iOS 8.0.1 verificarion and bugs makes Apple pull it out. Apple definitely lost its ground

Update: There's a bug in iOS 8.0.1. After updating, many users are reporting loss of all cellular service and Touch ID. I can verify this personally. We'll be posting instructions on how to revert to iOS 8.0 soon. In the meantime, do not update!

Less than a week after shipping iOS 8.0, the first update to the new mobile OS -- containing improvements and bug fixes -- is now available.

According to the release notes seen above, the release fixes a known bug that kept HealthKit apps from being available on the App Store at the initial release. For users of the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the update improves the reliability of the Reachability feature. That feature moves top of screen features to the bottom of the phone when the Home button is double-tapped.

The update is available as an OTA (over-the-air) download that can be access from Settings > General > Software Update. As usual, information on the security content of the update will be available at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

iOS 8.0.1 out so soon ?? Is Apple losing its ground ?

Yesterday evening we were checking out the latest rumors about what’s next for iOS 8, looking at a leaked list of improvements to expect in iOS 8.0.1. With word that the update was already in the hands of carriers, we were optimistic that a release could be just around the corner. As it turns out, that expectation was right on the money, and today we see Apple go ahead with distributing its iOS 8.0.1 update.

Sure enough, the official release notes mention some of those bugfixes we told you about yesterday, along with quite a few additional improvements. Those include fixes for issues with data usage tied to text message reception, problems with the Photo Library, and failed ringtone restoration from backups. HealthKit apps can now be properly listed in the App Store, and the screen-shortening Reachability feature on new iPhone 6 models gets tweaked.

While all that sounds good, we’re also seeing reports of the update causing new problems – specifically, breaking Touch ID authentication and crippling basic cellular connectivity. Those sound like pretty serious glitches, so unless you’re explicitly having one of the problems this release is supposed to address, it might be wise to sit tight for a spell and wait for Apple to sort things out.

Source: 9to5 Mac

The BEST phones money can buy now.

One of the primary reasons sites like Pocketnow exist is to review and evaluate the vast array of smartphones on the market at any given time, compile our findings, and report our thoughts and observations back to you. We do the hard work and heavy lifting so you can make the most informed decision when you go to by a smartphone for yourself. If this were a static, unchanging list, the task would be fairly easy, but it’s not. The smartphones available t0 buy at any given time can easily rise into the dozens for mainstream devices, and into the hundreds when looking at everything that’s available. What makes things really challenging is that this collection of devices keeps changing! Perhaps the question is better asked: What is the best smartphone money can buy – right now?

Right now

I took that question to the Pocketnow team, and as you might expect, responses were wide and varied.

True to his Windows Phone preferences, Adam Lein says he won’t buy anything with less than a 41 megapixel sensor in the camera.

Stephen favors the Galaxy Note models, which have become Samsung’s fall flagships for good reason. The larger platform the phablet provides gives the manufacturer room to experiment with new technology. With the Note 4 (which you can pre-order, so it technically falls under the “can buy right now” restriction), that means quad HD finally going mainstream. Users will probably never stop debating whether all those extra pixels are worth it, but you can’t deny that a physically larger display will help us appreciate them more than a smaller one – and at 5.7 inches, the Note 4 is headed in the right direction.

Taylor is on the same page, though he thinks it’s “tricky’. The Galaxy Note 4 gets his first consideration simply based on how good the Note 3 has been. Add to that all the improvements Samsung has made to the hardware and software, and he’s past the tipping point. Although he can pre-order the Note 4, if he had to spend his money today, he would go with the HTC One M8. The build quality and design are second to none, the phone simply never lags, the software is quite good, and the battery life is manageable. The S-LCD3 screen and speakers make this phone better than any other for multimedia playback, and the base storage is 32GB (plus it has a microSD card slot). The One M8 is a balanced offering for everyone.

Rithvik is torn between the LG G3, iPhone 6, and Moto X (2014). However, if he had to choose, his cash is on the new Moto X, despite the fact that he hasn’t even held it in his hands yet. Most reviews are signalling generally good things about the phone – the combination of flagship specs, Motorola’s fluid hardware/software matchup, and the software experience have won  him over. “Needless to say, I’m looking forward to getting my hands all over the new X.”

Since almost everyone has unveiled their phones for this year (except maybe a new Nexus or a device or two from HTC), Tony would probably go for the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. That’s based on faith though. Tony hasn’t used an iPhone as his daily driver since last year. He skipped the iPhone 5s and iOS 7. If you were to take “faith” out of the equation, Tony’s go-to device would be the Sony Xperia Z3. He uses the Xperia Z2 all the time and is quite happy with it. However, since the differences between the Z2 and Z3 are so incremental, Tony would probably stick with his Z2 for the time being. If he suddenly found himself without it, he’d spring for the Z3 without hesitation.

For Jaime, this year is probably one of the toughest when it comes to choosing the best phone. “For the first time ever, I can honestly say there are decent amount to choose from.” If you made Jaime use his own money, he’d go for the iPhone 6. In his estimation, it’s not too big, not too small, and has a ton of “cool enhancements if you live in the Apple world”.

