HTC One X Review
HTC needed to hit reset on its smartphone strategy. Lulled, perhaps, by several years of leading the Android device market, 2011 brought an incredibly strong push by Samsung and a growing mismatch between the agile software users desired and the bloated, over-stylized interface of HTC Sense. The HTC One X – and the One Series it leads – is the first of the company’s attempt to reclaim its former position, a Tegra 3 toting powerhouse with a big screen, boastful camera and slick design. Still with the specter of the Samsung Galaxy S III on the near horizon, not to mention Apple’s iPhone 5, the One X needs to do more than storm the spec sheet if it’s to make the impact HTC requires. Read on for the full SlashGear review.
The One X is a big device, there’s no escaping it. Still, at 134.36 x 69.9 x 8.9 mm and 130g it’s surprisingly lightweight considering the fact you get a 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 display. Build quality of the polycarbonate chassis feels slightly cheaper than the metal-bodied Sensation-series devices of last year, but the upshot is a more pocket-friendly device. It’s creak- and flex-free, too, though the downside to that is the non-user-accessible battery. Beyond a microSIM slot – complete with an HTC branded tray-opening pin, no less – the casing is a solid lump. HTC has used a Super LCD panel on the One X, and it’s an excellent screen. Bright and crisp, with great viewing angles and escaping the sometimes over-saturated colors you find on AMOLED screens, it floats nicely in the inset Gorilla Glass panel. Our main complaint is the banding visible on graduated graphics, noticeable in Android’s many screens with shades of grey. The curved glass edges are reminiscent of Nokia’s Lumia 800, too, catching the light and leaving the handset feeling more organic and tactile. HTC One X video review:
Hardware
The polycarbonate itself – available in black or white – is bowed in cross-section though the glass itself is flat. That gives a little of the Galaxy Nexus’ profile, though it’s a fleeting optical illusion. Also unlike the Nexus are the dedicated buttons beneath the screen, HTC not following Google’s own Ice Cream Sandwich implementation and instead insisting on touch-sensitive back, home and app-switcher keys. Despite accommodating them, the HTC is actually roughly the same length – though broader – than the Samsung, thanks to a narrower earpiece section.
Still, there’s enough room for a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera and a double-row of drilled speaker perforations; behind lurks a notification LED. On the left edge is the microUSB port while the volume rocker is on the right; the power/lock button is on the top edge, and thanks to the length of the One X can be tricky to reach at times. You also get a 3.5mm headphone jack and a row of five pins on the lower right hand corner of the rear panel for use with the optional docking cradle.
The back also plays host to a Beats Audio logo above a small but reasonably loud speaker. The One X has two microphones, one on top and the other on the bottom edge, for noise-reduction during calls and stereo audio recording in video clips. Finally, there’s the camera, an 8-megapixel unit which protrudes slightly in a silver nub, and which packs autofocus, an F2.0 aperture, 28mm lens, a backside-illuminated sensor, “smart” LED flash and support for 1080p HD video recording.
Inside, this European One X packs NVIDIA’s 1.5GHz quadcore Tegra 3 chipset, paired with 1GB of RAM and 32GB of non-expandable storage. It’s an ambitious chip, especially given the non-accessible 1,800 mAh battery, though NVIDIA insists that its 4+1 core design means performance won’t outweigh longevity.
Connectivity includes WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX high-quality audio support, NFC and, in the European model, quadband HSPA/WCDMA (850/900/1900/2100) and quadband GSM?EDGE. The microUSB port supports MHL-HDMI with the appropriate – and not included – adapter – while there’s the usual GPS, gyroscope, digital compass, proximity and ambient light sensors, and G-Sensor.
In the US, the One X will be sold on ATT as an LTE version, ditching Tegra 3 in favor of a Qualcomm-supplied dualcore chipset but gaining high-speed 4G mobile connectivity.
Software and Performance
The One Series is the first of HTC’s devices to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, woven through with the latest iteration of Sense. HTC’s custom interface and apps suite had become over-stylized and unnecessarily hefty in its latter versions, and there’s been a conscious move to pare it back to basics which is obvious from the start.
