Apple will officially start selling SIM-free iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices in the US of A today. At least that’s what a recent report from the guys over at 9to5Mac says, based on people familiar with the matter. The phones will be available for purchase at retail and the online stores, so you can choose whatever suits you best.
Up till now, You could only buy one of Apple’s latest and greatest line of iphones in the US via one of Uncle Sam’s popular mobile carriers either with a contract or a contract-free package, but starting today, if things are going to work as planned, people from all over the world will be granted the opportunity to nab a factory-SIM free device directly from Apple.
Currently, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of change in pricing, with the iphone 6 to start at merely $649 for the 16GB version and up to $949 for a 128GB 6 Plus device.
Update: We have confirmed the news – Apple now selling SIM-free unlocked iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices both online and on its retail stores. Do you have one already or are you getting one today?
Coffee is something that most of us count on as our daily fix or pick-me-up. In fact, Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day, that’s equivalent to 146 billion cups of coffee per year! It’s no surprise then that a range of apps have been built around this much loved beverage.
This cool infographic provides a round-up of some of the best apps for coffee lovers at the moment. Whether you’re a coffee amateur or a coffee connoisseur, we’ve got for you a digital solution in the palms of your hand . Below, you’ll find a list of apps that will help you out either when you’re interested in finding out about an app that can help you discover your nearest independent coffee house or learn about an app that allows you to record all your co-workers coffee preferences to make ordering coffee a stress-free affair. If you enjoy making coffee at home, that’s not a problem at all, there’s also an app that provides you with a whole host of amazing coffee recipes.
Mobile applications are already an inherent part of our daily life. The average activity includes basic social networking elements, as well as taking photos, watching videos, streaming music and playing video games. Yes, the mobile phone has apart from communication also become a very powerful device for gaming, and game applications are the most popular apps on the App Store, according to any common standard rates.
Due to the growing popularity of these apps, Apple (and Google) has created an ecosystem that allows software developers to create applications that will work on multiple devices at a global level.
There are now over 1,300,000 apps on the iOS App Store, with the top-grossing games to offer free + in-app purchases, selling virtual goods and upgrades to improve a gamer’s performance and overall experience.
The total revenue of top 200 iOS gaming apps has reached a staggering $9,001,403 collectively, with Clash of Clans taking the first place with a total revenue of $1,415,090, followed by Candy Crush Saga with $989,307 in earnings. The third spot goes to Game of War-Fire Age which makes revenue of $844,334 while the fourth is taken by the Farm Heroes Saga with $343,352 overall.
Take a look at the full results in the infographic below. What do you think?
We’ve all heard the phrase “you only have one chance to make a first impression”, this is even more true when it comes to mobile landing pages. At the most basic level a landing page is the first interaction a customer will have with your website. Getting that first impression right is critical. Earlier this year we published the post, responsive design is not a mobile optimization strategy focusing on the importance of creating dedicated mobile landing pages for your mobile traffic and not using responsive design to convert visitors into customers.
Mobile Statistics:
Smartphone mobile commerce revenues amounted to 14.8 billion U.S. dollars this year. (Statista) (tweet this)
By 2016, mobile local search is expected to make $3.2 billion in revenue compared to desktop’s $10.2 billion. (Kelsey report)
50% of smartphone users have made a purchase via their phone (Prosper Mobile Insights). ()
73% of smartphone users say they used the mobile web to make a purchase instead of using an app (JumpTap.com). ()
Below are 42 mobile landing page optimization tips that will set you on your way to convert more mobile visitors into paying customers divided to:
Strategy
The Basics
AB Testing
The Strategy
1. Know where to start – Creating an entire mobile web site is expensive and tales a lot of time. The best way to get started is by tracking analytics and understanding the pain points and drops in conversion you currently have. Once you’ve understood those, you’ll know where to start. The most important elements you want to track for mobile conversions are volume of traffic, demographics and buying patterns.
2. Understand your customer’s goals – Make sure you understand how your goals differ with mobile and desktop users. Do you want them to have the exact same experience? We use web differently than mobile, the experience is different and sometimes we use 2 or 3 devices at the same time for completely different reasons. Figure out what your visitors are doing on your mobile site, understand what they’re trying to achieve and create a user journey that helps them get there faster and quicker.
3. Define Your Goals – Once you’ve defined and understood your visitor’s goals, define yourlanding page goal and design an experience with that goal in mind. Remove side information, multiple call to actions buttons and other gimmicks. Focus on the most important elements of your landing page and how they help visitors complete your goal.
4. Change their life: There are thousands of companies doing the same. People spend very little time on mobile sites and need to understand your value proposition in a matter of seconds. Remember to focus on the customer and their benefit. Less: “We are the best in the world” more: “This will change your life”.
5. Define the desired action – know the one desired action you want visitors to take on your mobile landing page and lay out a clear call to action that stands out and logically moves visitors to the next step.
6. Say it at the top – A visitor should be able to identify what’s in it for them quickly without needing to read complicated texts and stories. Make sure to have your value proposition at the top of the page. Your headline and call to action should be above the fold (what visitors see when the land on the page) and give your visitor the information they need quickly.
7. Be clear about the outcome – it’s important that visitors clearly understand what they will receive if they provide information and how you will use that information once it is collected.
The Basics
8.Forget about scrolling – Create pages that fit within the boundaries of a mobile screen that eliminate the need to scroll. This should apply to both landscape and portrait modes.
9. Design for landscape and portrait – most people think of the portrait view when designing mobile landing pages, but depending on how your visitor orients their phone they may also be seeing your mobile site in landscape mode. Make sure your mobile landing page scales for both.
10. Use Localization – GPS-enabled devices allow for specific, localized content that can reduce friction and increase conversions. In your registration forms you can detect your visitor’s state and city by the zip code they insert. Make the “zip code” your first address field to leverage on this option.
11. Remove external links – By removing the external links to other parts of the site you can control the visitor’s journey and focus them on your call to action. Remember, new tabs open immediately in mobile and navigate the visitor away from your target. Make it a quick and easy journey for your users without luring them to other places.
12.Clean out the clutter – Focus on what’s important, keep the page as clean as possible, minimize friction and keep buttons as far away from each other as possible. The less clutter, text and colors, the more visitors will complete the funnel.
13. Maintain consistent flow and design –Don’t surprise your visitors or try to fool them, use the same messaging and design on your mobile landing page as they saw in the ad. Be consistent with the messaging, this will assist with converting visitors once they’re on your page and improve your ad’s quality score.
14. Don’t make people pinch and zoom – The focus point of a landing page is determined by you. The way you design your landing page will determine what visitors do on your site. By making them pinch, they, not you, choose where to focus on the site.
15. Click to call – Many of mobile searches are aimed at immediate contact. By using direct “click to call” buttons instead of a copy-pasted number you allow for quick conversions and an easier path your visitor. Make sure to set up your phone tracking to track incoming calls before starting out.
16. Adjust the Keyboard – make sure you use the proper keyboard for each form field. When a visitors needs to insert a number or an email, they should be able to do so quickly without changing their keyboard output.
17. Keep your forms minimal – Registration forms are frustrating on all devices, when it comes to mobile, even more so. Avoid open text fields when possible, as writing on mobile can be exhausting. Make sure your form is large and clear, using the full extent of the screen, and keep fields as well as the submit button large enough for clicking with a thumb (missing the right field because its too small can be a drag).
18. Simplify search – make it easy on your visitor to find what they need quickly. Have the search element in a key position to ensure people find what they want fast. (Remember it’s not the most important feature so don’t let overtake other elements).
19. Carry your visitor’s identity – The vast majority of smartphone conversions come from either a direct link or email marketing. Use emails to carry the identity of your users into your mobile platform.
20. Allow to “shop later” – Sometimes we just don’t have the time or energy to complete our registration or purchase process. Make it easy on users to complete their journey on other devices and convert later. Offer a simple way to complete the funnel on another device via email or save-to-cart functionality.
21. QA, QA, and QA – Just because you tested the mobile site on your mobile phone doesn’t mean it works on everyone else’s. Before starting out check Google Analytics to discover the most common mobile screens your visitors use. Make sure to check your landing page on multiple devices and track it over time.
22. Ask for less – to minimize friction and increase conversion, ask for less from your visitors. Get the most important information you need to start a process and get additional information later. Screens are small, time is short and people won’t stay there if your funnel is hard work.
23.Keep copy to a minimum – Most visitors will not want to read through several paragraphs of text. Surface the most important information on your landing page and quickly move visitors to the next step in your conversion funnel.
24. Emphasis your call to action – The call to action is the first thing a visitor should see on your landing page. Provide a quick way for people to follow your call to action and make it easy to complete the funnel. Make your call to action button visible and easy to click on with a touch screen.
Check out the example below by Naked Wines:
A lot of text
The call to action button is cut
25. Optimize your forms – To make it as simple as possible for visitors to complete your forms, test breaking them into multiple, simple steps.
26. Keep titles short – Keep your title no longer than 3-4 words to maintain a one-line headline and not more.
27. Build for limited data – Mobile data connections can be slower than home broadband connections. Users can run out of patience waiting for your mobile site to load. Make sure to keep it relevant for mobile users and light.
28. Stay away from flash –it may look nice on web (and doesn’t convert), but it won’t on mobile. HTML5, GIFs and JPEGs highly recommended.
29. Take location into account – We use our smartphones while watching TV, driving, shopping and other various locations. Make it easy on the eyes & use icons for faster navigation (include short explanatory text).
30. Embrace social behavior – Social login have high conversion rates and are a great way to encourage visitors to interact socially with your product.
31. Offer exclusivity – The majority of people prefer to checkout on desktop screens. To increase conversions try offering mobile exclusive sales to reduce friction and increase sales.
32. Design for action – Design all clickable elements as buttons (not just text links), make them big enough and add white space around them to emphasis them.
33. Less is more– Use as less text as possible and eliminate all unnecessary design elements – leave only functional elements.
34. Personalize your message – smartphones offer a lot of important information on visitors. Incorporate features that are available on mobile like GPS and location-based information for the users, for example: Shipping to Washington!
35. Take font into account – make texts more readable. Use larger font, bigger line-spacing and letter-spacing to allow for easy reading and skimming.
36. Optimize for SEO without damaging conversions – Avoid using a lot of text on your mobile landing page and introducing clutter by using an expandable-div. This will make pages shorter, and visitors will be able to click on what interests them.
AB Testing on Mobile
37. Test KPI’s – Before setting out to start testing, establish your business goals and translate them into digital KPIs (e.g – signups, purchases, downloads). Once you’ve determined your KPI’s make sure your tracking is set up correctly.
38. Reach significance – while running tests make sure you run them until you reach statistical significance, Google Experiments will tell you when you’ve reached it or you can use this A/B test calculator. Reaching significance will ensure you learn as much as possible from your tests and know they’re correct.
39. Exclude irregular days – conduct your tests in an environment that will give you the most authentic results. Avoid testing during holidays, events or paycheck days.
