Apple Fixes IPhone 4S Battery Woes

Apple released an iOS 5 update with fixes for iPhone 4S battery and iCloud issues, polishing its popular handset's image after initial glitches marred its release.

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Apple iPhone 4S

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company said the 5.0.1 update solves users' complaints that 4S phones lost battery power randomly and significantly following iOS 5 upgrades.

In addition, the upgrade fixes bugs in iCloud Documents, gives iPad owners multitasking gestures, and helps the Siri voice-recognition service better understand Australian accents.

The update is available for all iPad and iPhone models from 3GS onward, as well as third-and fourth-generation iPods.

Apple's upgrade addresses at least some of the many problems that have plagued its iPhone 4S and iOS 5 launches.

Beginning in mid-October, some iPhone 4S owners began tocomplain of a yellowish screen tint that may have been caused by uncured adhesives.

Then in the first week of November, reports surfaced of iPhone 4S battery drains that occurred even when the device was not in use. Two days later, Apple acknowledged the issue and promised the software upgrade it rolled out today.

The iPhone 4S also faced a Siri outage on November 3, prompting the personal assistant to say, "There's something wrong, and I can't answer your questions right now," when addressed.

Siri's silence lasted only one day, but analysts from the Saugatuck research firm warn this blackout may discourage businesses from adopting apparently unreliable cloud-based services.

Some people owning the iPhone 4S also report they can't hear outgoing calls through the handset's earpiece.

Despite these problems, Apple's handset is surging in sales, and people are still lining up to buy the device, even after four million purchased the handset in its first three days. The 4S is set to debut in 38 total countries including the U.S., heralding high sales in time for the holidays.

Consumer Reports recommended the iPhone 4S but listed Samsung's Galaxy S2, Motorola's Droid Bionic and several others ahead of Apple's handset.

Apple's quick responses to the reported 4S problems earn the company credibility, but if it wants strong sales to continue, Apple will need to seek out and eliminate any further bugs.

Another bendy concept phone by Nokia

Nokia showed off a cool concept in bendable smartphones last month, but there was another device along the same vein called HumanForm which we only saw briefly in our video demo. Besides being able to do the stuff like twist to browse and bend to zoom, the HumanForm would include gesture interaction, so you could shake your phone to navigate backwards, touch sensitivity on the outer casing (much like the Synaptics concept phone, Fuse). The phone would also include mood awareness of incoming correspondents, which is an idea we’ve seen played around with a bit before. Of the more far-fetched parts of the concept is an electro-tactile mode, where you could actually feel an image, such as a lumps on picture including a bunch of rocks.

Of course, bendable displays are a big part of bringing phones like this to reality, and Samsung is set to make the first steps in that direction starting next year. I’m worried that the technology will be more gimmicky than useful, but at least bendable phones will be less prone to shattering from impacts. What do you guys think – will a phone that bends attract a lot of buyers, or will be it a short-lived fad like 3D displays?

Nokia N9 now sold in the States via www.m2cmobile.com, costs $769.98

Even though Nokia said it won't officially sell the MeeGo-running Nokia N9 stateside, retailer www.m2cmobile.com has taken care of customers by bringing the much anticipated devices to US/Canada on-line shores. And you can get yours now, but it's offered only unlocked, which means that you don't get a carrier subsidy and have to pay the full retail price, which stands at $769.98. But in exchange, you're granted carrier freedom and no 2-yearly ties.

The Nokia N9 is a GSM handset, which translates into compatibility with such US carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile and Simple Mobile with 3G enabled. The $769.98 price applies to the 16 gig model of the Nokia N9.

If you're still making your mind up about the handset, you'd want to check out our in-depth review of the Nokia N9, which will help you make an informed decision. Put in a nutshell, though, the N9 offers stellar calm convex design and a colorful polycarbonate body, but the real highlight is MeeGo – an all-touch experience that you'd love for its simplicity, but hate for its lack of apps if you care about them. The N9 also has a pretty capable 8-megapixel camera on its back to round up the package.

Excited? There seem to be only limited supplies, so you'd better hurry up if you really want this device and share your feelings about it in the comments below.