Gone are the eye-catching but GPU-sapping 3D homescreen widgets of last year, replaced with cleaner range more in keeping with Ice Cream Sandwich. You wouldn’t necessarily realize Google’s newest version is under the hood, with the app launcher controls and other buttons redesigned, and even the app-switcher UI has been replaced, a CoverFlow-style carousel of running software instead of the basic thumbnail previews of the Galaxy Nexus.
Some of HTC’s changes work better than Google’s own design decisions. Tapping and holding on the homescreen opens up the widgets panel, a more common-sense placement than as an addendum to the app launcher. Up to nine homescreen panes can be live – shown in a scrolling bar across the top of the widgets organizer – with the various sizes of widget themselves underneath. You can either side-swipe to see each preview, or select from a drop-down list. Tabs along the bottom of the screen offer app icons and shortcuts, the latter for things like Direct Dial contacts, bookmarks, Gmail labels, Dropbox folders – the cloud storage service now being baked into HTC phones – and music playlists. A pinch-gesture shows all of the homescreen panes in thumbnails from the desktop.
The app menu itself is now split into three sections – all apps, those frequently accessed and those downloaded – with search and Play Shop shortcuts at the top. However you can also choose to remove and rearrange these tabs, though even if you get rid of all categories bar “all apps” the same number of icons are shown on-screen.
HTC has a number of new widgets, including radio apps – which require the headphones to be plugged in and act as the antenna – and a selection of useful calculators. They look great, though they’re all oversized: most of the widgets take up half or more of each homescreen pane, when even the calculators could be smaller and still usable.
The new HTC Music hub pulls together shortcuts for all of the audio services – though not the FM radio, at least by default – and more third-party options can be added in. It’s more like a launcher than a true unified media system, however. There’s no way to combine tracks from different services into a single playlist, for instance, so your local tracks will always be separate from your Spotify streaming.
HTC has made a few modifications to the standard browser, adding a Flash Player toggle to the contextual menu alongside the option to force the desktop version of sites. There’s also an incognito tab option next to the new tab button in the window switcher, making it more straightforward to browse without leaving a trail in the history. Panning, scrolling, pinch-zooming and Flash playback is all as smooth as you’d hope from a high-end phone.
NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 is a mainstay in recent Android tablets, but it’s a rarer thing in smartphones. With 4+1 cores – the latter responsible, so NVIDIA says, for low-level tasks that might otherwise demand the main cores light up and consume more power – there’s certainly no shortage of grunt for games and multimedia playback, both being smooth. However, the performance is also noticeable in day to day use, such as in the speed that a heavy Gmail inbox is ready for use. We ran Geekbench Advanced, and the One X scored an admirable 3399.
We’re had our eye on the aptX Bluetooth stereo audio profile for some years now, but it’s only now that the technology is turning up in more consumer hardware. Replacing the default audio codec – in devices that support it – it promises “true hi-fi quality”; in practice, with a set of Sennheiser PX-210 headphones, we found improved bass and treble clarity along with a reduction in background hiss. Of course, if you only have regular Bluetooth accessories then you won’t see the aptX improvement.
Camera
HTC is particularly proud of its camera technology in the One Series; according to the company’s research the camera is the number one deciding factor when a buyer eyes up their next phone. The One X gets an 8-megapixel CMOS with a backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor for improved low-light performance, along with an F2.0 aperture, 28mm lens and a dedicated imaging chip.
As well as 8-megapixel images, the One X can record Full HD 1080p video. In fact, the phone can shoot still images at the same time as recording footage: both the video recording and the shutter release button are on-screen at all times, along with a new effects control with a range of the image tweaking options.
There’s also an LED flash. We’ve generally been unimpressed with LED photo-lights on smartphones – they usually have a narrow sweet-spot outside of which images are either washed out or hopelessly under-illuminated – but HTC’s flash can automatically adjust between multiple levels of brightness according to the proximity of the subject.