40. Be systematic – To achieve clear results and understand the meaning of the test results, make sure to run one test a time or, if you have sufficient traffic run simultaneous tests with different test groups.
41. Test Strategies, not elements – After you’ve taken care of all the technological issues and elements that can increase conversion, be sure to start testing strategies to better understand your users. Testing button colors or titles will only get you to a certain point. In order to gain larger wins and learn more from your tests, you need to start testing emotional strategies.
42. Use a checklist – with so many things to remember prior to launching your campaign it is best to use a checklist to make sure no important steps have been missed. A checklist also ensures that you and your team are following a consistent process for each new campaign.
Wrapping up
Responsive design is not a mobile optimization strategy. To get more out of your mobile visitors, creating dedicated landing pages and different user journeys for them is key for success.
Do you have any mobile landing optimization tips of your own? I’d love to hear your comments!
Talia helps businesses plan and execute conversion optimization programs. She runs thousands of A/B tests using emotional targeting and persuasive design to grow their business.
Talia is a frequent keynote speaker at marketing conferences and was recently listed as one of the most influential experts in conversion optimization. Follow her on twitter at @taliagw and learn more about her conversion optimization training programs.
It’s Android Lollipop day, as Google has announced it will officially start rolling out OTA updates for its latest and greatest Android 5.0 OS to several Nexus devices, including the Nexus 5 and the Nexus 10, which will go straight from KitKat to Lollipop, Nexus 7s, plus the Nexus 6 and 9 which are both currently getting “minor” bugfix updates. It appears that Samsung and Sony users will have to wait a bit longer for this update as well as Nexus 4 and 3G/LTE versions of the Nexus 7 devices.
According to a recent post on the Google Product Forums the details of the new update are as follow:
The over-the-air update for Lollipop is now starting! The update is starting for these devices:
Nexus 6: Minor update to address bugs
Nexus 9: Minor update to address bugs
Nexus 5: Update from KitKat to Lollipop
Nexus 7 WiFi (2012 & 2013): Update from KitKat to Lollipop
Nexus 10: Update from KitKat to Lollipop
It will also be put up on Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
Note: The OTA update for 3G/LTE versions of the Nexus 7 2012 and 2013 have not yet started, nor have they started for the Nexus 4!
Update: Motorola has also announced an official OTA release of the latest Android Lollipop update for its second-gen Moto G and Moto X mobile devices. The mobile company has posted on its website the following:
We’ve started to roll out Lollipop in phases just a week after the public release of the software to the following devices in the US -Moto X (2nd Gen.) Pure Edition, Moto G (2nd Gen.) US GSM, and Moto G (2nd Gen.) Global GSM retail versions sold in the US.
Apple has just released iOS 8.1 to fix some issues that affected iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users who have previously downloaded iOS 8.0.1 and 8.0.2 which have profoundly impacted cellular network connectivity and Touch ID handling. In addition to that most users have also reported problems with abnormal battery drain, and a slow performance in surfing Safari that the firmware update is going to solve (hopefully, once and for all).
iOS 8 was officially released to the world on September 17th, followed by iOS 8.0.1 which was instantly pulled out due to massive bug reports. Apple then released iOS 8.0.2 on September 26th, and now the iOS 8.1 update.
With iOS 8.1, Apple will also introduce Apple Pay for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The service will be offering Apple users to tap their fingers on the rounded home button sensor in order to complete a mobile transaction through the terminal. The update will also include a beta version of the iCloud Photo Library service, which basically lets you auto-save your entire media library in the cloud , some further more continuity features and support for SMS messaging on both the iPad and Mac.
iOS 8.1 is compatible with iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad 2, iPad (third-generation), iPad (fourth-generation), iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad mini with Retina display and iPod touch (fifth-generation). You can easily update to the latest version of iOS either manually, through iTunes, or using OTA. Mind you, that the servers might be painfully slow.
Let us know if you are experiencing any issues with your Apple iDevice after loading iOS 8.1 on board.
Apple has just released to the world a very useful online tool that will let potential iPhone buyers determine whether or not a second-hand iPhone (or any other iDevice for this matter) that they might consider nabbing is actually legit or not.
The company has announced that the new version of the iCloud tool will be enabled by default starting with iOS 8. In order to turn it into action you’ll need to go to iCloud.com, and type inside the IMEI or the serial number of a certain device. By doing so, the platform will be telling you whether a device is protected with Activation Lock and whether or not it’s ready for a new Apple ID signup or will require a password before another user can activate it.
In the case you already acquired a protected device Apple provides instructions on how to remove the Activation Lock and make it disabled once and for all. But make no mistake, it will require the cooperation of the previous owner.
Apple has aired two new ads for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus entitled ‘Huge’ and ‘Cameras’ in which it features Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake. You can see in the ads that the Cupertino giant is highlighting some of the most important features that the new devices are offering to users – the updated cameras with the slow motion and high quality time lapse shooting functions from one hand, and the larger displays they both boast on top, from the other (the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus feature 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch HD displays respectively).
This isn’t the first time the two, Jimmy and Justin, are running over a couple of lines in an Apple ad, as we have seen a similar footage during the iPhone 6 event. Yet, the dialogues are quite funny, to say the least, although you can’t really see the characters themselves.
Apple announced that opening weekend iPhone 6 sales were over 10 million. This is a record for the company in the first three days of sales.
Just In Time — Apple has officially released its new firmware update to the iPhone and iPad software. Apple’s new mobile operating system , iOS 8, is now available for free download for a number of products, but If you’re getting an error – please be patient – it’s probably because the servers are getting overloaded right now.
The new iOS 8 is compatible with:
iPhone 4, 4s and 5, iPod Touch 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB (5th generation), iPad 2, with retina display and iPad mini.
It’s not a big change, but it’s definitely a little better. People who buy an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus will get iOS 8 pre-installed, while the rest will have to get it from iTunes. Here’s a short list of some of the best new features in iOS 8: Device Continuity, QuickType/3rd party keyboard support, HealthKit tools, HomeKit controls, iCloud drive, Family sharing app, Improved messaging features (photos and voice), New integrated Spotlight search system, Additional camera video capabilities (such as time-lapse), Interactive actionable notifications platform, Fresh Siri features (‘Hey Siri”), New “Contacts” look, and a WiFi calling support.
There are two ways to get the new update for your iDevices:
1) Go to Settings > General > Software Update, and hit the “Download and Install” button. After you have it downloaded onto your slab, click the “Install” button and wait for the process to be over.
2) iOS 8 can also be downloaded on your computer via iTunes, and it requires Apple’s latest release version.
Update: Make sure you have at least 5GB+ to install iOS8.
Apple’s next-generation iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus mobile devices are finally available for pre-order for Cupertino fanboys in USA and eight other countries, including the UK, France, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and Japan. With shipping scheduled to begin September 19, 2014.
If you are interested in buying one of the two without a contract (SIM free), you’ll need to pay the full price upfront.
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus prices start at $199, and $299, respectively, while the iPhone 6 Plus starts at $299 and $399 when purchased as part of a two-year contract with all three U.S carriers AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon.
Unlocked contract-free option for the two models (including T-Mobile), will set you back as follows:
CUPERTINO, Calif. – Apple announced the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus on Tuesday. The 6 is the company’s flagship mobile device, coming in Silver and Space Gray colors at your choice plus a Gold just in case any of you are thrust into this luxurious phone. It has a ‘Touch ID’ fingerprint reader, same as the previous 5S series had, as well as Apple’s new A8 processor, which is 25% faster than last year’s models, capable delivering about 50 percent more energy efficient. That means 4 hours of 3G talk time for the 6 model, and 24 hours for the Plus; up to 10 days standby for the 6, and 16 for the Plus, about 11 hours of video for the 6, and 14 for the Plus. There’s also a new M8 co-processor to handle all motion data, and track your activity. Connectivity wise, we’re looking at an 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and 150 Mbps LTE network. Finally, the phones are also featuring an integration of short-range NFC and mobile payment technology.
While the a camera on both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will still capture 8-megapixel images as before, it now offers a more advanced iSight sensor and an f/2.2 aperture lens paired with the same True Tone flash, capable of catching up to 43-megapixel panoramic photos, plus stunning slow-motion videos with 240 frames per second.
Th screen on the iPhone 6 devices is as follows:
iPhone 6 — 4.7-inch display: 1334 × 750, 326 PPI
iPhone 6 Plus — 5.5-inch display: 1920 × 1080, 401 PPI
Some measures:
The iPhone 6 – 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 inches (138.1 x 67 x 6.9mm) and weighs 4.55 ounces (129g)
The iPhone 6 Plus – 6.22 x 3.06 x 0.28 inches (158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1mm) and weighs 6.07 ounces (172g).
Probably one of the most important improvements inside the new iPhone devices (besides the camera) is the A8 chip, a 64-bit SoC that’s 20% faster CPU, 50% faster graphics. It has 2 billion transistors, on a 20nm process, and It’s 13% smaller than the A7 — this is a truly amazing computer-power chip.
Apple has also announced a bigger model, dubbed the iPhone 6 Plus, which is basically a similar version of the 6 only with a bigger screen display (5.5-inch 1080p Retina HD display) and a mildly little thicker body form (7.1mm vs. 6.9mm). It has an “Ion-strengthened glass,” up on the hood, paired with an IPS liquid crystals panel beneath, and an “anodized aluminum back” on the rear. The iPhone 6 Plus is available for pre-order from Apple on September 12th, and both will be available for shipping on September 19th.
As has been the case in previous keynotes, much of today’s announcement has already been leaked ahead of the event. Over the past few months, we’ve seen plenty of images and video footage of both the new iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 plus. And as it turns out most of the rumors were pretty spot on.
The iPhone 6 lineup maintains the same price points (at least in the US) as before, with new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 to cost $199 (16GB), $299 (64) and $399 (128GB). While the new 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus to set you back for $299 (16GB), $399 (64GB) and $499 (128GB). Expect similar pricing in Canada. Apple also drops prices of the previous models as follows: iPhone 5S: $99, iPhone 5C: “free”
More and more iPhone 6 rumors keep on cycling around every corner of the world, and we are right now doing as much as we can to filter the info and bring you the best. This time we’re looking at one of the longest, most detailed instructional videos on Youtube of what appears to be a model of the next generation iphone device. At this point, we have no way to verify this footage, whatsoever! But still it is an interesting early glimpse of what we are about to see tomorrow.
Hit the Play to watch the video
[youtube id=”eQopSbASO40″]
[toggle title=”TRANSLATION OF TEXT”]
One is an iPhone 5s and the other is, I’m not sure what it is gonna be called, probably the iPhone 6. You guys might be curious if this phone that I am holding might be a knock off or fake, but it does have an Touch ID, I (you) don’t think so? Let’s try and see that again.
My personal feel of the phone is that it is faster than the 5s. When I got the phone, I personally feel that it is very light, much lighter than expected when seeing the (leak) images online. It might be seen that the iPhone 6 is gonna be heavier, but it is not. Thus, I feel the iPhone 6 is much a lot lighter than the iPhone 5s. That is the first thought about the phone.
