There’s an awful lot of rumours about Apple entering the TV market, but this is not it. Apple lawyers get ready for this, Hannspree is selling a 28” 1080p LCD. It’s pretty much the exact opposite of what an Apple branded TV would look like. There’s no clean lines, impressively simple UI and latest generation processor, it’s just an Apple shaped frame around a 28” HDTV.

If you really want to gasp at the nerve of Hannspree, check out the horrible infomercial video at HSN.

More info @ HSN via @Alex_Manchester

Samsung is in dire need of some advice regarding patents, it seems. Another play in the ongoing patent struggle between Samsung and Apple has resulted in Apple giving Samsung some ‘workarounds’ in order to finally appease Apple’s demands. While this may seem like a good idea, it almost seems like Apple is just deliberately trolling Samsung for a laugh – though it is entirely possible what they’re asking for could result in a change in Samsung’s design choices.

The first set of recommendations relate specifically to the Galaxy S2 smartphone, including having a front surface that isn’t black, non-rectangular in shape or without rounded corners, non-horizontal speaker slots and no front bezel at all. Most of these suggestions describe most modern smartphones, so it would be interesting to see if Apple goes after other major manufacturers if they were to win this battle, like HTC.

The Verge noted that Apple also listed alternative options for Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, namely:

• overall shape that isn’t rectangular, or doesn’t have rounded corners
• thick frames around the screen
• front surface that isn’t flat
• profiles that aren’t thin
• cluttered appearance

Apple believes the changes that Samsung made with its 10.1N version of the Galaxy Tab weren’t enough, and recently asked a German court to ban the new version. We’ll see if Samsung takes any further notice of Apple’s suggestions, and whether Samsung can ever finally get a break.

More @ The Verge

Over the past 24hours there have been a lot of posts about Microsoft’s Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Craig Mundie, claiming that “Microsoft has had a similar capability in Windows Phone for more than a year… All that is already there, fully functionality for years.”

With Siri, Apple managed to humanise the synthesized voice with comedic responses. With more functionality like setting alarms and geo-fenced reminders, scheduling meetings and more, Tellme is really not the same thing. WP7 voice functionality still feels like last generation voice commands, regardless of how Microsoft try and sell it.

The problem isn’t with marketing as the video suggests, but rather the lack of a response to Siri. Tellme was probably on-par with Apple’s voice controls like “Play Artist xyz” in iOS4, but with Siri, Apple takes it to the next level. Microsoft needs to respond by releasing an update and not only match the functionality of Siri, but surpass it to draw attention and be a point of difference for potential smart phone buyers.

Also its worth keeping in mind that Siri is still in beta. While we are yet to see an update, when it arrives, it’s likely to add even more voice controlled functionality. Make no mistake, the race is on to be the first to deliver an OS-wide voice command API that 3rd party applications can integrate with. When that happens, it will be a game changer.

The video below graphically demonstrates the difference between the two voice systems, you be the judge.

Update
More than 500,000 people have now watched this video, you’re an opinionated lot. Below is a video responding to some of the comments.

With the launch of iOS5, we got iMessage. Apple’s very own SMS replacement service. The experience is supposed to be seamless, with messages sent to contacts using an iOS device is automatically done via iMessage rather than SMS. This should save some customers still paying for SMS some coin.

It’s surprising that mobile carriers ever allowed Apple to implement a technology that could largely reduce their 160 character cash cow. All sounds like a positive for consumers right? Unfortunately iMessage may not be ready to replace SMS just yet.

A great way to have friends and loved ones pissed off at you, is to ignore their messages. iOS5 users are reporting that iMessage is actually pretty unreliable and messages are frequently being dropped. Despite posting a delivered message and sending date and time stamp, they don’t always make it to the destination.

The problem is so bad, that some users (myself now included), have switched off iMessage and are back to using SMS. What has your experience with iMessage been? If you have had any issues, leave a comment.

Apple have released the first update since iPhone 5 shipped. The iOS5.0.1 update release addresses the much discussed battery life issues. It will take a few days of regular use to confirm if this is definitely solved, but Apple say it is.

Another improvement is the support for Australia voices when using dictation, that’s when you hit the microphone in the keyboard. As you can see from the screen shot below, it’s now pretty good, but not perfect. It was basically unusable before the update, so it’s a solid improvement.

Sadly there is no update to Siri, that means maps and businesses outside the US are still unavailable.

To get the update over the air, just go to Settings > General > Software Update.

The next version of iOS is now available. In the early hours of the morning, somewhere around 4am, Apple hit the release button on the highly anticipated iOS5. With a brand new notification system, over the air updates and many other tweaks and refinements, it all sounds like software goodness.