The extent to which it works is tricky to see; low-light images are still something of a pot-luck. Supply decent lighting, however, and the One X is capable of some very good stills, with accurate colors rather than the over-exaggerated hues some phones err toward, and crispness in all but the closest macros. Hold down the camera button and the One X automatically goes into continuous shooting mode, capturing up to 99 shots in a row; let go, and you see a timeline of the images so as to pick out the best, optionally deleting the remainder.
1080p Full HD video, meanwhile, shows some jerking in fast pans, though the picture quality itself is relatively strong. We also noticed an occasional jitteriness during the first few seconds of recording at times, though that’s easy enough to trim out of the final clip. A camera button shown during playback allows 1920 x 1080 stills to be grabbed too.
Phone Battery
The One X is a large phone, and making voice calls can be a little unwieldy; still, the end result is clear audio, thanks to the dual microphones and noise reduction system. The Beats Audio tuning is available to all media apps, not just HTC’s own as in 2011 Beats-branded phones, and does its usual job of boosting bass frequencies.
By opting for a unibody design, HTC has been forced to make the 1,800 mAh battery non-user-accessible. It’s larger than what’s inside many handsets, but with a quadcore processor that seems something of a necessity.
Still, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the One X’s runtimes. From a full charge, with push email turned on and a mixture of heavy browsing, messaging, Google Maps and some media playback, as well as use of the camera and a few voice calls, the One X lasted nearly 12 hours.
That’s under somewhat extreme conditions; with more typical use, we managed a day before recharging was needed, and that “+1″ Tegra 3 core seemed to justify its inclusion with low standby drain even with push services active. Turn to CPU- and GPU-intensive gaming and it’s possible to drain the One X in relatively short order, unsurprisingly, but it’s good to have the option of either hardcore performance or regular speed.
Wrap-Up
HTC has a lot to prove. Whether it was down to resting on its collective laurels, misreading the market, or simply getting its 2011 product line wrong, last year turned out to be something of an annus horribilis all round. Rivals accelerated past, Apple broadened its iPhone range across price points, and in contrast HTC phones looked derivative and lumpen.
They’re not accusations that could easily be levelled against the HTC One X. The new flagship is distinctively designed and well constructed, has an admirable camera and a solid screen. The Tegra 3 chipset is capable of both speed and endurance depending on what’s demanded of it, particularly gaming and HD video, though the non-expandable storage could prove limiting if your connection isn’t up to streaming from cloud storage such as Dropbox.
Is the One X enough to inure HTC against the incoming threat of the Galaxy S III or the iPhone 5? Both devices are shaping up to be worthy contenders, and HTC’s 2011 range struggled to compete with their predecessors, but the One X is leagues ahead of where the Sensation series left off. It’ll take more than good looks and a fast chip to make the One X an automatic success, but it’s is a capable phone and, perhaps more importantly, a sign that HTC has finally turned a corner in its strategy and products.
Article source: http://www.slashgear.com/htc-one-x-review-02220844/
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iPhone 5 may be out in June 2012
A Foxconn gatekeeper slipped his mouth
iPhone 5 may be released in June 2012 according to the report of World Business Satellite on TV Tokyo on April 2, 2012.
Fumihito Kobayashi, the correspondent of TV Tokyo Beijin Office, visited Taiyuan, Shanxi, China where the one of 13 Foxxcon factories is based.
The report was about the 10% stock acquisition of the Japanese electronics company Sharp Corporation by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd, the parent company of Foxxcon.
The TV Tokyo crew wanted to cover how the city of Taiyuan converted from the farming village to the China’s fast developing industrial city thanks to Foxxconn.
The premises of the report was to show how Sharp Corporation may receive the benefit of Hon Hai Precision Industry.
During the report, TV Tokyo spotted many street signs in Taiyuen that Foxconn was looking to hire the new factory workers.
They sent a Chinese reporter to the Foxconn gate entrance and interviewed a person at the gate box.
According to the interview and Chinese-to-Japanese translation subtitles, they are looking to hire 18,000 factory workers in order to produce iPhone 5.
The reporter asked why Foxxcon wanted to hire 18,000 workers. The gatekeeper, who’s in charge of accepting workers’ appilication, answered, “because iPhone 5 may be releasing in this June.”