Michael is stuck somewhere between the HTC One M8 and the Moto X (2014). The M8 offers the look and feel of a luxury item and bundles in a ton of awesome stuff to boot: BoomSound is unparalleled, the display is gorgeous, and even the Duo Camera has its moments. And if you’re going to “put up” with an Android skin, Michael thinks Sense is the best one there is: classy looks meet slick responsiveness. On the other hand, the new Moto X still provides what Michael calls “the best possible Android experience”. Moto Display, Moto Voice, and Moto Assist are so insanely useful and smart that they should be standard on every Android smartphone. Ironically, he’s glad they’re not because this, he feels, would make owning the Moto X somewhat less “special”. As he said in today’s comparison, “the Moto X is like an iPhone for Android users … and I mean that in the best possible way”.

For me, the diehard Android guy in the group, I’m still using my Nexus 5. I’m eagerly awaiting the “next Nexus” which we may see in less than a month. So, if it were my money on the line, I’d probably hold on to it until I saw what the next Nexus has to offer. I’m not holding my breath though. Google has an “every other one is good” track record with its Nexus lineup (the “odd numbered” ones). Since this one would be “6″, I might just pass on it and go with something else, but for now, I’m okay with my “wait and see” attitude.

What about you?

Now that you’ve heard our thoughts, if you were go out and order a new phone today, what would it be (and why)? Would you go with one of the phones we mentioned above, or would you go for something entirely different? Head down to the comments, and let us know!

Microsoft branding

Microsoft leaked recently that it would be dropping the Nokia branding from its products along with Windows Phone. Instead, we’d be treated with Lumia phones running Windows. This doesn’t really sound like a big deal on the face of it, but it’s worth mentioning that perhaps Microsoft is being a little hasty.

Personally, I think both of these moves make perfect sense. Microsoft is not, in fact, Nokia. Nokia as a company still exists. They’re the one’s making Android launchers for…whatever reason. But it’s also the force behind Here Maps, which is pretty darn nice navigation software if I do say so myself. But anyway, Nokia is not in the mobile device making market any more, so having the name Nokia on the top bezel of a phone didn’t make a whole lot of sense in the grand scheme of things.

Dropping the phone

Dropping “Windows Phone” branding makes a little less sense, but the marketshare is so small at the moment, that if you’re going to rebrand, rebrand now. This is kind of like when you adopt a puppy from a shelter, and the six month old puppy already has a name. If you decide to do so early, you can change the puppy’s name from Froo-froo to Killer, and the dog will quickly get over its confusion. Well, translating dog years to marketshare isn’t quite as seamless an analogy as I usually go for, but if you only have to retrain 4% of the world, that’s better than 15%.

So there’s definitely opportunity here to do whatever you want to both brand names with minimal fallout. After all, neither of them is exactly catapulting you to the stratosphere in terms of sales, so when in doubt consolidate. Amirite?

And yet…

But isn’t Microsoft just giving up of the two brands that are helping it the most. I’ve said before that when people buy Nokia phones, they’re not buying because of Windows Phone, they’re buying because of Nokia. Nokia has a long-standing tradition of quality in the phone space, and just abandoning that in favor of a brand that’s one letter off from discontinued car may not be the best business practice. If I were Microsoft, I’d hold on to that Nokia name just as long as I could, because anything that benefits sales is a good thing.

As for Windows Phone, maybe it’s not necessarily helping Windows Phone sales per se, but it’s not hurting them either. Not like Windows 8 is hurting the PC market. When you have PC OEMs advertising that they’ll still sell you a Windows 7 computer, that’s bad news. Windows Phone on the other hand isn’t the deterrent to phones that Windows 8 is to PC’s. Rather it’s a point of intrigue as best or indifference at worst. But slapping the label of just ‘Windows’ on a phone is going to bring those Windows 8 connotations along with it.

Not the same…yet

Plus, I don’t necessarily agree with the thinking behind just calling its phone operating system ‘Windows’. At least not until we get to the point where Windows on a phone is the same as Windows on a PC is the same as Windows on a tablet. This has the potential to just confuse consumers who, let’s face it, are often confused. If an app developer says their app is available for Windows, a bunch of Surface owners are going to get awfully mad when they try to download Flappy Bird’s Revenge on their tablets, only to find out they meant Windows on Phones, not Windows on tablets. You know what that’s going to do? Generate support emails. Which is good for my day job security, but not good for actual customers.

So what do you think? Is Microsoft right to shed the names of the past in an attempt to build its own brand going forward? Or do you think it makes the most sense to hold onto the reputation of ‘Nokia’, and the lack of angst of ‘Windows Phone’? Now remember, you need to debate with your head, not your heart. I know a lot of us, myself included, hold a special place for Nokia in our hearts. But we need to divorce ourselves of those special places and really think this through from a business standpoint. So tuck away your special places, and post in the comments below and let’s see if we can figure this out.

Leader image source: Gadgettweet