Products compatible with this software update:
    •    iPhone 4S
    •    iPhone 4
    •    iPhone 3GS
    •    iPad 2
    •    iPad
    •    iPod touch (4th generation)
    •    iPod touch (3rd generation)

To get the latest iOS on your device, connect your device to iTunes and click ‘Check for Update’. You should receive an alert saying iOS version 5.0 is now available. Choose the download and update option, cross your fingers and the update should be on your phone.

It seems the update may not be rolling out as smoothly as Apple would hope, Computerworld reports that Apple forums were flooded with complaints about the update failing. From the twitter crowd, it seems a number were able to successfully complete the upgrade without issue.

Have you upgraded ? Had any issues ?

More info @ http://www.apple.com/au/ios/

With more than a million pre-orders worldwide and generally positive reviews being released, the iPhone 4S is in high demand. Despite a disappointing initial reaction to the details, it seems a new Apple device, is still a new Apple device and people are dead keen for it. With only two weeks since the phone’s announcement (confirmation), telco providers have had to act quick to throw together new plans. So short the timeline, it was only this week that we received confirmation of plans from Australia’s largest telco, Telstra.

So with deals announced and details revealed, all that’s left is to pick up an iPhone 4S. The device goes on sale this Friday 14th October, but what are your chances of actually securing a device at launch ? The reality is, not good.

The most dedicated Apple fan boys have already begun cueing for the phone at Apple Stores, two days early. While it may be a case of first in best dressed, the story gets worse if you don’t live near one of the 13 stores. Initial supplies of iPhone 4S will be extremely constrained, a combination of a short announcement to release timeframe and multiple country distribution to blame.

This afternoon at a regional Telstra store in Wodonga, I was told they would have ‘less than 20 devices’ available this Friday. Naturally I enquired when the cue would begin, however was informed they have already taken a list of names which numbered more than 50 and the chances of securing on that day is very slim.

Update
Fantastic timing Telstra.. minutes after this post went up, Telstra did email pre-order information to those who registered using the iPhone 4S EOI form on their site.

It’s disappointing that the thousands who registered using expression of interest forms on each carriers website, has no impact on your ability to get a phone. In fact those EOI forms have been a complete waste of time. After asking the collective mind of twitter, it seems that no-one has received information about the released plans or iPhone 4S availability. Admittedly, the form did say it did not secure you device, however an email with instructions on how you could would have been a good idea.

There’s going to be a lot of unhappy customers on launch day that used the EOI form the day it was posted, only to be told there’s no iPhone for them. Joining a long list and waiting weeks for supply to catch up would be enough to turn most off going through the expense and hassle of upgrading.

You should never make it hard for people to give you money.

Naturally for those that miss out, more devices will ship as manufacturing in Asia struggles to meet demand with supply. Apple had previously been selling iPads faster than they could be made, expect this to be the case for iPhone 4S as well. The wait could quickly turn from weeks to months if you don’t get in fast, so if you’ve decided you definitely want an iPhone 4S, talk your local store as soon as possible.

Since Siri was officially announced as an iPhone 4S feature last week, most of us have been keen to try see how well it really works. While still not as good as a personal hands-on, this video from Stuff.tv does point to the voice recognition being pretty good.

If Siri does work as advertised, it is potentially change the way we communicate and perform functions on our devices. Some also thought Facetime was a transformative development, proving that initial impressions aren’t always accurate. The optimist inside me wants this to work in same way I wish we were living like the Jetsons.

Consumers will know for sure just how Siri works, particularly with different accents, when the iPhone 4S goes on sale this Friday.

More @ Gizmodo and Apple.

You can now pre-order Apple’s latest phone, the iPhone 4 S unlocked from Apple’s online store which was announced during a press conference on the 5th.

The phone comes in black and white at three different price points:

• 16GB $799
• 32GB $899
• 64GB $999

As of writing this none of the carriers have released information about purchasing the iPhone 4 S on a contract, stay tuned to techAU.

Update
Optus tweeted out this morning that their pre-orders were ready to go, however the link provided http://optus.com.au/iphone4s is broken.

Update 2
Optus have released new plans for the iPhone 4S and surprisingly aren’t better than current plans.. TechGeek has a great run down of the details.

Learn more about the iPhone 4 S:

Apple iPhone announcement: the important bits.

Apple just screwed Telstra. No LTE. No HD calls.

Apple Store

Very sad news has just broken, Steve Jobs has passed away. Co-founder of Apple, Jobs was one of the worlds greatest minds, creating products loved by millions, the world over. Whether you love or hate Apple, there is no denying that Jobs had a profound impact on the technology industry for the better.

Apple has confirmed this with a page http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/ with the following statement.

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

Steve Jobs was 56 years old and was suffering from Pancreatic Cancer.