This report was initially made for Sharp Corporation and Hon Hai Precision Industry partnership. It does not gurantee the acurracy of the information.
Article source: http://yokosonews.com/lifestyle/iphone-5-may-be-out-in-june-2012/
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5
Delay In Nano Sim Standard Vote Could Affect iPhone 5 Release
The ETSI has delayed a vote on adopting Apple’s new “nano sim” standard over concerns of Apple stacking the vote, and better design alternatives offered by Nokia. With Apple pushing hard to get this vote completed, could a delay affect the iPhone 5 release date?
Discussing and following the news about sim cards isn’t necessarily the “sexiest” topic of conversation when it comes to the iPhone 5 — most people want to opine on the next iPhone ‘s screen size, form factor, NFC, and a host of other exciting, new features. However, there is a new development worth following in the “nano sim” story that could potentially affect the iPhone 5 release date.
You will recall that we posted an article back on March 23rd about the prospect of Apple’s new nano sim patent, which would allow Cupertino developers to integrate a new sim that is only on third the size of current micro sim dimensions, thus freeing up critical space within the iPhone for a bigger battery and components, all while making the overall form factor thinner. we also reported at that time that the ETSI — a European commission that approves technology standards — would be voting on Apple’s new design, who essentially controls the sim standard. Needless to say, Apple’s competitors were not happy, seeing this move by Apple to “spring” a new nano sim design, perhaps on the eve of the iPhone 5 release as a coup to stymie their chances at competing against the next iPhone.
Interestingly, the ETSI vote, which was originally schedule for March 29th, was postponed.
Foss Patents explains why: “It appears that Nokia’s overt unwillingness to license its potentially essential patents in the event that Apple’s nano-SIM proposal is adopted and Sandisk’s resistance to Nokia’s proposal have resulted in an impasse. Sandisk, too, holds patents that may be essential to a new SIM card standard.” In a nutshell, even though Apple controls the sim standard, all of the world’s smartphone manufacturers have to agree to new standards together, since they all hold patents that create a kind of patchwork of technology rights that make sim designs universal.
Nokia is purportedly unwilling to tow the party line with Apple’s new design for two reasons: first, to block or delay any market advantage that changing the sim standard would afford Apple and its iPhone 5, and second, because Nokia claims to have a better nano sim design. Those who have compared Nokia and Apple’s competing patents claim that, while Apple’s new nano sim is indeed much smaller than current micro sim designs, the chassis that would hold the nano sim is actually larger than the current standard, thus making the overall implementation of Apple’s design more cumbersome than what Nokia’s design has to offer.
There was also a more political grievance at the ETSI that has concerned the smartphone designers community.
According to MacRumors, “Apple is also coming under fire from the other participants in the negotiations, with Research in Motion accusing Apple of hiding its efforts to stack the voting panel by having at least three of its employees re-register for voting purposes as representatives of various carriers.” This is still an unconfirmed claim by RIM, but if it proves to be true, then it would only further the belief that Apple is aggressively pursuing a rapid vote and implementation of their new nano sim in time for its release on the iPhone 5 — ostensibly in June.
It remains to be seen if Apple would gamble on beginning to produce an iPhone 5 now in anticipation of a June release date without the nano sim standard being approved by the ETSI. If they were to fail to win the vote, it could spell a production disaster for the iPhone 5. However, if they are forced to delay too long, it could indeed push production schedules and the release date back.
ETSI rules dictate that the vote will take place no more than 30 days after the delayed vote, so we should see a final vote on the technology by month’s end.
By Michael Nace
Article source: http://iphone5newsblog.com/2012/04/02/delay-in-nano-sim-standard-vote-could-affect-iphone-5-release/
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5
Sprint Could Offer 4G LTE iPhone 5 Says Sprint’s CFO
It has been officially confirmed that Sprint would be able to offer 4G LTE iPhone 5, that is, if Apple releases one during the expected Fall timeframe. Sprint’s ability to operate Apple’s 4G LTE iPad 3 came into question when the Cupertino company only released a 4G LTE iPad on Verizon and ATT. Currently, Sprint does not have a widespread 4G LTE network and is working to release the new technology in six cities by mid-year. The network may be limited to major areas such as Chicago and New York City, which are prime testing locations for major carriers.
