iPhone 5 Display Rumors Are Still Around; iPad 3 Rumors Rev Up

Share

Guess what? Those rumors about the iPhone 5 having a 4-inch display: they’re still around, despite the surprise of the iPhone 4S. And with that latest advance unveiled, attention is turning to Apple’s next generation iPad.

Last summer and fall, the internet buzzed practically by the minute with new scoops about the expected iPhone 5. Photos purported to show leaked blueprints, cases, and even prototypes for the iPhone 5, featuring a thinner, wider, tapered frame and a larger display screen; other rumors included a metallic casing in some instances, massive amounts of memory, and cloud-based computing. Only a few even suggested the voice-activated personal assistant that would prove to be the major enhancement of the iPhone 4S.

So when all of these “leaks” and “inside sources” turned out to be wrong, the internet did tone things down for a while. But Apple has to introduce a new iPhone eventually, so the rumor mill is starting up again, and it’s producing some familiar themes.

CNET reports, once again, that the iPhone 5 will have a 4-inch display. iPhones currently feature a 3.5-inch screen. According to a Japanese website, manufacturers have already shipped the LCD screens to Apple.

The sources also report that the next iPad will be “changed fundamentally,” fueling rumors that the tablet will also be thinner with a better display and improved battery life. (Sound familiar?) Forbes reports on an investor note that says Apple has purchased high-end equipment from Sharp.

What do you think? Are you hesitant to get your hopes up again?

Popularity: 1%

Bookmark to:

Article source: http://live.drjays.com/index.php/2011/12/08/iphone-5-display-rumors-are-still-around-ipad-3-rumors-rev-up/

IPhone 4S Tops Sales Charts, Samsung Surges Too

The iPhone 4S was the top-selling smartphone at Verizon, Sprint and ATT in November, according to Canaccord Genuity, as Apple‘s handsets fight off tough competition from Samsung.

Want the scoop on mobile news? Subscribe to our Facebook or Twitter page.

Apple’s 4S topped the list at all major carriers offering the device in the U.S., while the Samsung Galaxy S2 took the crown at T-Mobile. The S2 also came in second at Sprint and ATT, sandwiched in between Apple’s 4S and iPhone 4, while the Motorola Droid Razr and HTC Rezound rounded out the top three at Verizon, where the S2 is not sold.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company has had the top-selling smartphone at ATT and Verizon every month this year, and continued that pattern at Sprint in October when the 4S became available on the carrier. Still, Samsung’s smartphones have been challenging Apple every step of the way.

Earlier this year, the Samsung Infuse 4G for ATT and Samsung Charge 4G for Verizon challenged Apple each month, coming in the number-two spot behind the iPhone at their respective carriers. Now, the Galaxy S2 is continuing that trend with even more momentum at Sprint and ATT.

Samsung has already surpassed Apple and become the larger smartphone maker by volume, but the company has not been able to eclipse sales of the iPhone with its own high-end devices. Apple’s release of the 4S in October helped cut into the S2′s momentum, and the company’s handset has sold even faster than any of its predecessors.

Despite Apple’s strong sales numbers, Samsung may be on the verge of leaping ahead of the iPhone maker. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Google‘s flagship Android phone, is expected to go on sale at Verizon later this month and may be the 4S’ biggest competition on the network.

Details about the Galaxy S3 have also begun to leak, and analysts expect Samsung to release the device in the first half of next year.

Samsung may surpass the iPhone in sales if the Galaxy Nexus sells as well as expected and the S3 launches in the U.S. before the iPhone 5, but the companies’ devices will likely end up in a back-and-forth battle for the top-selling smartphone crown.

This post originally appeared at Mobiledia.

Article source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/mobiledia/2011/12/07/iphone-4s-tops-sales-charts-samsung-surges-too/

The iPhone 4S, simply hard not to love

The iPhone 4S, simply hard not to love
By Susan Ferroa, channelnewsasia.com |
Posted: 08 December 2011 1320 hrs

 

 

 
 
 

---

 

---

There seems to be a pattern forming with each iPhone launch. First there is a degree of mass hysteria as people flock to be the first to own the device which has become Apple’s new symbol of hip. After that come the complains and fault-finding.

If the iPhone 4S were a child, it would probably be suffering the ‘middle child syndrome’ – always compared and criticised, somehow not as much loved and constantly having to prove something.

At its launch many were upset that the baby was not the iPhone 5 but just an improved iPhone 4, with some choosing to wait it out till the iPhone 5 makes it appearance, whenever that will be.

However, it could be like trying to spot the Loch Ness monster and totally missing the beauty of the Scottish lake in its surrounds.