(80% accuracy)
The second thought is about the screen size. One might think that it is gonna be too big and needs more than one hand to operate, and Apple has done it with only one hand usage. (Not sure: By making the screen size taller to achieve it). Still feels comfortable using the iPhone just like the iPhone 5s.
(50% accuracy)
Thirdly is the ‘radians’ (according to Google Translate) or ‘Bezel’ on the sides, somewhat like the Samsung’s I9300 (or SIII). Which makes it feels comfortably good with one hand. [Talks about technology of the screen with him mentioning “2.5”.
On the back, it still retains the design of the iPhone 5 backing of the 3 parts. And still on the back, the iPhone 5s camera is within the body of the phone, but the one on the iPhone 6’s camera is protruding outwards. Some may feel that it is ugly, but I personally feel that if the camera quality is better, it is something good too (or I don’t mind either).
Since there isn’t much apps or software running, the performance feels about the same. But if according to Apple, the internal specs would certainly be an increase. For that, we would only know after the event.
Let’s open the camera app, this is the screen, (takes picture), taking pictures feels very fast, very fast, can’t imagine that. *Goes on opening the Photos app* Photo still feels quite small.
And that is all.
*Shows the different apps on the phone*
Unsure of the megapixel of the camera due to the lack of information.
The health app may connect to the iWatch.
Instagram has recently released Hyperlapse, a standalone app for taking time lapse videos on the iPhone and iPad devices. The app which already ranks #3 on the Apple App Store, is a very simple, yet sophisticated tool that lets you capture high-quality time lapse videos at a lower frame-rate than usual, but with a built-in stabilization technology that lets users create moving, handheld time lapses at a glance. Simply open up the app, tap to record video, and then choose the video speed, which can be varied from 1x to 12x, and tap again to end the session. Videos are given the opportunity to be shared directly to Facebook or Instagram.
We designed Hyperlapse to be as simple as possible. You don’t need an account to create a hyperlapse. Instead, you open up straight to the camera. Tap once to begin recording and tap again to stop. Choose a playback speed that you like between 1x-12x and tap the green check mark to save it to your camera roll. You can share your video on Instagram easily from there.
Instagram says that inner technology behind the Hyperlapse app is based on a video stabilization algorithm called Cinema, which basically helps us regular users to smooth our shaky videos out in a snap, and make them look very slick and professional. It’s like a “$15,000 video setup in your hand” said Wiredand we couldn’t agree more.
[vimeo id=”104409950″]
We also witnessed a few popular brands and institutes that immediately decided to try the new app. It’s definitely a risky move from the marketing perspective, but you should know that whether you win or lose, at least you’ve done your best to engage with your audience in a fun and creative way.
Here are 13 brands already using the Hyperlapse application:
MERCEDES
Bud Light
THE WHITE HOUSE
Sonic Drive-In
NAKED JUICE
Polyvore
Sydney Opera House
Burton Snowboards
Taco Bell
Mountain Dew
Drink Arizona
Foot Locker
COSMOPOLITAN
If you have stumbled upon any other great examples of brands using Hyperlapse, please post them in the comments below.
It’s that time of the year again when iPhone rumors begin to circulate the internet, giving us the geeks and fanboys a special look at what appears to be the next upcoming device. Yes, the next iPhone is clearly on the horizon, but you should always take “leaks” with a little grain of salt. This time around, though, Apple is probably planning to launch two larger iPhone devices: one with a 4.7″ screen and another with a 5.5″ screen.
A new batch of leaked images sets the rumor-mill a-churning over the possibility of a bigger gold colored iPhone 6, tucked with some awkward bands around its back (probably to help with the wifi/bluetooth signals). The images also appear to suggest a different housing from the iphone 5S model, with a recessed logo area on the cover, plus a different hardware rearrangement for the purported iphone 6 (power button has moved to the side), with all pieces to lay inside a flat and thin surface structure.
Apple analysts believe an announcement on the new iPhone 6 will take place sometime around mid-September, with many suggesting it could go on sale later this month. Take a look at the following video:
Job hunting is not an easy task for any job seeker. Sometimes in order to get a desirable job you have to try very hard, especially in a tough economy like today. So what do you do to find your next gig? In most cases you will have to spend a good part of your morning browsing through a bunch of job portals online and via newspapers, or alternatively subscribe to receive them by e-mail and fax.
Using social media networks to find a new job requires more than passive use. According to a Linkedin survey 72% of job seekers view company pages for career opportunities while 64% browse for them on the company social media pages.
And while success of the web is evident through its dominance, the importance of mobile devices seems to be gradually taking over. In that regard, 7 out of 10 people search for jobs on their mobile devices with the numbers increasing substantially and steadily in the next two years.
Here’s some more details about this growing phenomenon, curated by the staff.com editorial team.
Now that both Samsung and HTC officially released their latest and greatest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8, it is time to put to a test which of the phones is stronger enough to survive a random drop test. In this following video, the two has been put up to the test alongside Apple’s popular iphone 5S. Can you guess which model has managed to last longer? The answer may well suggest what would be a good investment for your money. As a reminder, the back of iPhone 5S is made of aluminium and glass, while the HTC One M8, is entirely made from a metal alloy and the rear part of Samsung’s Galaxy S5 is made from plastic. Check out the video below to see the result.
Mobile is a hot topic these days, everyone has a phone, or a smartphone for this matter, and wants to do all kind of daily stuff with it, from taking beautiful pictures to navigating your car, playing games, sending instant messages, emailing, and surfing the web; it’s all possible, even on a small mobile phone.
With such a promising given scenario, you’re always wondering how things are going to look in the future.
Three Mobile have used current data to predict ways in which mobile technology will change the way we live. Three estimate that by 2016, more than 309 billion apps will be downloaded to devices from the different app stores, by 2017, almost a billion of us will be connected through 4G technology, and that by 2020 more than 50 billion things will be connected to the internet, and by 2025, more than 5.4 billion people will be connected to the internet – 80% via mobile.
Clearly the future is bright for the mobile world and in the next few years we will see global adoption as this technology continues to develop. Check out the stats in this infographic:
Have you ever wondered what people do on their mobile phones, and what exactly do they use them for? Yeah, well me too. Thankfully, we were given the opportunity to get a glimpse of the iPhone usage in the UK and the way the Brits interact with their mobile iDevices (AKA: Apple iPhones). From what we know and learn, the citizens of the United Kingdom still prefer communicating by voice with family and friends over sending and receiving text or multimedia messages; although SMS is still very popular at this part of the Western world. But the pattern of use remains traditional. Most interesting, though, are the facts that British men take more selfies than British women, and that 69% of the people of London use their iPhone while sitting on the toilet.
Take a look at this infographic by UK’s fastest growing mobile network, Three, to find out more about their habits.
Apple’s iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C go on sale today in a few selected countries around the world, including US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK. Eager fans camped overnight outside the Apple stores and the vibes around are definitely getting louder and very positive, overall. The 5S and 5C come with iOS 7, which Apple described as “the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone”. And while the 5C model is basically an iPhone 5 coming in a colored plastic case, the 5S, on the other hand, includes a faster processor, which Apple claims is about twice as fast as the iPhone 5, a new A7 chip, which makes the phone “the world’s first smartphone with 64-bit desktop-class architecture,” an improved 8-megapixel iSight camera on the back, a new M7 motion chip under the lid, and a Fingerprint Touch ID sensor that can replace your passwords and be used to make purchases from Apple’s iTunes store.
Here’s a few examples of some of the lines starting to form outside Apple Stores around the world:
Apple has officially begun to roll out the iOS 7 today, with users around the world now reporting to get the upgrade notification. Apple has made some significant changes to the interface of the new platform and has completely revamped the visual design of the operating system, including the apps, and much of the OS itself to be compatible with the 64-bit technology which the company will be using in future devices (starting with the new iphone 5S). Apple iOS 7, which includes a range of notable updates, is immediately available for download via iTunes or over-the-air (OTA), and supports iPhone 4 and later, ipad 2 and higher, iPad Mini, and iPod Touch fifth generation. As always, we recommend taking a full backup of your iDevice before updating the new firmware.
Update: Apple has just rolled out iTunes 11.1 with some notable features such as Podcast stations which sync over iCloud, Genius Shuffle which Apple defines as a magical new way to shuffle your music library, an expected sync compatibility with Apple devices that run under Cupertino’s “just-released” iOS-7, and probably the biggest of ’em all, the iTunes Radio that offers free music streaming based on your music preferences, a la Pandora.
Here’s the full Change log
iTunes Radio. iTunes Radio is a great new way to discover music. Choose from over 250 stations or start a new one from your favorite artist or song. Enjoy iTunes Radio ad-free once you subscribe to iTunes Match.
Genius Shuffle. Introducing a magical new way to experience your music library. Choose Genius Shuffle and iTunes instantly plays songs that go great together. Click it again to hear something new—enjoying your music has never been this easy.
Podcast Stations. You can now create custom stations of your favorite podcasts that update automatically with new episodes. Your stations, subscriptions, and current play position sync over iCloud to the Podcasts app.
Sync with iOS 7. You can now use iTunes to sync your favorite music, movies, and more to devices with iOS 7. In addition, iTunes now makes it even easier to quickly organize and sync apps to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Apple’s Tim Cook took the stage today at the company’s media event in Cupertino to officially introduce the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C, Apple’s next generation of mobile devices. As most rumors already suggested, the iphone 5S, which is considered as Apple’s new flagship machine, looks exactly the same as the previous model, AKA the iPhone 5; rear aluminum build and a front glass panel, surrounded by a metal stripe around the sides.
Clearly, the new 5S is Apple’s fastest handset yet, and it runs a super powerful A7 chip under the lid. It’s the first and probably the only smartphone in the world to ship with a 64-bit configuration in the form of the new A7 processor, with a “desktop-class architecture” housing 1 billion transistors, which are twice the amount you’ll find on an A6 chip. This brings the A7 chip performance to more than double the speed of an “old” iphone 5. As for the graphics, Apple has announced a new support for the OpenGL ES 3.0 standard like the new Nexus 7. But that’s not all, ladies and gents, because there seems to be a secondary chip, that Apple is tossing in alongside the A7 processor, and it’s called the M7. This one, is more of a “motion processor” and it will help measure motion stuff like the accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope. In addition, it’ll improve support in a few apps within the health and fitness fields.
One of the most important questions the media had to deal with was how big is the screen on the Apple iPhone 5S/5C smartphones? Today, we’ve finally got the answer, the new Apple iPhones come with a 1136 x 640 pixel 4-inch Retina display, which is about the same as we had as with the iPhone 5 model. In other words, DISAPPOINTMENT. We truly expected from Apple to offer a larger screen alternative. But I guess it won’t happen until probably the next iphone generation, number 6, I presume.