In a report released Tuesday by NASDAQ, it was confirmed by Sprint Chief Financial Officer Joe Euteneuer that Sprint is indeed planning a 4G LTE network, although he did not specify whether Apple would be releasing a 4G LTE iPhone on the network, if at all this year. Currently, ATT and Verizon have rolled out their 4G LTE networks to major parts of the United States, with reports also confirming that Verizon will be making 4G LTE phones on their network a “hard requirement”.
According to the NASDAQ report, Sprint is currently in a contract with Apple for $15.5 billion worth of iPhones, which won’t make the carrier any profit until 2015. Initially, this is what worried many who wondered if Sprint would be getting not only the new iPad, but a possible 4G LTE iPhone down the road. With Sprint’s CFO confirming that 4G LTE is on the horizon, it is now clear that Sprint is able to and will pursue LTE technology, compete with both ATT and Verizon, and offer an LTE iPhone down the road.
{via NASDAQ – Image Credit: LA Times}
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Article source: http://touchreviews.net/sprint-offer-4g-lte-iphone-5-sprints-cfo/
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Apple iPhone 5 Concepts
Apple iPhone 5 Concepts
Federico Ciccarese has developed the “iPhone Air” concept, in which iPhone 5 looks extremely thin and sports an edge-to-edge design. In this design, the Apple device looks almost similar to the MacBook Air. And, the most gorgeous aspect of the design is the bright Apple logo that shines through the darkness when the set is off.
In another equally interesting concept design, designer Antonello Falcone has given a “Size Zero” shape to the iPhone 5. In this design iPhone comes with a full edge-to-edge screen and sports a bigger screen (don’t be too hopeful as the chance of bigger screen is thin). And, the back of the phone is slightly curved, suggesting a thinner teardrop shape.
ADR Studio has delivered a stunning and original design that shows a SIM-free device, an idea that Apple has been exploring for a while now. The design also mentions a LED-powered edge to show the battery life of the New iPhone 2012.
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Article source: http://www.sananews.net/english/apple-iphone-5-concepts/
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Apple’s iPhone 5 Could Feature OLED Displays From Samsung
Although the Apple iPhone 5 is said to arrive in stores until later this summer, rumor has it that future iPhones and iPads could replace their traditional LCD screen displays with OLED screens.
According to Christian Post, there was a report from The Korea Times that Samsung (the maker of OLED screens) has increased their production of these screens. An unnamed executive for the company claimed that these were for Apple, “Thanks to the increased volume, chances have been raised to ship Samsung’s OLEDs for Apple’s iPads and even iPhones”.
Another unnamed source explained how Samsung’s electronic components are vital to Apple’s success, “Apple is Samsung’s biggest customer, buying $7.8 billion of components such as memory chips and LCDs in 2011. This year, it will buy around $11 billion of Samsung parts despite the deepening legal battle between the two companies.”
The OLED screens are already used in many of Samsung’s high-end products such as smartphones (including the Galaxy Nexus and the Focus S), tablet computers (including the Galaxy Tab), and televisions. Apparently when Samsung tried to sell their OLED screens to Apple but they didn’t make a purchase at the time.
Apple reinvents their most popular products including the iPhone and iPad every few years, so it should come as no surprise that the rumor mill is in full effect again. At press time, there has been no confirmation from either companies. In the next few weeks up to a few months, we will hear more rumors about the long-awaited Apple iPhone 5 but in all reality, we should never count on a rumor unless it’s been confirmed to be true.
The most current iPhone anted up the game with impressive features an 8MP iSight camera, iOS 5, iCloud, Siri personal assistant, and a dual-core A5 chip, so it’s anyone’s guess what the next generation will feature. Stay tuned!
