iLounge

Samsung has filed for preliminary injunctions barring the sale of the iPhone 4S in Japan and Australia. The Wall Street Journal reports that the motions, filed in Tokyo District Court and the New South Wales Registry, claim infringements on technology and user-interface patents and wireless telecommunications standards, respectively. “We are actively responding in (the legal battle) with Apple,” said Samsung spokesman James Chung. The company is already seeking a ban on iPhone 4S sales in France and Italy; a Dutch court rejected a Samsung injunction motion against Apple’s products last week, while an Australian court granted Apple a temporary injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet.

In an article discussing the Siri personal assistant feature of the iPhone 4S, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Siri team is one of the largest software groups at Apple. Citing a person who worked at Apple on the project, the report states that when it began integrating Siri into the iPhone, Apple focused on keeping Siri’s personality friendly and humble, and worked on its responses in an attempt to forge an emotional tie with customers. “We thought of it almost as a person on the phone,” said the person. “How would we want a person to respond?” Apple purchased Siri for $200 million in 2010.

Marco Arment has released Instapaper 4.0, a major update to the popular offline reading app for iOS devices. The new version features a number of significant improvements including completely redesigned interfaces with a new grid view on the iPad version and a unified and restyled navigation view on the iPhone/iPod touch versions. Users can now also perform server-side searching of the full content of their entire Instapaper archive and can select multiple articles to archive, delete or move in a single operation. The update also adds support for hardware brightness control in iOS 5, draggable scrollbars for quickly navigating through documents and the inclusion of article authors, published dates and site titles in articles whenever available.

Instapaper 4.0 also expands Friends support allowing users to browse recent links from their Facebook news feed, Twitter timeline and Tumblr dashboard and users can also customize the number of liked and archived items stored on the device, take advantage of integrated Wikipedia lookups from within articles and opt to use the built-in dictionary under iOS 5. A number of other smaller enhancements and bug fixes have also been included. A detailed overview of the new features is available in a post at Macro Arment’s blog. Instapaper 4.0 is a universal app requiring iOS 4.2 or later and is available from the App Store for $5.

Apple this morning announced that the iPhone 4S saw sales of over four million units over the launch weekend. In the announcement, it also revealed that over 25 million customers have updated their iOS devices to iOS 5, and more than 20 million have signed up for iCloud. The iPhone 4S is available now in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the UK, and will launch in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland on October 28.

“iPhone 4S is off to a great start with more than four million sold in its first weekend—the most ever for a phone and more than double the iPhone 4 launch during its first three days,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “iPhone 4S is a hit with customers around the world, and together with iOS 5 and iCloud, is the best iPhone ever.”

iLounge has completed its initial 3G cellular data speed comparisons of the iPhone 4S across all of the available U.S. carriers. As seen in the graphic below, the data speeds seen on AT&T’s HSPA network—between 2.41Mbps and 2.99Mbps down, 0.68-0.81Mbps up at our Buffalo, NY test location—far outpace those seen on either Verizon’s or Sprint’s EV-DO networks in the same area. Between the two CDMA carriers, Verizon fared better save for one outlier, with download speeds ranging from 0.55-0.69Mbps down and 0.04-0.26Mbps up, compared to 0.33-0.58Mbps down and 0.11-0.22Mbps up for Sprint. As was the case when the CDMA iPhone 4 was released, it appears that AT&T has a significant edge in 3G cellular data speeds relative to its rivals. LTE networks and LTE-supporting iPhones will most likely be necessary to let Verizon and Sprint bridge the current performance gap.

We have just posted a set of videos comparing the 1080p output of the iPhone 4S to the 720p output of the iPhone 4. While iLounge’s editors are split on which video looks better from a color standpoint, the video taken with the iPhone 4S is obviously more detailed, and the benefits of the iPhone 4S’s built-in image stabilization are also apparent. Both videos are available for viewing in embedded form below, and are also available on YouTube, along with a second pair of comparison videos shot in portrait orientation.

iLounge is continuing to test the iPhone 4S ahead of our comprehensive review, but we wanted to bring you some of our initial findings beforehand. We experienced some serious delays trying to activate one of our AT&T units; connecting it to a Mac and trying to activate through iTunes seemed to fix the issue. In testing done at our Buffalo, NY offices, the iPhone 4S shows no noticeable 3G speed difference from the iPhone 4, suggesting that improved download speeds will be very location-dependent, and will depend on the status of AT&T’s towers in a given area. The 64GB version of the iPhone 4S offers 57.24GB of usable capacity, compared to 58.04GB for the 64GB iPod touch 4G. Finally, in our initial camera testing, we’ve found the iPhone 4S to offer more detail and reduced noise, but surprisingly, early comparison shots give a slight edge in color rendition to the iPhone 4.

Updated: We’ve discovered some new details we wanted to share. Notably, for users restoring their new phones from a past Backup, they may find that Siri is turned off. Simply open the Settings app, tap on General, tap Siri, and turn it on. With Siri turned off, the iPhone 4S reverts to the far less powerful Voice Control, as seen on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS. The iPhone 4S’ 1080p videos take up ~24Mbps, compared to ~11Mbps for the iPhone 4’s 720p captures.

