United Airlines Hands Out 11,000 iPads to Pilots

United Airlines has announced that it will officially be switching from the traditional 12,000 page “flight bag”(operating manuals, logbooks, reference handbooks, navigation charts, etc) and opting for a more modern approach by handing out 11,000 iPads to Continental and United pilots.

The iPads will come preloaded with Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck, “the industry’s premier app featuring interactive, data-driven enroute navigation information and worldwide geo-referenced terminal charts.”

From the press release:

“The paperless flight deck represents the next generation of flying,” said Captain Fred Abbott, United’s senior vice president of flight operations. “The introduction of iPads ensures our pilots have essential and real-time information at their fingertips at all times throughout the flight.”

Not only will the iPads significantly ramp up efficiency by saving pilots from navigating the presumably clunky 12,000 sheets of paper that make up the conventional flight bag, they will also save approximately 326,000 gallons of jet fuel per year, according to the press release:

“The airline projects EFBs will save nearly 16 million sheets of paper a year which is equivalent to more than 1,900 trees not cut down. Saving 326,000 gallons of jet fuel a year reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 3,208 metric tons.”

This certainly isn’t the first time we’ve seen iPads being used as a more efficient alternative; restaurants have begun replacing menus, credit card readers, and cash registers with the tablet, and schools have long been handing them out in lieu of laptops.

Other businesses are bound to adopt the iPad to work for their own needs and perhaps render a lot of traditional hardware extinct in the process.

In what other scenarios could the iPad be used in to help increase productivity/efficiency?

Sprint Will be Getting the iPhone 5

As of right now, the iPhone is only available on two major wireless carriers here in the United States. AT&T, which was originally the sole carrier of the iPhone, and now Verizonboth offer the device.

Rumors have been circulating over the past several months suggesting that Apple will finally extend the iPhone to both T-Mobile and Sprint this Fall, but so far there has been no official announcement.

Now, The Wall Street Journal has decided to chime in on the matter, and is reporting that a Sprint-branded iPhone is a lock for this October…

WSJ editor Dennis Berman sounded the alarm from his Twitter account a few minutes ago. Apparently, the publication has concrete evidence that Sprint will be carrying asmartphone from Apple this Fall.

“Sprint Nextel Corp. will begin selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October, people familiar with the matter said, closing a huge hole in the No. 3 U.S. carrier’s lineup and giving Apple Inc. another channel for selling its popular phone.”

According to the report, the device won’t be available to Sprint customers until mid-October. And since the iPhone 5 has been slated to launch October 7th, it sounds like Sprint might be late to the party. But better late than never I always say.

The news isn’t that surprising, given the recent reports floating around that the iPhone 5 will support both GSM and CDMA networks. Why wouldn’t Apple want a shot at Sprint’s 50 million+ subscribers?

With Sprint getting Apple’s smartphone this Fall, you have to assume T-Mobile won’t be far behind. And with the addition of two major carrier partners in the U.S., expect Apple to do big things this holiday season.

Are you currently a Sprint customer? Would you switch to Sprint if it got the iPhone 5?

iPhone 5 Pre-Orders to Start September 30, Launch October 7

The iPhone 5′s expected launch date has changed several times over the last few months. We’ve heard everything from August to October, and everything in between.

Recently, however, all of the rumors seem to be settling on a late September to early October availability date. And Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac all but confirms that timeframe in this new report…

“We’ve independently heard that Apple has plans to begin selling the next generation iPhone on Friday, October 7th; the date first reported by TiPb. According to our sources, Apple has been weighing between launching the newiPhone on October 7th or October 14th, but with the product’s latest stages of pre-mass-production currently moving along nicely, Apple is presently shooting towards a launch on the 7th.”

Gurman also reports that Apple plans to offer pre-orders for their upcoming smartphone, something they omitted during the iPad 2′s first weeks. Apparently the pre-orders are scheduled to start Friday, September 30.

The information certainly makes sense. Apple could hold an event in the first few weeks of September (their typical iPod event) and give it a few weeks to to sink in. Not to mention that the story jibes with a recent report from TiPb, who has also pegged October 7 as the launch date.

A September pre-order means that we’re just a few weeks away from ending this madness. Obviously the dates are subject to change in the event of any problems, but I will definitely be clearing my calendar for the first week in October.

What about you?


Source

Apple Increases iPhone Orders to 56 Million Units, Get Ready for iPhone 5

Apple expects to be selling quite a few iPhones later this year, according to a new report by DigiTimes.

The site claims that Apple has ramped up its iPhone orders to a staggering 56 million units – 6 million units up on its original order…

Much of that order, 20 million units, are expected to be iPhone 5 units, and they are to be shipped in Q4 2011. The report suggest that Apple has only asked for 5 million units in Q3, which points to a release being late in that quarter.