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This entry was posted on April 2, 2012 at 12:49 pm and is filed under Tech News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Article source: http://www.valuewalk.com/2012/04/apples-iphone-5-could-feature-oled-displays-from-samsung/
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5 News
Features of Apple iPhone 5
Features of Apple iPhone 5
As we mentioned earlier, Apple is still tight-lipped about the features of the iPhone 5. And, that silence has given birth to a host of rumors that are even wild at times.
On March 21, Reuters reported that Apple had ordered 4.6-inch screens for the company’s next iPhone. Reuters cited a South Korean publication, the Maeli Business Newspaper, which again quoted an unnamed “industry source.”
However, within two days of this news, another report surfaced from iMore’s editor-in-chief Rene Ritchie stating the Apple is most likely to retain the current 3.5-inch screen for the iPhone 5 but will introduce some new features. He also mentioned that the device would be released in October. Ritchie has always been the perfect predictor of Apple’s acts. He had made the right calls about Apple’s last iPhone, iPhone 4S and predicted the new iPad’s March 7 release.
Another source of 9to5Mac, however, claimed that the prototypes of Foxconn suggest that Apple will make the device at least 4-inch and would retain the rectangular shape of its predecessors.
Apart from the display, other rumors about the iPhone 5 suggest that the latest Apple smartphone will introduce radio bands for 4G LTE in the iPhone 5. And, if rumors come true, then the company will have to make the device a little thicker to accommodate a larger circuit board and a bigger battery. This was the reason why Apple rejected the plan of implementing 4G LTE in its iPhone 4S. Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a company earnings conference call in April 2011, said “first-generation LTE chipsets force a lot of design compromises.”
Let’s not forget that Apple has applied for a new patent application. According to Patently Apple, “Apple has invented a killer 3D imaging camera that will apply to both still photography and video. The new cameras in development will utilize new depth-detection sensors such as LIDAR, RADAR and Laser that will create stereo disparity maps in creating 3D imagery. Additionally, the cameras will use advanced chrominance and luminance Sensors for superior color accuracy.”
Apple might also offer a universal remote control feature in its next gen iPhone, claims Patently Apple. According to a recent report from Patently Apple the universal remote control feature is “likely to be integrated into a future iPhone (or other iOS device) instead of it being an add-on app at the App Store. The advanced features being added to Apple remote could be signaling their preparation for a standalone HDTV as it’s to control a television and other related entertainment devices.”
Another interesting rumor suggests that the company has planned to feature ultrasonic bonding. Again that report came from Patently Apple, which said: “On March 15, 2012, the US Patent Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that refines an older 2008 patent on using Ultrasonic bonding in products like the 2009 metal back iPhone and current iPods.”
Among other features, Apple is also expected to launch “iWallet,” for which the company won a major patent on March 6. This digital system will give users complete control over their subsidiary financial accounts on their iPhones and leverage Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology to complete credit card transactions through phone.
Also, the new iPhone 5 might include a special and revolutionary feature that would allow multi-player gaming, according to a patent application published by the US Patent and Trademark Office on March 15.
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Article source: http://www.sananews.net/english/features-of-apple-iphone-5/
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iPhone 5 to add more flavour to the scrumptious Apple pie
- KUNWAR KHULDUNE SHAHID
- 0
- 11 hours ago |
Disclaimer: This piece is an offshoot of the writer taking a nosedive into scuttlebutts and rumour mills. Hence, the scribe cannot be held responsible, liable or blameworthy for eventual unpleasant surprises, unfulfilled promises or indeed Premature Ventricular Contractions.
Being tech savvy connotes that one is multiple times more impatient than how God intended us to be. And if you’re one of the Apple brigade, you know that you’d make a four-year old spoilt brat, who has just seen her favourite Barbie, seem like a sculpture of tranquility. Therefore, even though the launch-date of the not-so-originally (and indeed tentatively) titled iPhone 5 is a good few months away, you just can’t help sniffing around for a preview of what to expect.
