The battery was at 60+% when I left. When I got back to my car a couple of hours later, the iPhone 4 appeared to be dead. It  wouldn’t respond to any key presses. I tried

• holding the power button pressed for 10 secs
• holding the home and power button for 10 secs
• charging the iPhone with a wall charger for an hour (no charging indicator came on)
• charging the iPhone with iMac
• opening iTunes and holding the power and home button for 10 seconds. iTunes found the iPhone 4 in recovery mode and asked me to restore. I tried it but the restore failed.

How to turn your iPhone 4 back on

At this point, I figured my iPhone 4 was bricked while it was sitting in my car. And I was going to call Apple to get a replacement or get an appointment at the Genius Bar. So, this morning I woke up and pressed the power button and the darn iPhone 4 turns on like nothing ever happened. But, the battery was at 18%. As much as I am happy to have a working iPhone 4, this has left me a bit worried. Looking at Apple’s forum, it seems like I am not the only one who have experienced the ‘My iPhone 4 won’t turn on’ syndrome. There are a lot of reports and people suggesting the things I tried to make it work. There are also reports of Apple replacing the iPhones with this issue. A forum thread had an interesting clue about this problem.

‘It could be the proximity sensor stuck in face mode’.

This actually makes sense as this morning I was told that a friend called and my iPhone rang 4-5 times before going to voicemail although my iPhone appeared dead. If it was turned off, it immediately went to voicemail. So an issue with the proximity sensor is the most plausible reason I could think of, for what I experienced. This would also explain the battery loss from 60+ to 18% overnight on standby – the proximity sensor was working overtime. This is just my best guess. I am going to give mine one more week and if it happens again, I will be taking it back to the Apple Store. Have you experienced a similar issue on your iPhone 4? Share it with us.

Update: (08/16/10) I have found a way to power it back on easily. And lots and lots of readers in the comments are confirming that the following worked for them. So, don’t despair and try this.

1. Hold the Power and Home button together for 10-15 seconds. Let go of both.
2. Just hold the Power button for a few seconds to see the Apple logo.

And doing the following fixed this issue for me for good.

• Go to Settings -> Reset -> Reset All Settings. (This will reset your Settings to factory default but will not delete App data or media).
• Or as a last ditch effort before taking it to the Apple Store, try restoring your iPhone 4 to factory default by doing a Factory Restore from iTunes. (I didn’t have to do this – remember you will lose all your App settings, game highscores, etc.)

Let us know in the comments if this fix or any other fix suggested by Apple has worked for you.

Update: (09/13/10) Check our most recent post on another reason why your iPhone 4 may not start up and act dead. iPhone 4 won’t turn on – Memory issue?

Update: 03/14/11

It is rather unbelievable how many of you are having this issue! I am bubbling this post up for the following reason.

Ok this has started to happen again frequently in the last month. Almost 3 or 4 times a week. And I seem to have established a pattern. It’s mostly when I place it in a dark area like my pant pockets or in a bag. Or when leaving it in the night stand overnight.

I am really frustrated that such a beautiful piece of hardware is scarred by this proximity sensor issue. I have set up a Genius Bar appintment for tomorrow and will post my findings here.

Update: 03/15/11

I just got back from the Apple Store Genius Bar appointment. Read on to find out what happened there!

Update: 06/08/11

After getting my iPhone 4 replaced at the Apple Store, I can happily declare that I haven’t had this problem in the new iPhone 4. So, if you have been fighting this issue constantly and have access to an Apple Store, I’d suggest try getting it replaced.

iPhone 4 Water Damage

If your issue is iPhone 4 water damage, then you have to read that post instead to figure out how to repair it.

Protect your iPhone 4!

I sleep better at night knowing that mine is covered with the best iPhone 4 warranty there is. Read our SquareTrade review and learn why it is even better than Apple Care. We also trust ZAGG’s InvisibleSHIELD to protect against scratches.

Don’t forget to subscribe to TiR RSS feed, follow us on twitter @TopiPhone and like us in TiR Facebook page for more tips like this one.