Of course that is not to say that the iPhone 5 is just a myth.

There are reports aplenty of a new device on the Mac inventory possibly with greater capacity, maybe 4G connectivity or connectivity without a SIM card, even excited prototype spotting of a device resembling the iPhone but is slimmer and with a larger screen. Some even say the iPhone 5 could even made flexible enough to take the twists of gaming.

Sounds pretty close to reports of the Loch Ness monster.

Since the nice folks at Apple hardly ever deal in rumours with only the occasional bar-hopping staffer who will reveal iPhone secrets by carelessly losing the item, it’s best to be happy with what is at hand – something many forget to remember, unless they live in Bhutan.

So what we have from Apple now is the iPhone 4S and really, it is close to amazing.

In terms of looks, the 4S is the later twin of the iPhone 4 which most have already declared as pretty good looking. But as twins go, the 4S definitely has more brains and is much nicer on the inside.

For starters, the iPhone 4S has more “umph” being powered by the same chip that drives the iPad 2.

That means the phone can take what the larger device is capable of, and believe me, when it comes to games and videos on the go, the iPhone 4S will not leave you wanting.

In benchmark tests against other devices as well as the iPhone 4 and 3GS, the iPhone 4S delivered on graphics and was also responsive in terms of web delivery.

Sure, it probably taxes the battery as do some of the new features, but the latest iOS 5.0.1 software update has taken care of the problem.

The vocal critics who question bug fixes and lapses are most likely new converts as Apple aficionados know that there always is “one more thing”.

In the case of the iPhone 4S battery issue, it also help if users don’t leave too many applications running in the background – something quite a few are guilty of. More so now that the device comes with quite a few fun but useful applications, such as Siri.

If you’re an avid texter, guilty of even typing out messages while driving, get the iPhone 4S and use Siri to end the dangerous driving habit that could save you a traffic ticket and maybe even save your life.

Without having to take your hands off the steering wheel or your eyes off the road, users can dictate a message and send it off – something the iPhone 3S and iPhone 4 have both been unable to do.

That’s not all Siri is capable of. It can also search the web and respond to various other voice commands.

Unfortunately, Siri the “intelligent personal assistant that helps you get things done” is a linguistics snob.

It only understands French, German and English – US, UK and Australian.

What about English in other accents such as Malaysian and Singaporean?

Well, Siri did not try to call or message Yam Ah Mee when asked to contact “Mummy”, but it did waffle through a request to contact the YouTube sensation and similarly named “Ah Mei”.

Although Siri may suffer a limited verbal cache at the moment,it may surprise you some day soon with its knowledge since every word uttered is recorded and sent back to Apple which says “is used to help Siri understand you better and recognise what you say”.

Some speculate that Siri will be back bigger and better with the next iPhone incarnation, but between then and now there’s nothing an update can’t fix, after all the latest iOS update did take care of issues with Australian English which our Down Under mates will admit, a dinky-di (genuine) chin-wag (conversation) in Oz (Australia) can be pretty hard to get your head around (understand).

Another great feature is the 8 megapixel camera which includes a stabilizer so pictures stay clear and more importantly, videos remain watchable.

Armed with the iPhone 4S, I took a series of random videos and found it was able to automatically switch to offer macro shots, even on the video, capturing little details such tiny fish lurking in a water feature outside a home.

Spending a morning with “the neighbours” I found that the iPhone 4S compensated well for the shakes even when holding the device upwards at an angle for a length of time, and when zooming in – which is when video images appear more shaky.

The only time the video function of the iPhone 4S didn’t perform as well, was when it was used for tracking shots or when the user ‘walks’ the camera.

There was also a photo shoot-out between the 4S, my trusty iPhone 3GS, an iPhone 4 and a Canon DSLR, with all devices taking the same subject at ‘magic hour’ where the changing light between day and dusk can sometimes prove to be a challenge.

The 4S did reasonably well, and even at nightfall, the f 2.4 apperture on the custom built lens didn’t lose out on details and best of all, didn’t offer grainy pictures.

With face detection and programmed colour balancing, shots are sharp and true even when linked to a large HD TV screen.

What’s great too is the ability to send your photos to iCloud which is Apple’s 5GB of cloud storage that allows users to access their photos no matter where they are and no matter what device, including a PC.

Much of what makes the iPhone 4S tick does draw upon from the new iOS, which if you haven’t made the move to install on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch,you should.

As it’s now possible to update and install the latest iOS over WiFi, it’s speedy and quite painless. But make sure you first back up your device (right-click or control-click your device when connected to iTunes) which is always a good habit.

With the latest iOS there are a host of new features, including personal favourite – Reminders which will also send a pop up on your Windows PC.