As mentioned, the outside box doesn’t bear any notable changes from the older version, except one significant update in the form of a revolutionary fingerprint sensor that Apple has placed under the home button. Yes, you’re getting a fingerprint sensor that is likely to boost your mobile security BIG time, and will ultimately replace all those user ID passwords. NEAT. The button itself is said to be made from a laser-cut sapphire crystal materials, which are basically unscratchable. And while rumors were spot on, this fingerprint reader – The TouchID – that Apple has managed to attach underneath the iphone home button is nothing but amazing. The technology behind it can literally read your fingerprint at “an entirely new level” if you will. Touch ID Sensor is about 170 microns thin, and senses 500 ppi resolution. Generally speaking, it can scan all of your “sub-epidermal skin layers.” Touch the button and DANG, your phone’s unlocked.
Another cool thing that Apple has added, is the upgraded camera. The company has improved the current rear 8MP camera from the iPhone 5 with a new f/2.2 aperture. The new camera technology features a backside illumination, and will apparently endorse about 15 percent larger active sensor area. Other than that, we’re also looking at a new flash at the back of the phone (with two LEDs attached), and a cool shooting option with an auto image stabilization mode. The front facing webcam is at 1.2MP, while the rear one was specifically designed to capture 720p HD video at a very high speed, at 120FPS. It basically means that you can easily take slow-motion videos out of your phone. Last but not least, you will now be able to shoot at burst mode & up to 10 frames per second. Which is crazy if you come to think about it.
In addition to that, the iPhone 5S will also include support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 4G LTE network. As far as storage goes, the 5S model will ship with your choice of either 16/32/64 GB of storage — No 128 GB flavor for you at this point. Bummer.
The phone will arrive in Silver, Gold, and a new Space Gray colors. Is anyone surprised?
The second device that Apple has officially unveiled today is the iPhone 5Cwhich the good guys over at Cupertino are aiming for the low-mid mobile market. The cool thing about this model is the variety of colors that you can choose from (Blue, White, Pink, Yellow, and Green), and the fact that it’s light and made from a cheap plastic flavor. Apple says that It’s made of a hard-coated polycarbonate material, if you really want to know. It also features a 4-inch Retina display with the same 8-megapixel rear camera and the regular support for LTE bands, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, and Bluetooth 4.0. The chip inside is an A6 processor, same as the iPhone 5.
Both devices will run Apple’s latest and greatest iOS 7 out of the box. The platform, which Apple has completely built from the scratch around the 64-bit technology, in a new “flat” design, is due out September 18th. Supported devices include the iPhone 4 or later, iPad 2 or later, iPad mini or fifth-generation iPod touch.
As for prices and availability, the two new iphones will officially go on pre-order at Apple’s online store September 13th, with both devices to start shipping on September 20th in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK. The most significant thing here is that it would probably be the first time that China is getting in the first phase of the iPhone’s release. This is huge for a company like Apple who’s been making efforts to penetrate the Chinese market for quite some time now.
The iPhone 5S will offer a range of 16 GB to 64 GB models and will be priced as follows:
16 GB: $199 (with a 2-year contract), or $649 off-contract.
32 GB: $299 (with a 2-year contract)
64 GB: $399 (with a 2-year contract)
The iPhone 5C will offer 16 GB/32 GB capacities and will be priced as follows:
16 GB: $99 (with a 2-year contract), or $549 off-contract.
32 GB: $199 (with a 2-year contract)
Apple will also offer dyed leather cases for $39 each, and a set of rubber skin cases for the iPhone 5C, priced at merely$29 apiece.
Finally, Apple to discontinue the iphone 5, while the 4S version remains as a free model in a 2 year contract.
After a long time rumors about a possible event, Apple has finally sent invitations for a press conference to be held September 10, 2013, at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern, at the Cupertino Headquarters, to announce details about the upcoming line of flagship iphone devices, and probably some other very interesting stuff, such as the iOS 7 and more. By “more” we hope to get an official release date for Apple’s latest and greatest OS X 10.9, also dubbed Mavericks, and a refresh to the Retina display iPads or the Retina MacBook Pros.
Apple’s invitations usually include some hints as to what the event will be about, and this year the tagline, which appears at the bottom of some sort of an abstract colorful polka dot background, is saying — “this should brighten everyone’s day” — the event, that is, of course. As for the colorful dots, that could probably confirm early leaks about a possible release of some bright multi-colored iPhone 5C casing, but hell, we’d certainly want to see a gold iPhone variant as well.
Another theory suggests that the colorful dots and the style of the fonts (above) were designed in the spirit of the new iOS 7 (a flat design). We can’t be too sure about it, but let’s give out our chance and hope for the best.
Apple is gearing up for one of those major events, where it’ll officially announce the iPhone 5S and the iphone 5C, on September 10 or so. While rumors continue to circulate about the possibility of two different iphone machines, the 5S which is the company’s heir to the throne, and the 5C that is expected to emerge as Apple’s “low-end” offering, alleged soft cases for the iPhone 5C are beginning to appear online these days, and they may provide us with some clues about the overall design and the size of each dimension.
One such online store we’ve stumbled across, that is offering Apple’s new cases is Deal Extreme, which has just started to sell the goods. Looking at the picture they posted (above), we see the same pattern and exact shade of colors as we have already seen before. But the specs are new for the most part. A quick glance at the ultra-thin protective back case, for instance (that is about the closest we get to the actual dimensions of the real phone), will teach us that it will measure in at 4.96 in x 2.36 in x 0.35 (12.6 cm x 6.0 cm x 0.9 cm), exactly the same as in the previous releases. In other words, NO size change, in case you were speculating on the topic. Perhaps a tad thicker, as some other cases suggest, but we expect the overall layout and design to remain pretty much the same.
We’ll keep you updated as more information comes in.
Smart phones are the latest buzz in the cell phone world. Scores of companies are churning apps by the hour and this infographic shows just what is happening in the world of mobile apps – popular apps, top categories, app stores etc. It has everything there is to know about mobile apps in a jiffy!
Apple’s App Store is leading the group with roughly 900,00 apps, to date (updated from wwdc2013 event), and 50 billion total downloads during a period of 5 years, or so. Android is right after, with about 800,000+ apps at the Google Play store, while the rest of the list is far behind, with Windows Phone Store featuring 145,000 apps, and Samsung Apps with only 13,000 apps at the moment. Check out the table to learn more about the numbers and info.
Somewhere along the way people started complaining about the lack of available storage on their handsets. To help in that regard, here’s a tip for iOS users who are interested in solving this particular problem:
You all probably noticed the fact that many apps taking up big GB space from your personal iPhone / iPad storage (you can find out how much space they actually take by opening the Settings and clicking General > Usage and finding the app in the Storage section). The main reason for this, is because they are using some sort of a cache mechanism to optimize and improve their day to day performance. Unfortunately, you can’t control it that much, but the phone automatically resets the storage space of an app every week or so, anyway. However, if the app storage total capacity has grown beyond a reasonable range (or activity), you can either delete and re-install it back, OR you can clear the cache by simply using free third-party apps such as iFunbox. Choosing this path, you’ll have to hook up your iDevice either to your laptop or desktop machines, then pick up the app you want to clear the cache for, go to “Library” and delete the “Cache” folder section or the files that it used to house and store. That’s it, the cache is clean and the size of the app is back to normal again.
Update: You do not need to have a jailbroken iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, for that matter.
At Menlo Park, California — Facebook announces a family of apps for Android mobile phones (such as HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung GALAXY S III and Samsung GALAXY Note II), called ‘Home.’ The founder and CEO of the popular social network, Mark Zuckerberg, said the company’s goal is to “turn your Android phone into a great social device.” Let’s make it clear, Facebook is NOT building a phone or an operating system, the company is offering a new experience for your mobile devices, where it will focus on people rather than apps.
So how does this all work? First, you have to download the Home app from the Google Play store (available on April 12). Then, you simply glance at your home screen, the place that Facebook defines as a social “Cover Feed,” and get the latest posts and important updates from the people you care about most. In addition, the Home will send your device different type of notification messages such as calls, events, images, and Facebook status updates.
Another feature that Facebook has added is the App Launcher, and it’s basically as it sounds, a place where you can find all your favorite Android apps. Only one single swipe from the central home screen itself, and you’re good to go with just about any app you’d like.
Another add-on that Facebook is presenting today, is the“Chat Heads”, a simple and fun development to communicate with friends via Facebook Messages and SMS messages in a more personalized way. This new feature will let you keep chatting no matter what you are doing at the moment, by tapping one of your friend’s Facebook profile pictures, and writing whatever you want to say, inside the pop-up window that will automatically open. Of course it also supports group messaging capabilities, and if you want to to receive a message from one of your colleagues, you either click on the preview message, presented with their photo, or alternatively, swipe away (in case you’re busy) to close immediately all conversations.
Facebook is going to carry out its new plans with a little help from the good friends over at AT&T and HTC. The latter, has just unveiled the HTC First, a 4.3-inch 720p mobile device that boasts a 1.4GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera / 1.6MP front-facing shooter, along with an LTE mobile network support. The First is set to be available exclusively on AT&T for $99.99, starting April 12 (The company is accepting pre-orders today). The phone will be offered in four different colors and is said to be running with Facebook Home already pre-loaded.
Update: Facebook rolled out a new update to its iOS app, pushing Home’s most favorite feature, the Chatheads, to your iPhone and iPad devices. To get it, you’ll need to download Facebook version 6.0 from the Apple App Store, and doing so will let you see what your Facebook friends are up to, get notes when friends are sharing comments and likes within your posts, text and chat with Chatheads UI experience all over your screen board. Download link is here [iTunes].
With the new Samsung Galaxy S4 set to be released at the end of April, fans have now been given a clear idea of what to expect from Samsung’s latest offering. Here, we will take a look at 4key features of the Samsung Galaxy S4 which are getting fans across the globe increasingly excited and impatient in equal measure, for its release.
Samsung Wallet
The new offering comes with a brand new Samsung Wallet which will allow the user to keep anything they have bought in their phone. Furthermore it is anticipated that the new phone will support Visa Payments, although this is not yet known for certain. If this does transpire to be the case, then this should function as a contactless payment method called Near Field Communication. This will render the new style payment system as simple and easy to use, good news for fans excited about this proposition.
Eight Core Processor
This would not have come as a surprise to most Samsung Galaxy S3 fans as it has been leaked on numerous occasions that the Samsung Galaxy S4 would be the first phone to have the first in built eight core processor. You may also be pleased to note that Samsung Galaxy S4 has full support for 4G LTE networks. Not only will the phone run at 4G speeds but it will also come with storage space options of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB depending on your own needs. There is an additional microSD slot for extra space if this is required.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S4 has an in-built rear mounted camera that boasts an impressive 13 mega pixels. Not only does it have a lower-level flash but for the more adventurous among us, it has the ability to capture 360 degree panoramic pictures.
Contactless Hand and Gesture Controls
Perhaps the biggest achievement of Samsung’s new release is the implementation of the new contactless gesture controls. This would allow the user to answer a call by simply waving their hand or making a simple air gesture. Icons can be clicked simply by moving a finger above the screen. Furthermore, users will be able to scroll the screen using their eyes, with the new phone tracking the user’s eye movements.