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My iPhone 4 Won’t Turn On - Originally published in Top iPhone Resource on 2011/11/15 (RSS)

© karthik for Top iPhone Resource, 2011. | Permalink | 341 comments | Find us on Twitter - @TopiPhone and on Follow TiR in Facebook.

Apple is releasing iOS 5 today!

iCloud.com is already live for everyone. And it is FREE! Go get an account right now with your existing Apple ID.

If you are still on the fence about iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4S reviews are pouring in.

Jailbreakers:

There is great news for us!

@Musclenerd just tweeted that

We’re adding most popular PwnageTool usage into redsn0w (for Windows+Mac). First up: removing BB update http://twitpic.com/6z6u0y

So make sure you watch this space or Musclenerd’s twitter account before you update to iOS 5 if you really want that unlock to work!

iOS 5 and iCloud Available Today - Originally published in Top iPhone Resource on 2011/10/12 (RSS)

© karthik for Top iPhone Resource, 2011. | Permalink | Be the first to comment | Find us on Twitter - @TopiPhone and on Follow TiR in Facebook.

My bet is on an iPhone 4S and not an iPhone 5 announcement.  What do you think?

Is the terse Let’s talk iPhone moniker have hidden clues about the rumored ‘Assistant’ feature in iOS 5? (think Siri in iOS)

Apple: iPhone Event on October 4 - Originally published in Top iPhone Resource on 2011/09/27 (RSS)

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The video features all the rumors that we expect to come to true with a degree of possibility shown as a percentage bar. Check out the video below

• iPhone 5 mockup photos
• iPhone 5 design concept photos
• iPhone 5 jailbreak
• iPhone 5 Release date

 { via nowhereelse.fr }

iPhone 5 Rumors Roundup Video - Originally published in Top iPhone Resource on 2011/08/11 (RSS)

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iPhone 4 has an unique camera as well and an enterprising Youtube video maker has created this awesome video. He dropped his iPhone 4 into his guitar with the camera on and adjusted it. Then he went on to capture the guitar string oscillations as he played his guitar.

Check out this cool video to appreciate it.

While this was no representation of how a guitar string vibrates, it is will a novel idea. We like it!

Guitar Oscillations via iPhone 4 Camera [Video] - Originally published in Top iPhone Resource on 2011/07/18 (RSS)

© karthik for Top iPhone Resource, 2011. | Permalink | Be the first to comment | Find us on Twitter - @TopiPhone and on Follow TiR in Facebook.

One sore point so far for businesses of all sizes is buying and distributing these to their employees has been a pain.

Apple has just announced App Store Volume Purchasing for Business.

Now, any company can purchase apps in bulk for their entire workforce and distribute it easily. Apple has also thought about those custom built-apps companies buy for their line of work. Apple has made it easy to buy and distribute those as well through the App Store.

Buy iPhone & iPad Apps in Volume

It is as easy as searching for the app you want in App Store, enter the quantity of apps you want to purchase with your corporate credit card. iPhone and iPad apps cost the same they do in the App Store.

Once you purchase it, you get redemption codes for app individually. Now, you can distribute this via email or through an internal website to your employees.

How to Create Apple Volume Purchasing Account

Creating a volume purchasing account with Apple is easy. To enroll in this program, all you need is

• Basic contact information to verify your business
• Dun & Bradstreet number (D-U-N-S) number
• Corporate credit card or PCard to purchase apps

Refer to this PDF guide for more details. We are putting together a guide for iOS mobile device management. So stay tuned for that and also leave a comment if you are looking for an answer for your iOS related business questions. (iPhone mdm, iPad mdm, etc.)

Buying iPhone apps for business and iPad apps for business just got easier in Apple App Store.

If you try this program for your company, let us know how you like it. Those in the publishing or web industry might find our list of iPad apps for bloggers and webmasters useful.

