How to Activate Find My iPhone for iOS 4

Apple last week rolled out a major update for its mobile operating system iOS 4, and among the new features is a nifty free tool: Find My iPhone.

As its name suggests, Find My iPhone is a tracking feature to locate a missing iPhone 4, iPad or fourth-generation iPod Touch. (Only the latest models get the free feature.) If you’ve dropped your iDevice in a cab, or if someone’s stolen it, you can hop on a computer to follow the GPS coordinates of the iPhone on a Google map (see above).

Or, if you’re just absent-minded like me and you misplace your iPhone as often as you lose your keys, you can use your computer to trigger a beeping sound to help you find it. It should be loud enough to hear from under a couch cushion. (You’ll never have to bug a friend to call your phone again.)

If you do indeed think your iPhone is in the hands of a thief, you can use Find My iPhone to remotely lock the device or wipe the data. Do note, however, that if you wipe the device, you won’t be able to track it anymore (hap tip to @shacker for catching that). Also, a clever thief could just remove the SIM card, and you wouldn’t be able to track or wipe the phone.

Of the many new features in iOS 4.2.1, I found this one to be one of the sweetest bonuses. Find My iPhone originally was only available as part of a MobileMe subscription, which costs $100 per year. Making it free was a nice move on Apple’s part: An iPhone can potentially contain a treasure trove of personal information, so losing one is a big deal.

You need to activate Find My iPhone before you lose your phone, so do it now. Since the steps to turn this useful feature on aren’t immediately obvious, here’s how to do it:

1. Make sure you have the latest iOS update (iOS 4.2.1) installed. Plug in your iPhone and click “Check for updates” in iTunes to get the software.

2. With iOS 4.2.1 installed, tap the Settings app on your iPhone. Then tap “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” and “Add Account.” Then choose MobileMe.

3. In the MobileMe account menu, enter your iTunes or Apple ID and password (i.e., the login you use to buy iTunes media on the iPhone).

4. The “Find My iPhone” option should appear. Slide it to “ON” to activate it.”

And you’re done! From here on, you can hop on a computer and enter www.me.com in a web browser. Then enter the same login credentials you used to register for Find My iPhone, and you’ll immediately get a GPS reading of the phone, along with a simple menu of buttons allowing you to lock, wipe, or send a message or sound to the iPhone.

Update: Corrected an error that stated MobileMe costs $10 per month. In actuality, it costs $100 per year.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/11/find-my-iphone/

What to Expect From the Apple iPhone 5 (or 4G)

Don't you sometimes feel that changes in technology are too sudden? People spend a bomb on cellphones today, which look passe in a couple of years (in some cases, even months), with phones with better features selling for a lower price.

Many phone manufacturers make a living putting a dizzying array of models on the shelves (Yes Nokia, especially you) with a wide price range that will appeal to the pauper, the rich man and everybody in between. Apple plays their game differently, they just rely on two versions of the iPhone; the current generation and the one before that.

For example: Since the iPhone 4 launched the iPhone 3GS is sold for a cheaper price, while the iPhone 3G has ceased to exist. Every year they keep updating the iPhone with newer hardware and/or iOS software releases. While having just two relatively expensive models does put off people, who don't want to/can't pay the premium for a phone, when you consider the iPhones flying off the shelves year after year, it seems that many don't mind the high price.

The iPhone 4 was a radical change from the 3GS. It added many features like the ultra-crisp Retina display, faster processor, front-facing video-call camera and a 5 megapixel sensor at the rear with 720p HD video recording. Yes, the feature list honestly doesn't sound out of this planet, as Android phones had all these things months before its launch. But for existing iPhone users, who've committed themselves to the Apple ecosystem, the iPhone 4 did give many reasons for them to upgrade.

And so we can only expect this yearly cycle of innovation to continue. June 2010 will bring the next iPhone and June 2011 will bring yet another new iPhone. I know it's a little too early to start speculating what the future versions of the iPhone will do, given that people have just settled down after the antenna design issue of the iPhone 4. I believe there are five things that ought to surface in the years to come.

http://www.techtree.com/India/Features/What_to_Expect_From_the_Apple_iPhone_5_or_4G/551-113472-899-1.html