The new Samsung Galaxy S4 is certainly recognizable and has not strayed too far away from the S3’s design and function, The phone has many impressive features, most notably its super fast processor and its great looking design. The new S4 although almost perfect is not entirely faultless. Its entire plastic body belies its impressive and sleek design and means that the new offering is a little on the flimsy side. So you’ll want to make sure you get a good smartphone case and a screen protector. Furthermore, Samsung have refrained from overly improving Touchwiz which some users may find a little disappointing. On the whole though, Samsung have managed to successfully mix the new and the old in such a way that the latest option should not fail to disappoint. It may be not be perfect, but it certainly comes to close and it has enough updated features to compensate for any of its flaws.
At Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S4, a phone that will let you “experience life without boundaries.” That’s right, according to the South Korean corp. the Galaxy S4 is your ultimate “Life Companion” and it will greatly serve you, both in your house and whenever you decide to take it on-the-go. The S4, which is somewhat a mix of Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and Note II mobile phones, offers a wide range of functions and features, including a beautiful 5-inch 1080p (1,920 x 1,080) Super AMOLED screen display (441 ppi), capable of use with gloves in wet, cold and dusty conditions, your choice (depends on the region) of either a 1.6GHz Exynos Octa-core chip or a 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor (probably the Snapdragon 600), 2GB RAM, and 2,600mAh battery to match.
When it comes to connectivity, the 7.9mm thick device has quite a lot to give, starting with the very exceptional WiFi 802.11ac (which also supports the usual a/b/g/n bands), that comes alongside an IR blaster to let you fully control the big tele (access via Samsung’s WatchON service), a built-in NFC technology, as well as MHL 2.0, radios for HSPA+ (850/900/1900/2100MHz) plus Cat 3 100 / 50 Mbps LTE, and last but not least, a Bluetooth 4.0 + LE module.
Moving on with the specs, the GS 4 is running an Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean platform under the lid, with Samsung’s well-known TouchWiz interface layered on top. You get to choose between 16, 32, or 64GB of storage capacities, and there’s a microSD addition, expandable up to 64 gigs, an option that will give you the potential for a whopping 128GB of total memory.
Another important part of the Galaxy S4 is obviously the new 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture and autofocus capabilities. The camera is claimed to be able taking more than 100 shots in four seconds, and then re-arrange them all in one single frame. It’ll also record video at the 1080p range, and with the “dual camera” mode, you’ll be able to use both the front-facing camera and the rear-facing camera, concurrently, and put ’em together in a pic-in-pic mode. And yes, there’s also a 2MP front-facing camera, in case you wondered.
As mentioned earlier, the GS4 is stuffed with tons of tweaks and features. A quick roundup of some of the good things going on inside:
[list type=”plus”]
[li]Group playing – Play music with multiple phones at the same time[/li]
[/list]
[list type=”plus”]
[li]S Health – Tracks your fitness activity[/li]
[/list]
Samsung is planning to sell the Galaxy S4 around the world via 327 carriers in 155 countries, sometime towards the end of April. And while prices are yet to be disclosed, we hear that the GS4 is made of a tough polycarbonate frame, and will be launched either in Black Mist or White Frost colors.
Mobile gaming is a massive growth industry, as indeed is the mobile phone sector as a whole; and one of the biggest manufacturers of mobiles in the world is Nokia. Thus Nokia mobiles are amongst the devices that many of the top games developers are pitching their games towards, with the good news for those using Nokia mobiles being that many of these games apps are free to download. These are some of the better new ones out there for Nokia mobiles.
There’s much doom and gloom spoken about the effect smartphones have had on digital photography. Although the digital camera market was still worth £598 million in 2011, this is down by nearly a third from 2006, when it was worth £843 million.
Some speculators (probably with a vested interest in mobiles) are saying that they can hear the death knell of digital cameras: here’s an example:
“I can see no reason for people to buy a digital camera in a couple of years’ time as many people have already abandoned them. Why would you pay more, carry around two devices and go through all the pain of uploading photos when you can do all that from one device that you already own? I wouldn’t want to own shares in digital camera companies right now because their industries are about to get decimated by the mobile phone.”
But we ought to look beyond the bare stats and the ravings of “the end is nigh” brigade and those who want to make in your face headlines. As newer technology continues to improve the specifications of top-end equipment, measurements like megapixel density or the top level of optical zoom possible will become all rather meaningless those consumers who want a simple good quality picture from their phones or cameras, and then want to share them socially.
When mobile phones first had a camera built in them, in the 1990s, they were poor quality add-on affairs that were more gimmicky than of actual genuine photographic use. But how times have changed. The latest top of the range mobiles have quality optics and features that rival many entry-level digital phones. But is this trend going to continue, and what are digital camera manufacturers doing in response? In a word, learn.
The big change that made cameras in mobiles so popular was the ability to not only speak to someone, and text them, but to send them an image or a video of where you are and what you are doing, that they can receive and look at on their own phone, without having to rush to plug in a computer. While there will always be purists who will compartmentalise photography as something to be kept separate from day to day human interaction on the move, the bridge should be made between those who like to take decent (even artistic) photographs and videos, but who also want to share them quickly and simply with their friends, employers, whoever.
Camera manufacturers could choose to either invest in a web service that complements captured photos or video, or to focus on including new, innovative hardware capabilities and modifications, to retain consumer interest. And go beyond that. Actually win over people from mobile phone photography to digital camera photography.
One of the big pluses of cameras being included in almost all mobile phones is that it has opened up photography to a whole new swathe of people who probably wouldn’t have thought of themselves as photographers. Many of these new converts will actually begin to be drawn in to the world of digital photography and see that it is a medium in its own right, and not just an appendage to social networking. That means there’s a potential new set of customers for those digital camera manufacturers who can get on the beam and produce a quality digital camera, which will not only have more features than a mobile phone camera, allowing the user to grow with the product, but retain and even enhance the social sharing communication experience of mobile phones.
There is also the factor that some shots are so important that you may not want to trust mobile phone camera technology, but want to go with a dedicated camera to make sure that the shots will be the best possible and stand the test of time.
I’m thinking here of weddings, parties, even holidays. While a mobile phone with a camera can take a shot as good as an entry-level digital camera most of the time, what about if the conditions on the day mean that you need more than the built-in flash of the mobile phone camera? Or a stand/tripod? Or something to enhance a particular part of the composition? Indications are that for “important” photography, people will turn to their digital cameras, or buy one.
So what empirical evidence is there of the effect of the phenomenon of mobile phone cameras on recent digital camera manufacturers?
Canon, Panasonic, Olympus, Pentax and Nikon have in recent years launched a new kind of camera that matches the quality of lenses of a professional model with the sleek, light body of a pocket, point-and-shoot device. Although these mirrorless cameras aren’t a great deal cheaper than the professional digital single lens reflex (DSLR) model, they are lighter and more compact. More mobile phone like in fact.
A range of cameras launched in the past few months have for the first time included WiFi chips, making it possible for users to share their photos much as a smartphone user might. With this Samsung you can share images and videos wirelessly; instantly send a photo to another mobile phone using Bluetooth. Or rely on the Wi-Fi capability to email it directly from the camera or upload it seamlessly to Picasa, Facebook, YouTube, and samsungimaging.com. You can even upload a video you just shot to YouTube. Now that’s going to make mobile phone manufacturers sit up and take notice!
Panasonic too have entered this market with their Lumix DMC-TZ50. It will let you connect to your wireless home router or a T-Mobile hotspot to upload one or more photos directly to Picasa, Google’s integrated photo-sharing website.
While mobile phones may have a zoom feature that is likely to be a digital zoom, which is inferior in quality to the optical zooms found on digital cameras. In fact this advantage is being maximised by more recent digital cameras having astonishing optical zooms built in, on even very compact phones. Take the Nikon Coolpix 100 for example, with its x26 optical zoom. Or the Panasonic Lumix FZ series with a x24 optical zoom. Even more compact is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3 with a x8 optical zoom that will suffice for most shots for most people. If you want more the Lumix TZ30 has a x20 optical zoom.
Just as the camera gets smaller and more sociable, so will the mobile phone evolve and compete to incorporate features presently only available on a digital camera. The winner will ultimately be the consumer who will have more choice and more features, for both digital cameras and mobile phones with cameras, at competitive prices.
A new breed of smartphones has emerged at the ICES (International Consumer Electronics Show) recently. In this giant gadget manufacturer meet that was portrayed as an amazing event as per the live reports from the event, a race of smartphones made a mark. This was an event where a lot of gadgets were on display, produced by different manufacturers all round the globe. The gadgets that were put on display in the event ranged everything from the head mounted headphones to a variety of amazing phones and computers.
But the same event also carried some bad and frustrating news for the customers of Sprint and AT&T who established a cutting edge for 4G smartphones in the previous year. So, the real problem vests with the fact that this phone will soon be outdated. When it came to tapping into the all new and faster fourth generation networks, Sprint Nextel and AT&T Mobility were the first two companies to have unveiled some of the first league of smartphones.
This new class of smartphones that emerged at the ICES may be an attempt to stand against its potential contemporaries. Over the time, launching 4G network from Sprint is continuously being talked about. And the talks had been doing rounds since the successful launch of the previous one, way back in 2008. This followed the launch of its premier phone, HTC’s Evo 4G in the preceding year. In the meanwhile, it was AT&T that begun adding the short, impressive yet a powerful word “4G” to almost all its smartphones names recently.
But the progress does not take a backseat here! AT&T and Sprint, two of the largest U.S. cellular carriers are actually working hard to get another 4G system on the front. LTE (Long Term Evolution) will be an additional thing to the two mobile carrier giants. This was made available so that it can compete with the wireless version of Verizon that was launched almost a year back.
If T-Mobile USA is to be believed then it has 4G that stands quite similar to the old 4G service of AT&T but the talks about the plans for the 4G LTE deployment is still pending. It’s unclear how AT&T and Sprint will be able to explain to their customers more on the investments they have made in order to have one of the most talked about technology. This seems unclear also because both AT&T and Sprint have earlier exhausted the usage of 4G in marketing.
Last year, it was at the CES where Verizon hosted two high profile news conferences and also went into operating huge sales promotion booth so that the official launch of its 4G network receives promotion too. On the contrary, things this year appeared different since it was visible how the company managed to keep a low profile at the most talked about event.
AT&T announced eight of the new LTE products at CES that included the smartphones and tablets. Now the first LTE based windows phone better known as Lumia 900 is expected to arrive in March. Before the announcement of the break-up of T-mobile, the first ever 4G LTE phones for AT&T already hit the stores in November, last year.
Sprint at the CES announced three new and amazing gadgets that included Samsung phones, a portable wireless hotspot and Galaxy Nexus that is a product of Samsung & Google partnership. It’s expected that Sprint’s new 4G LTE network will surpass its older versions with the elimination of slower 4G network too.