Buy Business iPhone & iPad Apps in Volume - Originally published in Top iPhone Resource on 2011/07/15 (RSS)

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The focus light is right on the functionality the iPhone 4 offers – AirPlay and FaceTime. Here are the videos

AirPlay iPhone 4 TV Ad Video

FaceTime iPhone 4 TV Ad Video

You can check out the past iPhone TV ad videos and iPad TV ad videos here.

Pretty cool, eh?

New iPhone 4 TV Ad Videos: AirPlay and FaceTime - Originally published in Top iPhone Resource on 2011/07/11 (RSS)

© shriya for Top iPhone Resource, 2011. | Permalink | Be the first to comment | Find us on Twitter - @TopiPhone and on Follow TiR in Facebook.

iPhone 5 is also expected to have a HD FaceTime camera, 8MP rear camera with dual LED flash and the A5 processor.

A design student Schasiepen Guilherme Martins has created new iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 mockups based on these latest rumors. And they look fantastic. Here they are for your viewing pleasure thanks to Mac Magazine.

Go here to check out other previous iPhone 5 design concept and mockups. I have to say that this is the best iPhone 5 design concept I have seen to date!

{ via MacMagazine and Schasiepen Guilherme Martins }

iPhone 5 Gallery

New Beautiful iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 Mockups [Photos] - Originally published in Top iPhone Resource on 2011/07/08 (RSS)

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Free iPhone 3GS

Before the first iPhone came along, I was one of those who’d never pay extra for a more functional phone. Signing up for a 1 or 2 year contract is something I just did blindly. And I would pick the best of the phones available for free with the contract.

And Apple is just about to break into that market.

iPhone 3GS started out at $199 for the base model at launch with a 2 year contract. Then Apple dropped it to $99 at the launch of iPhone 4. After a while they again dropped it down to a mere $49.

Now with the iPhone 5 set to launch this fall (speculation), analysts at RBC Capital suggests that Apple could offer the iPhone 3GS for free with a 2 year contract.

Imagine getting such a functional phone like a 3GS for $49! It was such a steal for those just switching over from a feature phone.

When Apple announced iOS 5, most of us expected iPhone 3GS to fall out of support. But, Apple has offered support of iOS on 3GS for the most part. Barring a few advanced features like photo editing, iPhone 3GS users will be able to enjoy iOS 5 along with iPhone 5 users.

Also, with iPhone 4 India launch becoming a reality a year after it’s launch here in the US, new rumors point to Apple’s plans on selling unlocked iPhone 3GS in India at a lower cost compared to iPhone 4.

Free iPhone 3GS

This bolsters the notion that Apple has no intention of stopping iPhone 3GS production at this point and continue to use it to break into the lower rungs of the mobile phone market.

While an iPhone nano or iPhone lite is still a reality, could iPhone 3GS be the real iPhone lite? Is Apple slipping this into the market right under our very noses while we are looking elsewhere?

With the iPhone 5 release date just a couple of months away, the answers can’t come sooner for most of us waiting for the next Apple announcement.

Free iPhone 3GS (with contract) At iPhone 5 Launch? - Originally published in Top iPhone Resource on 2011/06/30 (RSS)

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Industrial designer Michal Bronikowski has created a beautiful concept design for iPhone 5. As you can see it is heavily inspired by the iPad 2 design which is the latest from Apple.

After all the heat Apple received for iPhone 4 design, it is probably a quite natural evolution. iPhone 4 was ridiculed for the glass back and the poor antenna placement that caused the antennagate angst among many users.

YankoDesign says

What are you predictions for the iPhone 5? I heard someplace that a curved display was in the making and attention was being given to the antenna issues. Designer Michal Bonikowski feels that the new version will be safe and predictable, simply because Apple can’t afford another failed version. In his conceptual version Michal converts glass enclosure into proven aluminum; steel frame remains as a reference to the previous version and directly to the iPad 2. Also, the key functions is converted from mechanical to sensory.

The following renderings are certainly drool-worthy!

So, what are your predictions for iPhone 5?

{ via YankoDesign }

Amazing iPhone 5 Design Concept [Photos] - Originally published in Top iPhone Resource on 2011/06/30 (RSS)

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