Updated x2: We have since posted video comparisons showing off the differences in the iPhone 4’s and iPhone 4S’ cameras—especially notable is the latter’s built-in stabilization—as well as the results of our initial 3G speed tests, which show AT&T retaining its significant advantage over Verizon and newcomer Sprint.

Apple has pushed the shipment dates on iPhone 4S pre-orders in Australia back to ensure U.S. and European pre-orders are fulfilled, according to a new report. Citing information from an Australian Apple service representative, TUAW reports that Australian pre-orders have been delayed by one to two weeks compared to other territories. Customers who pre-ordered the device on October 7—the first day one could do so—will have to wait until October 21-28 to receive their handset. As noted in the report, Apple quoted its Australian customers a shipping date of October 14 during the order process, leading to frustration and anger for those who are now left waiting while users in other parts of the world are receiving their new iPhones.

iLounge has received its first iPhone 4S test units, and has posted a complete unboxing and comparison gallery to Flickr, including images of the new Siri Assistant feature, its settings, and related screens. In addition to photos of the iPhone 4S, our Flickr account also offers photos of the new white fourth-generation iPod touch, which were posted earlier this week. Stay tuned throughout the day for more photo updates and initial testing notes on Apple’s latest handset.

The iPhone 4S’ launch in Japan was marred by an unfortunate SoftBank server issue. The Wall Street Journal reports that a server glitch led the company to suspend sales nationwide for three full hours—the first three hours of the launch. “I am sorry for the inconvenience. The registration system has been restored,” SoftBank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son announced over Twitter at roughly 11:15 am Local Time. The launch also marks the end of iPhone exclusivity for SoftBank, as rival carrier KDDI is also offering the handset, beginning today.

Apple is preparing to launch the iPhone 4S today at 8:00 am Local Time, or less than 20 minutes from now for those of our readers on the East Coast. With a record-setting number of units being pre-ordered, it is unclear whether crowds at today’s brick-and-mortar launches will be as large as they have been for prior iPhone launches; however, as evidenced by the photos below, taken by iLounge editor Nick Guy at the Walden Galleria Apple Store, there are plenty of people waiting to get their units before the delivery trucks start arriving for pre-order customers. Interestingly, Apple appears to be reusing its old iPhone 4 window displays for the iPhone 4S, as the oversized units show the prior GSM antenna positions.

iFixit is currently performing a teardown of the iPhone 4S, and while it isn’t yet finished, it has gotten far enough to reveal some noteworthy facts about the new handset. Most prominently, it has confirmed that the iPhone 4S features 512MB of RAM—the same amount as the iPhone 4 and iPad 2. It also features the linear oscillating vibrator found in the CDMA iPhone 4, which is said to be softer and quieter than the rotational electric motor found in the prior GSM model, and communications chips from Skyworks and Qualcomm, including the MDM6610 Gobi chipset, which is responsible for the handset’s communication with both GSM and CDMA networks. We will update this article if and when any further noteworthy discoveries are made.

Apple has released Cards, its new app designed to allow users to create and mail their own personalized, professionally crafted cards directly from an iPhone or iPod touch. Announced last week during Apple’s iPhone Event, Cards is a free app whereby users can choose to create their own personalized, physical greeting cards from a selection of 21 different designs. Users add personalized messages and photos from the camera or iOS photo library and then choose a recipient from their iOS Contacts and submit the order to Apple which then prints the greeting card and mails it out to the recipient. Printed cards use a professional letterpress technique and are crafted from 100 percent cotton paper with an elegant debased design.

Available card designs are grouped into six themes for different occasions: Thank You, Holiday, New Baby, Birthday, Love and Travel. Location integration can automatically fill in the users’ current location when choosing a card from the Travel category or insert the location that a photo was taken when adding a photo to a card. Cards mailed to U.S. addresses can be tracked via the U.S. Postal Service Intelligent Mail barcode system and push notifications are used to provide the user with delivery status and other tracking information. A history of cards is also saved automatically making it easy to send the same card to more than one recipient. Cards is available from the App Store as a free download; users are charged via in-app purchase to send individual cards at $3 per card for U.S. destinations or $5 per card for international destinations.

Apple has released iTunes Movie Trailers, a new iOS app that allows users to access new and exclusive movie previews in HD on their device. Users can browse trailers, clips and featurettes for both major Hollywood films and independent cinema along with high-resolution photos, a year-long calendar of movie releases and location-based showtime info. The application also allows users to purchase movie tickets directly from their iPad or iPhone. Favorite movies and theatres can be saved for quick access and images can be saved to the iPad photo gallery to use as desktop wallpapers or share with friends. AirPlay is also supported allowing users to view trailers on their Apple TV, and favourites can be pushed to multiple iOS devices via iCloud.

iTunes Movie Trailers requires iOS 4.3 or later and an iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, iPad 2 or third- or fourth-generation iPod touch. iCloud sync requires iOS 5 or later and a valid iCloud account. iTunes Movie Trailers is available from the U.S. App Store as a free download.