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This is a guest post by Emily Steves, who is associated with various internet security related companies as their freelance and staff writer. She has been linked with some of the best web media companies and offers various ways for internet solutions. She excels in writing articles related to internet security, internet plans, comcast deals, etc.
Google’s newest Android operating system version has had experts and users alike sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting impatiently for the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) to be delivered on mobile devices with all the bells and whistles of the ice cream truck. Users have delayed purchasing new mobile phones and tablets until the new operating confection was available. After all the headlines and the anticipation, does Android 4.0.- finally beat Apple’s iOS?
In some areas and functions, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” In other facets, it’s, well, “not yet.” While Ice Cream Sandwich does make user control of apps easier, animation less jerky and the interface more user-friendly, it can’t yet claim the fame of toppling iOS yet. But it’s getting there, and it’s our opinion that Apple should be getting very, very worried.
Improvements
First, the good news: Many of the Gingerbread snafus, glitches and hang-ups are gone. Smoother operations are the norm with Ice Cream Sandwich. However, there still are a few that we’ll outline below.
The separated, dedicated Function keys permanently resting at the bottom of the screen are tremendous time savers. You want to return Home? Press the key. Want to head back one screen? Press that key. Want terrific apps management? Press that dedicated key. Forget a screen full of icons that you can’t see when surfing or texting or writing a note: The dedicated function keys are offset and separated from the used screen area. They’re always there – unless you deliberately use a full screen operation.
The user interface is a major improvement from Gingerbread (2.3) to Honeycomb (3.0) to Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0). Logical organisation is the key phrase. While there is still a learning curve for new Android users, learning to navigate the device is much simpler and shorter than ever. It’s not quite as intuitive and familiar as Win 7 or as easy as iOS, but it’s a major step up from Android 2.2 Froyo, Android 2.3 Gingerbread or Android 3.0 Honeycomb.
Quirks and Glitches
Alas, while apps are much more easily managed in ICS, many apps don’t work with ICS: The apps are made for Gingerbread; many won’t even download onto an ICS-driven device. Overall, Android apps are much fewer in number than Apple apps, and with the ICS compatibility issue, the Android number just dropped even farther.
The touch controls for apps might be nicer, but the touch controls still have a minute lag that is absent in Apple iOS. It’s better than it used to be, but the lag is still there. Because of that barely noticeable but noticeable delay, Ice Cream Sandwich can seem rather sleepy at times.
Future Possibilities
Android developers are extremely responsive to glitch reports, so much so that Ice Cream Sandwich has moved from the 4.0 original version to 4.0.3 in just a few weeks. It won’t be long at all before Android OS is a true, heads-on competitor with Apple iOS.
Apple has just introduced its brand new iPhone 4 at the WWDC 2010 event in San Francisco, CA, with CEO Steve Jobs telling the open-eared crowd “Now, stop me if you’ve already seen this” and adding “This is one of the most beautiful designs you’ve ever seen.” But we’ve already seen it before, due to recent unpleasant leaks, and all that left is for Cupertino to finally make things official.
Basically, the new iPhone 4 is firmly constructed from a stainless steel band, used for structural support and works as dual-antenna, while both front and back are coated with real glass cover. The screen is sized at 3.5-inch, with 960 x 640 points of high resolution (x4 more) and 1:800 contrast ratio – Apple calls it “Retina Display” for its super-sharp display, boasting 326 pixels per inch. The good news is that Apple has apparently added that strong A4 processor it first planted inside the iPad, into the new iPhone. Despite its 9.3mm thick, Apple has somehow managed to stuff up the iPhone 4 with a pretty impressive battery which can literally deliver 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music, and up to 300 hours of standby – did we say impressive already? Connectivity wise, you get a 802.11n WiFi, paired with Bluetooth and equipped with GPS capabilities.
Beyond that, one of the things that is talked about a great deal is the FaceTime video calls feature that Apple has finally tossed into the four-gen iPhone, with future plans to make it an open industry standard. In general, there are two different cameras onboard – the rear one, is at 5 megapixel with a backside illuminated sensor, x5 digital zoom, and a LED flash, featuring 720p HD video recording at 30FPS (Portrait or landscape), while the second is a front facing camera that lets you conduct smooth video calls through your iPhone – the suspense – it can only be made over wifi networks at the moment. At that note we should mention Apple’s new iMovie app that gives any iPhone user the opportunity to edit his/her video content without the need to leave your mobile device in favor of your desktop platform. iMovie is said to be available at the App Store right away for a small $4.99 price tag.
As expected, the new phone is going to run on Apple’s latest OS4 (AKA: iPhone OS 4) that includes all the good stuff we’ve already written about, such as folders, multi-tasking, iBook, iAds and more.
Other than that, the iPhone 4 also houses a microSD slot and a a three-axis gyroscope.
The new iPhone will be available in June 24th, both in white and black flavors, running for $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB), with Pre-orders start a week from tomorrow in 5 countries: US, France, Germany, UK, Japan, and 18 more following in July. The 3GS, on the other hand, will now be $99 only. PR and videos after the break.
So here’s the thing guys, you still have a 2G iPhone and finally want to make a change, something new, refreshing that would literally turn your good old stuff into a current, up-to-date smartphone. Up until now it’s been really difficult to carry out, but today, it’s actually possible. To do so, you’ll need to follow very cautiously a 68 step guide that would walk you through the long and tiresome process which includes the use of an iPhone Explorer to initially copy the Android files, then a stage where you have to turn your desktop into an Ubuntu virtual machine to install the OpeniBoot software, that would eventually create a dual-booting iPhone with iPhone OS and Android 1.6 systems hanging around. Definitely exhausting but hey, users are seldom willing to sacrifice well- established standard technology for a new and “more open” one, even if the latter don’t necessarily promise increased functionality, right? If you’re still in for it, you can checkout the video after the break or the entire guideline frame after frame (at your risk!).
Update1: Looks like David Wang, the guy who wrote the code that enables Android installation on first-gen iPhones, has now managed to go even further and make Google’s magical platform work on Apple 3G devices. Checkout his video demo after the break.
Update2: Apparently, the iPhone 3G port of Android is now available to download for your iPhone 3G devices. At your own risk, you can get in here, grab it and install. Here’s another good guide how to install it, courtesy of PC World.
The iPhone OS 4.0 event we’ve all been anxiously awaiting, just ended with Apple delivering some striking news to the world. But before getting to those shocking news we just heard, here’s some other details that might be worth considering: As of today Apple sold about 450,000 iPads throughout the States (along 50M iPhone devices), while users have downloaded about 600,000 books and over 3.5 million apps, thus far. The iPhone OS 4 which suppose to get official release this summer, is said to provide more than 1500 new APIs for developers, who can now actually download the fourth SDK Beta package from the iPhone Dev Center, and start shaping their magical crafts.
Moving the focus point over the main buffet, it’s all about the multitasking (Finally!). Yes, you’ve heard that right folks, Apple’s OS 4 is said to include multitasking (…and I’ll repeat myself again: ‘multitasking’). Of course it will work if you have an iPhone 3GS in your bag. Earlier devices, according to Jobs, amongst you’ll find “The iPhone 3G and iPod touch 2nd generation will run “many things”, but they will not get multitasking”. In that note, Apple says it’d actually provide seven multitasking services including: background audio streaming like Pandora playing music all day long without the need to be stopped, Voice over IP apps like Skype taking calls even when you browse, background GPS and location apps, push and local notifications, task completion like Flickr image uploaded i background, and last but not least, fast app switching – all to be safely activated without the worry of battery draining.
Next in line is the new form of Folders, which aims to organize, and make sense out of the dispersed field of applications. With iPhone OS 4, users are said to be able to drag and drop apps onto one another to create folders, that from now on can hold up to 2160 apps instead of 180 apps you used to see over 11 pages.
Cupertino is also pushing forward today the Unified Inbox function, which gathers multiple email accounts (like MobileMe, Yahoo, Gmail, etc) into one single box, and thus eliminates the need to jump from one window to another. Apple has also enabled in this session the possibility of getting third-party email attachments straight into your phones – Yay, attachments are on!
iBooks gets to the iPhone OS 4 as well, with Apple taking advantage of recent iPad e-book galore.
Gaming Center. Another big news, especially for the gamer geeks between us. With Apple, building a social iPhone gaming network, which basically allows you to challenge your friends, compare achievements, leaderboards, match making and more. In other words, it’s like the Xbox Live, but for the iPhones.
iAds. Suddenly everything that starts with the letter “i” is an Apple related product, eh? But seriously now, it was Steve Jobs who was quoted saying that free apps “Developers need to find a way to start making their money”… so far so good, but how? Apparently, Apple will sell interactive in-apps mobile ads, that everyone can create, not only ad agencies but also iPhone app developers that will split revenues with Apple (60/40) in exchange for selling and hosting their ads. Apple is said to use HTML 5 format to create those ads – interesting!
More coming up features to include: Home screen wallpaper installation, Bluetooth keyboard support, 5x digital zoom, Spell check like in iPads, Playlist creation, Map overlays, Video playback and capture, and more.
So this is it guys, it’s huge and in some parts very surprising. A short multi-tasking OS 4 hands-on video is just after the break and you can also watch the full iPhone OS 4 keynote event on video on Apple’s website right here.
Orange Israel has just started offering a new Internet package that includes a Smart Box wireless router, together with a 2.5Mb internet connection fixed for 36 months and…an Acer Mini PC that comes with Intel’s E5300 processor, paired with 2GB DDR3 RAM, 320GB hard drive, Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Intel GMA X4500 graphics, a Super Multi Dual Layer DVD and wide range of ports like 4 x USB hubs, eSata, VGA output, DVI plus HDMI adapter. The system runs Microsoft Windows 7 Premium preloaded inside and is now offered on Orange’s website for 3,564NIS (36 x 99). In addition, you get wireless keyboard and mouse as part of the deal which suppose to last ’till March 31st.
Are you eager to replace your old crappy mobile device with a brand new multi-touch compatible smartphone? If you do, and already considered buying either Apple’s iPhone 3GS or Google’s Nexus one, then get this – according to a 3D frame rate video test initiated by the guys at Distinctive Developments, it appears that Cupertino’s iPhone device achieved better results than Mountain View’s latest mobile hit. The test, which included a series of finger pinching gestures, has indicated that iPhone 3GS received an average of 30 frame rates per second, while Nexus one has managed to get only 20-21 rates for that same video segment. The reason for that gap between the two is due to the lack of use of Neon floating-point optimization in the Nexus One. You can see it for yourself right after the break, in hope that someone in Google would take things into consideration and make the essential changes.
Update: It was brought to our attention that Nexus One supports a 800 x 480 screen resolution which is bigger than iPhone’s 480×320. However, in their test DD guys actually changed the Nexus One viewport size to match the iPhone’s 480×320, and by doing that they received a frame-rate improvement from 30fps to 40fps. Still, with 8 characters on screen there was no difference; with the frame-rate remaining the same at 21fps.