The iPhone 5 rumor-mill is in full swing these days, with claimed release dates being discounted left and right. With DigiTimes having a somewhat patchy record with such things, we’re not sure how large a pinch of salt to take with this news, but we’re fairly sure at least a pinch is needed.

Which particular rumor do you subscribe to?

[TUAW]

Clearing Up iPhone 5 Rumor Confusion

As Apple’s next media event draws near, rumors are flying left and right about when the event will take place, what will be announced, etc. When it gets this close to showtime, the rumor mill goes into full throttle. Various news sites and tech pundits share their knowledge of Apple’s secret plans through unknown, “reliable sources” that always seem to be “familiar with the matter.”

You probably already know this, but Apple is going to release a new iPhone soon. Some even think that Apple will release two iPhones soon. Most think that Apple’s next announcement will be iPhone-centric, and the event is definitely going to take place before the holidays.

But honestly, that’s all anyone knows right now. Still, let’s try to clear up some of the confusion…

It’s easy to get caught in the rumor crossfire when you read Apple sites, and sometimes it helps to take a step back and look at everything from a 10,000 foot view.

This past Friday is a great example of how confusing and contradictory the Apple rumor mill can be. In one day, a rumor came out that Apple’s next media event would take place on September 7th. This report was then followed by a debunking of that rumor within hours from a more credible source. In the same day, a separate rumor was published that Apple’s next event would take place on October 7th. AllThingsD then felt the need to reiterate its previous report of an October date, by saying that “it’s all coming” in October.

Whew. If you follow Apple rumors/news as closely as I do, that’s one confusing day.

Why are Apple rumors so contradictory? And why are so many sites publishing — for the most part — far-fetched speculaton that will never actually come true?

It’s simple:

1. People love speculating about Apple.


2. Apple missed it’s typical iPhone announcement date this year at WWDC, and people are itching for what’s next.


3. Nothing has leaked or been hinted about from Apple about plans for the next media event.

Last year, there was the infamous iPhone 4 leak at a certain bar near a certain fruit company’s headquarters. This year, short of a few rumblings that don’t really mean anything, nothing has been explicitly uncovered about what Apple has planned for the next iPhone.

Here’s what the iPhone 5 will most likely be like:

1. It will have a faster, A5 processor.


2. It will have a better camera (probably 8 megapixels).


3. It will differ from the iPhone 4 design-wise.

That’s all we really know. And, honestly, even those three things could be wrong.

Then there’s the wild conspiracy theory that Apple will release a second iPhone modelalongside a new flagship device. As Apple’s next announcement draws nearer, the rumor of a cloud-based, cheaper iCloud-Nano-Lite-iPhone hybrid is gaining more and more traction. There’s a very good chance that Apple will unveil a new iPhone to take on a cheaper market, although that device could end up being a 3G-equipped iPod touch.

(All I’m saying is that, if a second, cheaper iPhone does come out, I called it back in April.)

In terms of when Apple will unveil it’s next iPhone, here’s what we know:

1. The next iPhone(s) will come out before the holiday season.


2. iPhone hardware will be the main focus of the next Apple event.


3. The event will probably take place by mid-October.

Apple has always held it’s music/iPod event in September, but the unusual nature of Apple’s product announcement dates in 2011 hints that the next event will be different. Apple won’t announce new iPods before a new iPhone, because that would make investors go nuts. Apple also won’t wait until after Christmas to announce a new product, because that would hurt their potential bottom line on top of making the investors go nuts.

With all this said, it’s important to reiterate that no one really knows anything. This is all informed guesswork based off history and industry intel.

Here’s what we know:

1. People love to speculate about Apple.


2. There will be a new iPhone eventually.


3. What we don’t know about Apple is why we love Apple so much.

Apple Releases iTunes 10.5 Beta 3

Following the release of iOS 5 beta 3 earlier today, Apple also updated iTunes to version 10.5 beta 3. Needless to say that this update is for developers only, although it seems stable enough for anyone to use, assuming you know where to get it.

If you just downloaded iOS 5 beta 3, you will need to install iTunes 10.5 beta 3 in order to install the latest iOS version on your device. From what I see, iTunes 10.5 beta 3 is safe for jailbreakers so there is nothing to worry on that side…

You can download iTunes 10.5 beta 3 from your developer account.

iPhone Tracks Down and Helps Arrest Burglars

We love these types of stories on iDB. When the iPhone is used to thwart criminals, it’s always fun to read about.