While the iPhone 4S launched in October last year was a small jump, the iPhone 5 is being touted as a prodigious leap – technically speaking at least. There are rumours being radiated, from as diverse origins as South Korean newspapers and Chinese manufacturing companies, that the latest iPhone offspring would feature a “gigantic” 4.6-inch display. Not only is this 31.43 percent screen size hike, from the previous 3.5-inch display, quite colossal on its own, what it also implies is that the new display would need significantly more pixels than the 960 x 640, which the previous edition had. Maybe it’s the increasing size of the competitors that has led to this potential manoeuvre by Apple, or maybe it’s just that bigger is the new better! All the same, the magicians that work in the garb of iPhone engineers might believe that pulling rabbits of increasing sizes out of the proverbial hat might have become a tad boring, hence, they might just be vying to pull out a giraffe this time round – and who would want to bet against them!
The word is that the new iPhone would also feature an iPad-esque sharp ‘retina’ display, which might just end up forcing English language professors to mull over revamping both the idioms, ‘as sharp as a razor’ and indeed ‘as sharp as a tack’. Then there is the scrumptious prospect of a new dock plug, which is much smaller in size – a 30-pin dock connector, and the forecast of the speed soaring up by as much as tenfold. Also, in a move reminiscent of Siri and iCloud in iPhone 4S – which proved to be blockbuster successes – Apple wants to go down the same lane and conjure up a new software. Hence, after iOS 5.1, the latest edition might just throw the iOS 6 flavour in the ‘apple pie’.
From the groundbreaking ‘big’ of the display, Apple is being said to go the ‘small’ route with the next SIM card size. And just like in this iPhone centric world of skewed adjectives, the impending display is said to be ‘gigantic’, the new nano SIM card is virtually microscopic. Nevertheless, despite all the forecasted coolness left, right and center the much hankered after memory storage hop from 64GB to 128GB is something that might have to wait – unless Apple is planning on staging a classic ‘surprise surprise’ act. All in all, the new features seem to be coming straight out of the reservoir of unparalleled coolness, and the latest iPhone edition must just comprehensively upset the ‘applecart’ of the rivals.
The writer is Sub-Editor, Pakistan Today. He can be reached at khulduneshahid@gmail.com
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Article source: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/04/01/news/profit/iphone-5-to-add-more-flavour-to-the-scrumptious-apple-pie/
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5 News
iPhone 5, iTV Set To Take The Television Market By Storm
If Apple makes good on rumors of an iPhone 5 that universally controls televisions and the fabled iTV, together with the current Apple TV, Cupertino will very quickly become a key player in the television market.
It will be interesting to see what happens with iTV this year. In many ways, the iTV rumors and speculation are not unlike the long-traveled Apple tablet rumors leading up to the iPad. With the iTV, however, there is much less to go on in terms of what it could mean for television viewers. Will it simply be the full hardware version of what Apple TV already provides, or will the iTV experience be more ingenious than that? No one really has a clue, and the rumor mill is truly in the dark as to when the iTV will debut and what it will really be.
In some ways, it could turn out to be a much bigger surprise to Apple enthusiasts than the iPhone 5, which already has a ton of expectations attached to it.
Speaking of the iPhone 5, it too fits into Apple’s possible power move into the world of television. In fact, it could become the new standard in how one controls their television, DVD player, entertainment systems, and even other remote-controlled systems in their homes.
You may have read some stories last week about a curious Apple patent that would enable a handheld device — ostensibly the iPhone and/or iPad — to commandeer any remote-controlled device in your house. And the technological concept behind it is rather audacious. According to Patently Apple:
“In some embodiments, the remote control may include a camera that is configured to capture an image of controlled devices. The image is then processed to find a state of the device. For example, in some embodiments, the image may be processed to determine shapes and/or characters on a television screen. The shapes and characters may be used to determine that the television is displaying content from a particular source. If you think of it, that translates in-part to reading logos on screen from sources such as ABC, NBC or HBO for instance. Other shapes may relate to Apple-specific functions that patent doesn’t reveal at this time.”
Considering that Apple’s patent would require this “smart” remote control to be equipped with cameras and microphones, the assumption here is that it would not be developed into a separate, proprietary device that would have to be purchased separately. Instead, it would be your iPhone, and the software would utilize its camera and mic to be able to co-opt any remote control out there by matching the shape and brand to a massive database that would reside on iCloud.