It’s hot at the Mobile World Congress 2010, in Barcelona, as Microsoft officially unveils its latest and probably biggest Windows Phone 7 series, a new and pretentious Windows Mobile rendition, identical to all carriers and future device brands, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon architecture onboard, handling smoothly the featured (unsized) capacitive touchscreens, built into those dev demo prototype phones. Basically, it’s a a whole new mobile system Redmond has literally built from the scratch and tweaked to be used on mobile machines in a way that you’ve never seen before. True, it would likely take time to get used to the 7 series, but its harmonic look and feel is surprisingly refreshing and conveniently flows. Yes, if you had this “deja vu” feeling of a Zune HD interface control, you’re probably not alone, but Microsoft has taken it few steps forward and created more in-depth platform with many new features like Xbox Live integration, social networking interaction, myriad of apps and widgets installed. “Every Windows series phone will be a Zune”, that’s what we’ve been told, and synchronizing your handheld music with PC computers is claimed to be very easy and simple to work.
The home screen itself includes dynamic vertical tiles, with customizable shortcut links to variant apps, contacts and other in-house modes, designed in a way you can flip them down from head to toe, but also pan left and right to sub-directories and other hidden rows. It boasts that same big and bold Zune HD text style, which relatively changes and gets magnified the moment you slide the screen and start to scroll. And navigating between the menus makes you realize that Microsoft completely revamped the OS code, making it concentrate in four major segments: People, Games, Pictures, Music plus Video hub homes. Each hub is an independent unit that’s responsible for different tasks, where you can watch and share your personal stuff (images/videos) via hub or cloud,when it comes to ‘pictures’ window, or in other case connect with friends and get updates from family/other contacts through social media services in the ‘People’ spot and the most fascinating thing – play Xbox LIVE games, create avatars, and profiles, at the ‘Games’ area zone – Cool. At the end of the day it’s a new platform that suppose to serve our next-gen phones, so naturally it would also include a non-supportive Adobe flash Internet Exploder browser and Outlook email app to handle mails on the go. Oh, and don’t forget, there’s a dialing phone somewhere inside.
Hardware wise, Microsoft mobile phones will include 3 buttons each: Start, Search and Back, while capacitive displays will have 4-points multi-touch compatibility, with flipping, panning and pinch to zoom gestures support. As mentioned, Microsoft has partnered with Qualcomm, which means we’re likely to see Arm Snapdragon chipset, tossed inside the bowel.
Microsoft as you may know, teamed up with worldwide carriers like AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, while manufacturers partnerships include Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC, HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm.
It would probably take time to realize whether Windows 7 series is a game changer or not, but we’re glad to see that Microsoft is finally raising the mobile OS bar and placing it in a whole new and distinguished level that would likely make many people across this realm start scratching their heads and rearrange their thoughts. When will this crazy and exciting software go out and hit the roads? I guess you’ll have to be patient here and wait ’till it gets to the market somewhere around the end of the year, right next to holidays madness season days.
Update: We’ve added the full hands-on walkthrough video, right after the break. A bit long but definitely worth a try.
The mystery behind Nexus One’s multitouch disparity between Europe and the US is finally about to end, as Google reports in its blog, suggesting imminent roll out of a software update, specifically tailored for the Nexus One and which apparently boasts some major add-ons inside, amongst you’ll find Google Goggle app that lets you take pictures through the integrated webcam and then generate search results about them, improved version of Google Maps with a special night mode and useful suggestions, general fix of 3G connectivity and last but probably the most important one, multitouch support, that would likely offer “a new pinch-to-zoom mechanism in the phone’s Browser, Gallery and Maps applications”. In case you were wondering about the timing of this update, here’s Google official statement, given to ReadWriteWeb:
Looking around the mobile industry, from Apple to Palm to HTC and Motorola – it’s clear that pinch-to-zoom technology has become a standard and popular way for users to interact with their mobile phones. Likewise, Android users can now truly benefit from this capability with the availability of Android 2.1, which powers a new class of devices with larger touchscreens and more interactive features. Unlike past devices, these phones have the processing power to deliver pinch-to-zoom, while still providing a great user experience. Based on these new capabilities and numerous requests from Android users, we decided to provide pinch-to-zoom capabilities with this new over-the-air software update for Nexus One devices.
Update: We’ve added a video that shows Nexus One new features in action, check it out after the break.
Nothing much to share at this point, but Dell has revealed a new slate/tablet device at its keynote speech at CES in Vegas. Designed like a business smartphone, and some would say it is one considering the SIM slot it boasts, the new Reddish device includes an Android platform preloaded inside, and a 5-inch touchscreen on top. There’s also an integrated 5MP camera at the back and three clickable buttons on the right – Home, Back and (maybe) apps. Furthermore, up the hill, it houses three additional buttons which looks like ON/OFF, camera and volume support. We’ve also spotted a built-in mic and Bluetooth, but that’s all we have for now.
Update1: engadget guys were lucky to sit around the table with Dell’s representative who was kind enough to give a quick tour and show them Dell’s new mysterious slate in a snap. From first impression we’re guessing it’s an Android 1.6 platform that runs inside, but quiet positive there’s a nice numpad add-on included in the keyboard and a tiny face camera right on front. We’re not sure whether it’d be called Mini 5 or codename Streak, but color us impressed from the way it performed. Vid and thumbs, after the break.
Update2: Turns out it’s a 5-inch mid, boasting 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen,along integrated WiFi and 3G WWAN connectivity. It runs Android 2.0 (Eclair) instead of that 1.6 flavor and seems to endure a dual-LED flash 5mp camera behind and a 1,300mAh battery within. We’ve added another video after the break, courtesy of Slashgear and some Vietnamese chaps.
Update3: The Tinhteteam has taken Dell’s Android-based Mini 5 slate/mid to a teardown session, and guess what they’ve found under the hood – a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, two microSD slots, integrated SIM card with 3G radio and a 1,530mAh battery, stronger than expected. Dissecting video after the break.
Update4: TechCrunch guys have managed to catch up with Michael Dell himself somewhere outside Davos conference halls, and look what he got, a “Mini 5” slate, in his words, which suppose to go live “in “a couple of months” with an Android based platform, 3G connectivity, 5MP camera and other good stuff. Dell refused to disclose any details about price or chipset.Checkout the third video after the break.
Update5: Dell says its latest Mini 5 will not run an Android 1.6 platform, but “something newer”, which we can’t confirm yet. In any case, it’s going to be refreshing and upgradable.
Update6: Apparently, the Mini 5 has a docking station which suppose to include HDMI output and a USB port. Check it out in T3 Greek Edition’s video after the break.
Update7: Looks like there’s plenty of stuff ahead. According to Neeraj Choubey, Dell’s tablet division GM, the Mini 5 is part of “a family of tablets” that will “scale up to a variety of sizes.” Some, are claimed to include “inexpensive data plans” in the bundle, some just Android powered.
Update8: Apart from the 5-inch 800 x 480 WVGA touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, and the 30-pin docking connector, it seems that Dell will offer the Mini 5 (or Streak, depends who you ask) in wide range of premium colors. Hit the break to see your options.
Update9: Michael Dell says his 5-inch Streak “…will be available starting next month, first with our partner 02 Telefonica in Europe, then later this summer with our pretty good partner here in the United States, AT&T.” You hear that. Next month!
So Google has finally launched the most anticipated Nexus One, and if you happen to live in one of the following 4 countries – the US, UK, Singapore or Hong Kong – you can get it right away from Google’s website, priced at $529.99 without a contract or merely $179 including a T-Mobile two year plan (in the US). Other people will have to wait at least until Spring 2010, when it believes that Google will be adding more countries to its smartphone lineup. The phone itself is an HTC brand, coming with a 3.7-inch 800×480 AMOLED display, which regretfully doesn’t support multi-touch at the moment, although Google says it’s not an hardware issue but a software tweak and it’d consider adding screen gestures capabilities in the future. Besides that, you get a fast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor,paired with a 5 megapixels camera including an integrated LED flash that can shoot MPEG-4 video and have it uploaded directly to Youtube. Additionally, this 11.5mm thick device has a built-in compass, GPS, WiFi, A2DP stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack, a multicolored LED under the trackball, an accelerometer for landscape view and two mics, positioned on front, for complete noise cancellation. It runs all common frequencies and compatible with HSDPA 7.2Mbps, UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900), HSUPA 2Mbps and of course, GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz). The 1400mAH battery inside is claimed to provide 5 hours of 3G browsing and 7 hours of 3G talk time, while storage wise, you receive only 512MB of internal flash along with a 4GB micro SD card, expandable up to 32GB. See the full specs here.
Moving forward with the details, the Nexus One packs Google’s “latest greatest” Android 2.1 platform – also known as Eclair – which crams some nifty stuff inside, like the voice recognition feature that works throughout the entire UI and activates almost any feature in the phone. That way, you can use your voice to write SMS messages and notes (speech-to-text), or tell the Google Earth search engine where should it go. Other than that, Google has implemented a Cooliris technology into the Nexus One gallery app, so you get 3D visualization whenever looking at images in landscape mode. It has a lot of widgets to offer, such as weather and news RSS, and the smartphone’s homescreen customization is interactive and houses 5 panels to store your apps and shortcuts. Stay tuned. Video is right after the break.
Update1: And looks like Adobe is now jumping on Google’s bandwagon by demoing its Flash 10.1 beta on a Nexus One superphone. Check it out after the break.
Update2: Well, what do you know, the European version of Nexus One, apparently supports multitouch capabilities out-of-the-box, while US devices don’t. We’re not so sure why, but as someone suggested, the trigger for the abyssal differences might be the fact that Apple has a US Patent on multitouch which doesn’t apply on European countries. Maybe. Google says it’s carefully reviewing this issue at the moment.
Update3: Different from what has been reported, Google’s Nexus One seems to be incompatible with “n” draft wireless connectivityand official specs state it supports only 802.11b/g WiFi frequencies. We’ll have more about this soon.
Update4: You knew it had to happen sooner or later, did you? No? then get this – iFixit guys have taken Google’s Nexus One on a mission and disassembled it into small pieces of technology craft. See the results here and after the break.
Update5: We’ve added two more stunning videos right after the break, in which you can watch Nexus One’s manufacturing process with stress tests such as bending, slamming, dropping, and cracking, all over the place. A must see creation!
Update6: Turns out Google now has live person phone support in case your Nexus One has problems that need to be solved. It’s 888-48NEXUS (63987) and said to work from 07:00am to 10:00pm PST. Right now the line will handle only status and shipping issues while tech problems can find answer via Google’s support forums, FAQs pages, email support and HTC/ T-Mobile customer care departments.
At last, after long expectations and some high hurdles standing in the way, Apple’s mobile star – the iPhone – finally lands in Israel and gets official across the state. It’s been over a month since we first started guessing about potential debut dates, optional packages and probable prices to be set. Back than it was just rumors, now it’s for real. Official release started exactly on midnight, December 10th, with both Pelephone and Cellcom organizing a huge event, while Orange deciding to go with a more restrained release, the day after.