On the iPhone 4S, if you have Locations Services turned on, you could even get a reminder popping up when you reach or leave a destination.

There is no doubt that you could hold on the good ol’ iPhone 3GS with iOS update, or wait for the elusive iPhone 5, but the iPhone 4S is nifty while offering a host of features, with Siri and the camera alone making it worth packing along everyday.

- CNA/sf

<!– Zone Tag : Channel News asia In Text

innity_pub = “66368270ffd51418ec58bd793f2d9b1b”;
innity_zone = “12251″;
innity_width = “**”;
innity_height = “**”;
innity_country = “SG”;

–>

Article source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/technologyfeatures/view/1169508/1/.html

U.S. Cellular: We’ll take the iPhone when Apple gives us LTE

It’s a common misconception that Apple is picking winners and losers among the wireless operators by bestowing or withholding the iPhone, but U.S. Cellular and its parent company TDS prove otherwise. TDS CEO Ted Carlson told attendees of a UBS analyst conference Monday that U.S. Cellular is waiting for Apple to offer a more “cutting edge” iPhone before U.S. Cellular would be willing to take the risk of selling it, FierceWireless reported. By cutting edge, U.S. Cellular means LTE.

In November, U.S. Cellular revealed that Apple had offered it the CDMA variant of the iPhone, but it declined, saying it couldn’t make the economics work. That makes a lot of sense in this case: selling the iPhone requires enormous upfront subsidies from wireless operators, leading U.S. Cellular to question the model’s profitability. In addition, the smartphone takes a tremendous toll on operators’ data networks.

Other regional operators like C Spire have risen to the challenge, but C Spire doesn’t have what U.S. Cellular has: a big, dense, data-hungry market like Chicago. U.S. Cellular only has 20 MHz of PCS spectrum in Chicago, with which it serves a tightly packed population of more than 13 million. U.S. Cellular doesn’t have that many 1X voice and EV-DO data carriers to go around. The iPhone’s enormous data impact likely would force U.S. Cellular to shift more voice channels to EV-DO, which might upset the delicate balance between voice and data services it has in Chicago.

The smarter thing to do, from U.S. Cellular’s perspective, is wait until Apple births an LTE smartphone, presumably the iPhone 5. U.S. Cellular plans to launch its own LTE network within the month, starting in smaller markets across its regional footprint.

But if U.S. Cellular does plan to support the LTE iPhone, it won’t launch it in Chicago – at least not with its current spectrum holdings. The operator failed to pick up any 700 MHz spectrum at auction in its flagship market, though it picked up licenses in all of the surrounding regions. U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless have filed a petition with the FCC to swap some of the former’s PCS spectrum throughout the country for some of the latter’s 700 MHz spectrum in Illinois and Indiana. If Chicago is part of that deal – and Verizon is flush with Windy City frequencies – then U.S. Cellular can build a complete iPhone-worthy 4G network.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• U.S. Wireless Data Market: Q4 and Year-End 2008
• Social media reactions to the iPhone 4S
• The future of mobile: a segment analysis by GigaOM Pro

Article source: http://gigaom.com/broadband/u-s-cellular-well-take-the-iphone-when-apple-gives-us-lte/

5 Free iPhone Apps for Counting Down to Christmas

This app can count down to Christmas Day or Christmas Eve.

The app itself features plain text and a festive red background. Its main sell is that it displays the number of remaining days on the app icon.

As well as its convenient, at-a-glance countdown, the app lets you share its Christmas Badge Countdown via email or to Facebook.

Article source: http://mashable.com/2011/12/07/countdown-christmas-apps/

iOS 5: Apple hiring engineers for Siri development

Apple has posted two new job listings for “iOS Software Engineers” in order to enhance its iPhone digital personal assistance Siri.

One of the posts on Apple’s website read:

“We are looking for an engineer to join the team that implements the UI for Siri. You will primarily be responsible for implementing the conversation view and its many different actions. This includes defining a system that enables a dialog to appear intuitive, a task that involves many subtle UI behaviors in a dynamic, complex system. You will have several clients of your code, so the ability to formulate and support a clear API is needed.”

According to reports, this job description could indicate that Apple is planning to open Siri to third-party apps.

At present, the Cupertino-based company has deals with Wikipedia, Yelp and Wolfram Alpha, but many believe that a more widespread API could soon become reality.

In addition, three positions listed for “Language Technologies Engineers” are tasked with “bringing new languages to Siri, Apple’s new personal assistant technology for iPhone, as well as other cloud based services.”

Article source: http://www.inrumor.com/in/technology/ios-5-apple-hiring-engineers-for-siri-development/