For as much as this feature would be handy, the real groundbreaking could come from the iPhone’s ability to “watch” television with you, and somehow offer you choices and functionality based on what the iPhone is seeing. Much like the rumors of the 3D camera patent that could show up on the iPhone 5 that would be able to read and interpret things like depth perception and facial expressions, this television-reading feature would imbue the iPhone 5 with a new level of artificial intelligence that could revolutionize mobile computing.
Ad in this way, I foresee Apple quickly dominating — and changing — the way people watch television.
If rumors prove true about iTV, then we’re already headed toward the marginalization — if not the extinction — of broadcast television. Apple could quickly change the nature of television to become virtually all on-demand; television shows and movies will no longer broadcast at a fixed time, but rather will simply “become available.” All that will be left are sporting events and live news coverage.
But for the remaining segment of the market that will stick to traditional broadcasting, the iPhone 5 could come to dominate that segment as well. If the features of this new “universal remote control” are mind-blowing enough, the iPhone 5 could become a hard-core necessity for television junkies.
Just think: by the end of 2012, apple could have iTV, Apple TV, and the iPhone 5 with this newfangled remote control. that’s a pretty wide-ranging product line for a market segment that they have barely yet to penetrate. It may seem like an audacious move, but don’t put it past Apple.
By Michael Nace
Article source: http://iphone5newsblog.com/2012/04/01/iphone-5-itv-set-to-take-the-television-market-by-storm/
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5 News
iPhone 5: What we know so far ?
iPhone 5: What we know so far ?
The Iphone 5 was expected to be released with the new iOS 5 but complications happened which made the release of the iphone 5 with iOS 5 impossible in Apple’s eyes. So here we have the Iphone 4S, which to many was a major disappointment. Most people were expecting more from one of the world’s biggest and most technologically influential companies to date. The day the Iphone 4s was announced, Apple’s stock plummeted and for good reason. While the Iphone 4s does offer performance upgrades and added features, it was not enough according to the majority of Iphone enthusiasts. While it isn’t the first time Apple released an ‘S’ version in between official versions, it was the fact that it was so out of the blue and unexpected it has shocked people and Apple’s stock.
That’s exactly what we can expect, according to CNET. The tech blog also cites anonymous reports that the iPhone 5 will introduce a smaller dock connector. The current 30-pin proprietary connector has been in use since the first iPod release in 2001 and has been the main form of charging/connectivity of every iPhone, iPad, and iPod aside from the Shuffle.
Originally a Firewire cable with small “teeth,” the venerable cable has gained USB 2.0 capability, lost those teeth, and shrunk as much as possible while keeping the same amount of pins. Changing to a smaller dock connector like the mini-USB ones used by other smartphones will create a market for new accessories, but it will also make the legion of accessories and stereo equipment with the 30-pin Dock Connector immediately obsolete without an adapter. Any grief caused by the change will be worth it to Apple, who needs to pack more and more into ever shrinking mobile devices. Tear downs show that the 30-pin Dock Connector takes up a rather large amount of space at the bottom of the iPhone. That space can be put to better uses like increasing the size of the battery for a power-hungry 4G LTE radio.
CNET are probably a familiar name to most readers and they have a solid track record, having correctly predicted the date of Apple’s iPad 3 and inclusion of 4G LTE. They have pegged the iPhone 5 launch for Fall/October 2012, close to the iPhone 4S last year. Further reports indicate a similar size screen for the new device, suggesting it could remain 3.5″, but that size is “not set in stone.” Watchers who hoped for a slightly larger, bezel-free, edge-to-edge screen that didn’t increase the overall iPhone size may be disappointed.
After the subtle enhancements seen in the 4S, fans are geared up for a fully redesigned iPhone 5. Apple looks to be on track with 4G LTE that meets its rigorous battery standards, but could really give buyers a pleasant surprise if the new Dock Connector used a standard mini-USB connection or a magnetic connection similar to the Mag Safe MacBook cable.
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Article source: http://www.sananews.net/english/iphone-5-what-we-know-so-far/
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5 News