Apple has released iOS 5 updates to its three iWork apps—Pages, Numbers and Keynote—adding support for sharing documents via iCloud. The latest versions allow users to automatically store presentations, spreadsheets and word procession documents in iCloud and automatically keep them up to date across all iOS devices. Documents can also be downloaded to a Mac or a PC from iCloud.com in either native iWork, PDF, or Microsoft Office compatible formats, and new compatible files can be uploaded to iCloud.com for automatic synchronization to iOS 5 devices.

Several other new features have also been added to each of the apps in addition to iCloud and iOS 5 support. Keynote 1.5 introduces the ability to stream presentations wirelessly to an Apple TV via AirPlay along with support for navigating slides, viewing presenter notes and using the virtual laser pointer while giving a presentation. Keynote also adds several new builds and transitions, advanced presentation controls including loops slideshows and autoplay and support for hyperlinks between slides.

Pages 1.5 adds voice dictation support for the iPhone 4S, the ability to create footnotes and endnotes in documents and character, paragraph and page counts. Numbers 1.5 improves formatting and data entry features adding sliders, steppers and pop-ups to simplify entering data and support for merging cells and hiding rows and columns. All three apps also improve compatibility with their iWork for Mac and Microsoft Office counterparts and include improved support for Chinese, Japanese and Korean language input.

Pages, Numbers and Keynote 1.5 are universal apps and require iOS 5.0 or later. Each is sold separately from the App Store for $10.

As expected, Apple today released iOS 5 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The anticipated update offers over 200 new features, including a new Notifications system, Reminders app, Twitter integration, Camera enhancements, full support for iCloud, Wi-Fi Sync, PC-less setup, and more. iOS 5 is available now for the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, iPad 2, third-generation iPod touch, and fourth-generation iPod touch via the Update feature in iTunes 10.5.

Foursquare has just released a major update to its iOS app for the popular location-based social network introducing a new iOS 5 feature, foursquare Radar. Designed to work in tandem with the enhanced location features of iOS 5, foursquare Radar allows users to receive notifications about interesting and cool things happening nearby. The features leverages information in the user’s Foursquare profile such as lists they’re following, to-do items they’ve created and friend relationships to provide notification alerts when things are happening in the user’s current vicinity. For example, Foursquare can notify the user when they’re near a venue that is on a followed list or to-do item or when a group of friends are meeting up nearby. Once enabled, notifications occur whether the app is running or not and appear in the iOS 5 Notification Center. Foursquare 4.0 remains compatible with iOS 4 and provides some new sharing features and an updated ‘Me’ tab as well, however the Radar feature requires iOS 5 and an iPhone 4 or 4S—as with the built-in Reminders app, location notification features are not available on the iPhone 3GS due to the lack of region monitoring support in the hardware. Foursquare 4.0 is available from the App Store as a free download.

Both Sprint and Verizon have confirmed that consumers will be able to have the GSM side of their iPhone 4S handsets unlocked. According to a Macworld report, Sprint plans to sell all of its iPhone 4S units with the micro-SIM slot unlocked, while Verizon’s will be locked initially, but can be unlocked if the customers are in good standing for 60 days. The latter has been Verizon’s policy for all world phones, according to the report. The change may make it more affordable for iPhone users with Sprint or Verizon contracts to use their devices when abroad than those on AT&T, since AT&T’s iPhone 4S units will arrive locked, forcing users to pay AT&T’s international roaming fees, while Sprint or Verizon iPhone 4S users can simply pop in a new micro-SIM from a local carrier.

Update: Ars Technica reports that it has spoken with a Sprint representative, who said that while the Sprint iPhone 4S will be able to roam internationally on GSM networks, its micro-SIM slot will not be unlocked. 

Apple has released an iOS version of its Airport Utility for configuring and managing Airport and Time Capsule wireless devices. The free universal app provides similar functionality to the Mac version, allowing users to manage Airport Express, Airport Extreme and Time Capsule devices from an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. Users can see a graphical overview of the Wi-Fi network and devices, get more information about a connected Wi-Fi device and view and change base station and network settings, including restarting devices and updating firmware versions and configuring passwords, DNS and router addresses and DHCP reservations and port mappings. AirPort Utility requires iOS 5 and is available from the App Store as a free download.

Sam’s Club has announced that it is now taking reservations for the iPhone 4S ahead of the device’s Friday launch. According to an iPhone 4S information page posted to the warehouse retailer’s website, the iPhone 4S is now available for pre-order at most Sam’s Club locations on a first-come, first-served basis. Depending on the store, only certain carriers’ models may be offered; we recommend checking with your local store before heading out to ensure they are offering the model you want and still have pre-order stock available. Apple will launch the iPhone 4S this Friday, October 14.