shows support for WCDMA bands I, II, V, and VI, which means you'll be able to use the phone for 3G service in Japan and most of Europe. Generally speaking, BlackBerrys haven't been known to be the prettiest things around (with the possible exception of the Curve 8900), but we'll admit -- we're digging this. Check out the full gallery below!

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iPhone 4 Retina Display vs. Galaxy S Super AMOLED… fight!

If the title of this post isn't enough to entice you, we don't know what else to say. We've gone and run some sunlit comparisons between Apple's brand spanking new phone's Retina Display and Samsung's equally fresh and exclusive Super AMOLED panel on the Galaxy S. We don't know if we'll be able to settle the argument, but we're certainly going to subject both superphones to an expansive visual inspection. Follow us after the break for video exploration of this most pressing topic.

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iPhone 4 Problems: Activation, and Possible Privacy Issues

The Apple (APPL) iPhone 4 Problems I have encountered so far include activation problems and possibly privacy issues. As you know, no product launch is perfect and it’s normal for there to be issues. Everything else I’ve tried so far has worked fine for me on the new Apple iPhone 4. The screen resolution is great, and battery life is incredible.

The iPhone 4 problem I encountered while activating was the “Your iPhone activation session has expired” error message. I had to restart my computer to fix this problem. A commentator here, Don, stated that restarting iTunes fixed the problem so you may want to try that first if you encounter this problem.

The other iPhone 4 problem may be just a conspiracy theory, but you can still read about it in my Leaked iOS4 and iPhone 4 Secrets post. Basically an Apple employee e-mailed a small tech site and told them some secrets about Apple being able to control users’ iPhones and also know their locations whenever they use FaceTime video chat. It may not be true, because it’s illegal for Apple to be able to do that. The site who reported this says the Apple employee will give them screenshots with more proof, so we’ll see if this turns out to be true or not

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It’s official: Nokia N8 will be the last Symbian Nseries handset. MeeGo is the future

Yesterday, when hearing about Nokia’s alleged plans to stop using Symbian in its Nseries smartphones, we were a bit skeptical. It turns out that we shouldn’t have been.

Nokia has confirmed to Reuters that the N8 will, indeed, be the last Nseries device to run Symbian. All future Nseries devices (most likely starting with the rumored Nokia N9) will use MeeGo – the new software platform developed by the Finnish company in collaboration with Intel.

Symbian^3, Symbian^4 and future versions will still be used on Xseries, Eseries and some Cseries devices.

In the last few years, Symbian has lost market share to Apple, BlackBerry, and – more recently – Android. Of course, the global smartphone market is growing at fast paces, so there’s room for lots of platforms.

Like Android, MeeGo is based on Linux, and since Nokia bets on it for its upcoming Nseries smartphones (most, if not all of which will be high-end), we should expect it to offer a great user experience.

The first Nokia MeeGo smartphones should be out in late 2010 / early 2011. I hope they won’t disappoint.

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iPhone 4 launch day line watch (update: Woz in action)

From the London store

Welcome to the latest installment of our annual tradition: the iPhone launch day queue experience in pictorial form. London's getting the party started early (not as early as some, admittedly) with a sizable crowd turning the corner from the Apple Store at Regent Street, but we'll keep this post updated with imagery from all over the place. Wouldn't mind if you helped us out with a few of your own pics, either. You know where to send them in by now, and once you've done that, feel free to slide past the break to see how everyone else is doing it.

Update: Now with reports from San Francisco!

Update 2: NY joins the fray!

Update 3: We added some of the more interesting reader-submitted stories.

Update 4: Reports from Palo Alto and San Jose, California!

Update 5: London's doors have swung open and we're now busy activating our brand new Apple phones.

Update 6: Woz and his Segway make their regular appearance at the San Jose Valley Fair Apple Store.

Update 7: We're adding a bunch of reader reports. Even as Apple opens its doors to pre-orderers in the US, the lines remain crazy.

Update 8: Apple serving fries in Chicago!

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Keeping it real fake: ePhone won’t shatter when you drop it, might melt in the sun

We're guessing that there won't be many tech sites lineblogging outside the Shenzhen KIRF stalls when the ePhone 4GS finally gets a release date. And it's a shame, really: for knock-off fanatics like ourselves, this thing could be in the big leagues, right up there with the iorgane (that's pronounced "i-orange," by the way). Don't let the industrial design fool you -- unlike the real deal, this thing is all plastic, right up to that silver band wrapping 'round the edges. The rear of the unit boasts the Apple logo and 16GB, and while the first designation is definitely inaccurate, we harbor serious doubts about the latter. But what do you expect for $85? Get a closer look after the break.

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Belkin’s AV360 Mini DisplayPort Converter lets you play Xbox 360 on iMac, costs as much as an Arcade

If you're inhabiting one of those quaint, downtown studio apartments in which your sink, oven, computer, and toilet are all within reach of your swiveling desk chair, and if that computer happens to be a 27-inch iMac, we have good news for you. Belkin has introduced its AV360 Mini DisplayPort Converter, which takes an HDMI input at up to 1080p and squeezes it into a Mini DisplayPort connector at 720p for display on your iMac. It'll also push stereo audio through and is HDCP-compliant, so even protected content from your Blu-ray player will get by. The cost? $150, which is cheaper than getting a second display, but an awful lot for a converter box with a single input -- especially when MonoPrice has similar offerings (which admittedly lack audio and HDCP) for under $10. But, if you don't have room for anything else, this will fit in nicely with you and your minimalist/affluent lifestyle.

Update: We got it wrong on the MonoPrice reference here. That adapter goes the other way!

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