Sprint to Start Offering the iPhone 5 by Mid-October

Unless you've been living under a rock, you should know that Apple is close to unveiling their next trendsetting smartphone, the iPhone 5. And as we approach the expected date of the iPhone 5 reveal, we can also expect that more news will be coming in with regards to the much awaited device. If anyone can recall, there have been several reports that Apple has been planning to add another telecommunications company that will carry the iPhone in addition to AT&T and Verizon. And one such carrier that is long rumored to partner with Apple is Sprint Nextel.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Sprint Nextel Corp. will start selling Apple's iPhone, once the next generation version hits the market in mid-October. The information source is said to be someone who's allegedly familiar with the situation. This particular partnership should be instrumental not only in filling the hole that's present with Sprint's U.S. carrier lineup but it should also allow Apple to open yet another income stream.

Sprint Nextel had about 52 million subscribers by the end of the second quarter, significantly trailing behind Verizon with 106 million and AT&T with 99 million subscribers. Sprint blames the "competitive headwinds" of its major competitors for such a huge gap in subscribers. As you all know, both Verizon and AT&T have been offering the iPhone for the entirety of the year's first half.

So landing this partnership with Apple is indeed a successful move for Sprint. Just the mere revelation of the deal resulted for the company's stocks to increase. The addition of the iPhone to Sprint's lineup will most definitely help in retaining many of its subscribers who have plans for upgrading. To say that Sprint needs the iPhone would be a huge understatement.
And of course, this particular partnership is not only beneficial for Sprint but for Apple as well. As you all know, the iPhone being available only in two carriers (albeit the top two largest) is still considered to be a significant limitation with regards to reaching a larger portion of the market. Now with Sprint, the third largest U.S. carrier being on board, the iPhone market should now be accessible to more subscribers.

Lately, Apple seems to be taking measures in order to shake the iPhone's reputation as a luxury item. We have of course been hearing about reports that Apple is planning to release a low-end iPhone that will be marketed towards developing markets. And now that the iPhone will be made available to one more carrier, those who have been holding out to buy an iPhone will certainly be given something to think about.

It's a win-win situation for both parties. Sprint will be able to capitalize on the hype surrounding the iPhone 5 which could only yield impressive sales. On the other hand with Sprint joining in, Apple opens yet another sales channel which will most definitely drive more sales for the iPhone 5.

This report however indicates that Sprint will begin selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October, which also applies to Verizon and AT&T as well. So we could be looking at a mid-October iPhone 5 release as opposed to largely expected September release date. [via TheWSJ]

The Coolest Cat: Dev Team Bids Steve Fairwell

Steve Jobs only sent his resignation letter out a few hours ago, but the tech world is already feeling the effects of his exit. Tech pundits, bloggers, and Apple fans have taken to the internet to share their thoughts on the CEO.

Even though it sounds like Steve will still be very involved in major decisions at the company, he will be missed, as evidenced by the several trending Twitter topics regarding his announcement. Even the Dev Team has turned out to pay their respects…
From the first iPhone update (firmware 1.1.1), Apple’s fearless leader and the jailbreak community have been at odds. It was the first firmware update for the iPhone and iPod touch, and it disabled the first jailbreak. Since then, we’ve all watched a game of cat and mouse between basement hackers and Cupertino’s finest.

And even though the back-and-fourth game will likely continue, it just won’t be the same without Steve Jobs. Fittingly, The Dev Team posted the above image accompanied by these words:

“The coolest cat. We loved the chase! Good luck, Steve. Signed, Jailbreakers and tinkerers everywhere.”

The feeling is certainly mutual throughout the entire community. Thanks for everything Steve, and good luck.

HELO TC: Get Your Own iPhone Controlled Helicopter for Only $50, Pre-Order Now!

If you have been an iOS device owner for quite some time, then you are probably aware of most of the cool things that you can do with it. Even the most hardcore hobbyist find themselves engaged with iOS devices because of its various functionalities that complements their hobby. Did you know that you can actually use your iPhone as a remote in order to control RC vehicles? With the App Store's expansive app selection and the innovation of 3rd party developers, RC vehicle enthusiasts are given another way to enjoy their hobby. Today we will introduce to you a new iOS powered RC helicopter.
Controlling a remote controlled toy with the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch isn't exactly a new technology. Last year an RC helicopter was made available called Parrot AR.Drone quadricopter. It is a remote controlled toy housing some seriously advanced technology and is being controlled using an iOS device. The Parrot AR.Drone is a seriously cool toy that would make any RC geek drool in envy. Unfortunately there is one caveat, such advanced technology doesn't come cheap. The Parrot AR.Drone comes with a $300 price tag which is enough to shun away everyone except hardcore enthusiasts.
Fortunately, famed accessory maker Griffin came into a realization that toys like the Parrot AR.Drone ranks high in the coolness scale. But of course, they are also aware of the major barrier that keeps gadgets like AR.Drone from attracting more customers, the price. So they made a similar product that that falls into the category of being affordable. And the result is the HELO TC which costs $50. First check out this fun advert for the HELO TC.
Compared to the AR.Drone, Griffin obviously have taken several cost-cutting measures in order to bring down the price of HELO TC to $50. As expected, the technology behind the HELO TC won't be as advanced as the one found in the AR.Drone. Instead of utilizing WiFi to fly the toy, the HELO TC comes with a case-like transmitter that clips into your device through the headphone jack. Using a companion app, the transmitter then sends tone from the headphone jack to the IR transmitter which then talks to the chopper.
There are two ways to control the chopper. First, you can use a virtual joystick on your iPhone's multi-touch display to maneuver the toy. Second method is through motion where you can tilt your device accordingly in order to control the chopper. The mandatory app that comes with HELO TC can be used to record and store flight plans which you and your friends can replay anytime.

The HELO TC Touch-Controlled Helicopter is a really cool gadget that has the potential to be fun. Granted that it won't work as well as the expensive AR.Drone in terms of maneuverability but at least you get to enjoy some fun flight action for a mere fraction of the price. If you have $50 to spare, the HELO TC should be a good buy. The product is currently displayed as Out of Stock but if you're sold on this gadget, you can head over to Griffin's website and place your pre-order. No exact release date were given but it was mentioned by a PR person that it will start shipping this holiday season.

Retro Favorite Theme Park to Get iOS Remake

We can’t be the only ones who spent an inordinate amount of time playing games like Theme Park and Sim City when we were kids. There was a real thrill to building your own city or amusement park, and in the case of Sim City, destroying it with a selection of disasters, ranging from floods to alien invasion.

Sim City has already made its iOS debut, thanks to Electronic Arts, and Theme Park will soon join the ranks of other PC titles that have been ported to iOS…
Originally released on the PC way back in 1994, Theme Park became a cult classic, and the iOS game will be based on that classic, while receiving a completely new 3D makeover, according to Digital Spy.

Not many details have been release by EA yet, but one thing has been shared: Not only will in-game currency be available for building new rides and the such, but real money will be used too, with in-game purchases helping to pay Theme Park’s way. The game itself will be free to download.

Theme Park will hit the App Store as a universal app later this year, and will feature EA’s cloud service for sharing saved games across devices.