The story of Lilli Gordon and her missing iPhone details how the smartphone’s GPS was used by authorities to track down the thieves and Lilli’s stolen valuables. Hopefully stories like this will teach would-be-prowlers that smartphones aren’t the best items to steal…

Lilli Gordon, her mom, and her aunt stopped at a park on the way to the airport in Multnomah County, Oregon.

“Gordon said the parking lot was busy with people walking around.

“There were people all around,” Gordon said. “We felt very safe.”

The group left Gordon’s car to stretch and take in the park’s view, and all of Gordon’s valuables were left in the car. Her iPhone, MacBook Pro, and other expensive items were stolen out of the car by two burglars, Nicholas Barnard and Lonnie Rogers. When Gordon and her family returned to her car, she noticed that her car had been broken into and her valuables were missing.

Needless to say, Gordon immediately contacted the authorities,

“Gordon said she thought her stuff was gone. Deputies told her the chances of them recovering the items were low. At the airport, Gordon and her mom tried to get on another flight to California. It’s then, Gordon said, she remembered that she had installed an app on her cell phone that allows the user to track the phone’s location.”

While the Fox 12 report doesn’t mention the exact app that was used to track down the perpetrators, the story does make it seem like it could have been Apple’s own Find My iPhone service.

“From the airport, Gordon called her father in California who logged onto his computer and started looking at the location of the phone. Lowell Gordon said he saw the phone had been at his sister-in-laws house which he expected. However, he said he grew suspicious when he noticed the computer said the phone was in North Portland.”

As the authorities and Gordon’s father worked together, they got closer to finding the fleeing thieves. This is where the story starts getting good:

“Lindstrand said deputies along with two Portland police officers went to the home in the 3900-block of North Kiska Street. There, police were allowed to search a vehicle in the driveway where some of Lilli’s stuff was found.

“The iPhone was still missing,” Lindstrand and said.

Deputies were given the log-in information by Lowell Gordon and a short time later, he noticed the phone was “moving.” He called deputies and they went to the phone’s location near North Lombard and North Chicago in Portland. The deputy looking at the G-P-S tracking information on his mobile computer in the squad car was able to direct a third deputy to a specific spot at that intersection, Lindstrand said. The deputy at the intersection met up with three adult males who were sitting underneath a tree.  The deputy speaking to the three men requested the deputy tracking the phone to “send an alert” and the stolen iPhone rang in one of the male’s pocket, Lindstrand said.

Deputies arrested Barnard and Rogers.”

Can you imagine being the idiot dumb enough to leave a stolen iPhone turned on and fully operational in your pocket while being questioned by the police? These guys deserved to be caught after acting so clumsily.

Barnard and Rogers were promptly arrested and Lilli Gordon presumably got her valuables back. Way to go, iPhone.

So, what’s the moral of the story? – Don’t steal an iPhone if you’re going to be dumb enough to leave the GPS on. Better yet, just don’t steal.

[image via Fox 5]

Leaked Photo of iPhone 5 Prototype Running on China Mobile

We actually haven’t seen too many “leaked photos” of Apple’s next smartphone over the last few weeks. We’ve seen some really cool concepts of what the device might look like, but nothing claiming to be the actual device.

Today, 9to5Mac passes along this photo, of what appears to be the next iPhone, that has been circling the gadget blogs this morning. Though the photo doesn’t offer much information regarding the design of the device, the mysterious gadget does seem to be running a version of iOS…

The photo shows the infamous About screen, which offers all kinds of details about an iDevice, including disk capacity and carrier name. If you notice in the picture above, this iPhone is sporting a baseband version which hasn’t been released yet, 06.10.01.

You’ll also see in the snapshot that there is no IMEI number, much like the iPhone 4 prototype that was spotted on eBay a few days ago. Could this really be a a picture of an iPhone 5 prototype? Maybe.

Photoshop enthusiasts know that the large flash in the middle of the iPhone’s display can be easily created. But the iOS About screen with perfect font matching and screen glare would be hard to produce.

Another interesting fact is that the device appears to be running on China Mobile, the largest wireless carrier in the world. We’ve heard countless Apple rumors concerning the company, including COO Tim Cook’s recent visit to China Mobile headquarters.

Leaked photos should always be taken with a grain of salt. Aside from last year’s iPhone 4 debacle, Apple has a pretty solid record of keeping its secret projects under wraps.

Is this the next iPhone? Would you be disappointed if it was?

Update: Engadget’s Chinese Editor-in-cheif Richard Lai has informed us that the photo is fake. He notes that when the pic is blown up to native resolution, the font spacing of the Chinese print looks off. And seeing as how we can’t read chinese, we’re going to go with him on this one.