Pelephone was the first company to officially publish their iPhone prices – fair or terribly expensive, it’s up to you to decide:
First package: includes an 18 month obligation with a monthly fee of 299NIS that includes 250 minutes of talk, 250 SMS messages, and 10GB data. The iPhones will cost in this package as follows: iPhone 3G 8GB 399NIS (one time fee), iPhone 3GS 16GB 799NIS and finally, iPhone 3GS 32GB will run for 1199NIS.
Second Package: Same as first package, includes an 18 month obligation, this time with a monthly fee of 349NIS that includes 300 minutes of talk, 300 SMS messages, and 10GB data. The iPhones will cost in this package as follows: iPhone 3G 8GB FREE, iPhone 3GS 16GB 399NIS and finally, iPhone 3GS 32GB will run for 799NIS. Sells will start at the night between the 9th and the 10th of December, while first buyers are claimed to received some cool freebies. Checkout the table after the break (courtesy of Calcalist).
Turns out if you don’t want to get into a package and commit yourself to a cellular company for 18 months, you can buy the iPhone “on the go” (without any obligation) in the following prices: iPhone 3G 8GB at 2625NIS, iPhone 3GS 16GB for 3150 and iPhone 3GS 32GB will cost you in Pelephone 3675.
Orange came second to release the iPhone prices, and it seems their packages are more reasonable for average mobile users (despite the poor data capacities). For example, a monthly fee of 159NIS package will buy you 100 minutes of talk, 50 SMS messages, and 30MB data. Other alternative that Orange offers is “Air Time” packages which let you buy a monthly talking time for a fixed price. For example, 169NIS will give you 200 minutes to speak with your friends and family, send 200 SMS/MMS messages and consume 250MB of data. The third option that Orange has published is the “Fix Price” packages with permanent 19.9NIS fee fee and prices that start at 81.3NIS for 36 months for those who will take the iPhone 3G and up to 113.8NIS in the next 3 years, in case you decide to buy the iPgone 3GS 32GB edition. For more details about the packages hit the break and see the charts.
Cellcom was the last company to release the iPhone prices, among the three. Their first package includes a 249NIS monthly fee that will get you 300 minutes of talk, 250 SMS messages, and 1GB data. In this package iPhones will cost you 799NIS (iPhone 3G), 1299NIS (iPhone 3GS 16GB) and 1699NIS (iPhone 3GS 32GB). The second package is priced at 349NIS per month and includes 400 minutes of talk, 500 SMS messages, and 1GB data. In this package iPhone devices will cost you 399NIS (iPhone 3G), 799NIS (iPhone 3GS 16GB) and 1299NIS (iPhone 3GS 32GB). All packages involve 18 months contract and you can get the unlimited data for extra 60NIS a month. More details and upgrade plans are now available in Cellcom’s website.
Update: We’ve just added some photos, taken today while we were touring for iphone queues. So far haven’t found any. Last 2 images are courtesy of iPhones.co.il, while previous two came from Cellcom’s PR.
While most info is scarce, we’ve managed to pick up some new unconfirmed details about the long awaited iPhone release in Israel. As reported, Apple has recently approached the Antitrust Authority in order to officially approve all of its activities with the local carriers in the country, and to make sure there are no legal issues left ahead of the coming launch, which initially supposed to take place back in August. Now we’ve been told, that the official debut will happen somewhere between the 25th to the 27th of November, in all large Israeli operators, contingent upon final approvals from the Ministry Of Communication. Additionally, we’ve just learned that the iPhone itself will be offered in the following forms:
iPhone 3GS 16GB – is priced around 4000 NIS, pay to go (prepaid), while contract packages will run you only 999NIS.
iPhone 3GS 32GB – is priced around 5000NIS, pay to go (prepaid), while contracted users will pay only 1499NIS.
iPhone 3G – we were told there’s a small amount of 3G devices, that may (or may not) go out for 599NIS .
In any case, all packages include a monthly fee, ranged between 200 – 300 NIS, and being delivered with A) 150 SMS text messages B) 200 minutes talk and C) 100MB of data.
From what we know, and specifically for this task, all carriers already recruited special salespersons, who suppose to take a two weeks course and learn about the iPhone machines during this period of time. The orders these people were given are very clear: “Sell only iPhones or don’t sell anything”. Stay tuned for more info to come.
“Pay to go” = without a contract.
Update1: Mind you this info is relevant for today, as dates and details may vary.
Update2: Data packages will apparently cost 69NIS for 1GB, both in Cellcom and Orange, if you’re buying iPhone or Android devices.
Update3: As mentioned, 1GB of data will cost 69NIS, but those who exceed the limit will pay 10NIS for every additional 1MB they use.
Update4: Besides the 1 year warranty, it seems the carriers will not include any repairing insurance when buying an iPhone in Israel. That means you won’t be able to buy insurance for your iPhone in order to subsidize repairing beyond the first year.
Update5: After endless rumors floating around, the Cupertino team has officially announced that all three carriers can start selling the iPhone in Israel, starting from December 10. That of course happened after Apple has managed to clear up a few regulatory hurdles and received the final approval needed.
Update6: Read more updates about release day, packages and prices in here.
We already know Viliv and the highly rated MIDs and UMPCs it makes, but even though, the Koreans won’t settle with scarce line of products and apparently these days, are showing off at IDF 2009, their new portable series which seems to include the S10, which looks like a new 10-inches tablet netbook device that technically packs 1,366 x 768 resistive swivel touchscreen, but also Intel’s Atom 1.33GHz or 2.0GHz processors (the 2.0GHz CPU isn’t available yet) and Windows 7 OS, the premium version. Besides that, Viliv lets you choose between 32 or 64GB SSDs (at 70MBps read rates), together with an optional 3G WWAN, 1GB of RAM, a 10 hours battery that runs at one single charge and a built-in webcam, probably a 1.3 megapixels one. Still no word when or where this White/Black hues unit suppose to go live (more likely around Q4 09), but starting price is claimed to stand at $500. Hands on video – for your eyes only – is right after the break.
Update1: Apparently, Viliv’s S10 tablet netbook just turned official. The 10.1 inch multitouch swivel screen, known as the Blade, integrates 4G mobile WiMAX and 3G HSPA connectivity inside. In addition, viliv has also launched the 4.8-inch clamshell MID, N5 which packs 3G and WiFi as well. PR after the break.
Update2: We’ve added a short hands-on video of the Viliv N5, coming straight from CES 2010, courtesy of engadget. Check it out after the jump.
Update3: Viliv’s S10 is now up for pre-order at Dynamism, starting at $699, which appears to be a lot, considering you get a resistive touchscreen.
Update4: We’ve added yet another unboxing and hands-on video, courtesy of Chippy fromUMPCPortal who got his hands on the new Viliv S10 that seems to boast a nice resistive multi-touch display and optional 3G connection onboard. Check it out after the break.
This is a guest post by Israeli blogger Yarin Hochman, who has apparently spent a significant amount of time testing every single iPhone app, ever released. In this post he shares his experiences with Snapture’s newly born PiP camera app. You can read more from Yarin on his Hebrew tech blog, TechVibe.
I don’t know about you but for me, one of the biggest pains with my iphone machine is the camera. Now, I haven’t upgraded to the 3GS version yet, I personally don’t see any substantial reason to, but still, even the iphone 3GS camera itself, is apparently provided with tiny lens, very basic features and low quality images, when it comes to comparison with average Nokia\Blackberry cameras.
Today, Snapture, which previously released a camera app for jailbroken iPhones, seems to turn “legit”, by introducing an official version that is now available on Apple’s formal app store, under Snapture app (1.99$), and has made me like it from first impression, but not without a few reservations attached.
The “Never Ending Meizu Story” continues to make splashes around the globe, as we hear that Meizu’s M8 revolutionary/clone smartphone is making a debut in China nowadays, coming up with either 8GB ($348) or 16GB ($421) versions, a 3.4-inch 720 x 480 touchscreen, Windows CE 6.0-powered OS, Built-in 3.2MP Camera and wide range of codecs support, including MP3, WMA, AAC, Ogg, FLAC, APE, AMR, MPEG-4, WMV, Divx, Xvid, H.264, or FLV. Battery wise, you can expect getting up to 21.5 hours of Audio and 7 hours of video, while using the M8 as a multimedia device. Otherwise it’s just another cellular unit, supporting WCDMA (3G), GSM EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 standards that will allow any user to speak all over the world. Mind you, according to Meizu, the 16GB model is currently “out of stock”, so stay tuned for more tales to be told.
It was back in March, when we first reported that Sling wants to have an iphone application, and we’re glad to relize it’s actually happening, as the company announces that the long awaited app is ready to be released and will be demonstrated in San Francisco moments before the software will get to Apple app Store. Still no pricing info, but the full press release is after the break.
Update1: Regretfully,older SlingBox devices won’t be able to stream any TV content directly to iPhone machines (except Slingbox PRO). That means, if you happen to have one of those first editions, you’ll have to shell out extra money and upgrade to Slingbox SOLO or Slingbox PRO-HD in order to enjoy a complete mobility via handhelds, and not just because of technical issues, but more of a greediness from the company itself. We do hope this weird desicion will eventually end up somewhere in the history pages of “failed-to-be-executed”.
Update2: May 12th 2009 – Regretfully, AT&T has issued an official statement, claiming it’d pull the plug out of Sling’s 3G streaming capability, which was integrated into the iPhone with the SlingPlayer. According to the company, this application –
“which would use large amounts of wireless network capacity, could create congestion and potentially prevent other customers from using the network. The application does not run on our 3G wireless network. Applications like this, which redirect a TV signal to a personal computer, are specifically prohibited under our terms of service. We consider smartphones like the iPhone to be personal computers in that they have the same hardware and software attributes as PCs.”
That said, users will be able to use WiFi connectivity in order to log into any web site that lets them view videos. In simple words, 3G – Out, WiFi – In. Now, it’s up to you to search one of the 20,000 hotspots AT&T has deployed across the US, in places like Starbucks, McDonalds, airports, etc.
Apple has finally released firmware update 2.2, available for downloading via your iTunes software, right away. The new 246MB update brings some neat stuff to your iphone/ipod devices, including Google Street View, over-the-air podcast downloads (which lets you listen to podcast, either through wifi connection or 3G network), public transit and walking directions, more stabilized Safari browser and even the ability to share your location via email. In addition, you get some Bug fixes, together with toggling auto-text correction function, better sound quality in Visual Voicemail messages and a new App rating feature, that allows you to rank any Apple’s App Store application, once you delete it. Stay tuned !
With so much disinformation floating around, we can’t be sure either these images are real or just a hoax, but you have to admit they look very reliable, with this nice black or white varnished cover and those colorful boxes, laying down next to the Meizu M8 manual and installation CD. But the most interesting thing is the new specs that jump out of the pile, featuring a strong ARM11 800MHz CPU, 3.4-inch 720 x 480 touchscreen, 4GB/8GB/16GB capacities, 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity. According to the guys at Meizu News, the M8 is scheduled to be released in Asia around December, priced at 240 / 284 / 350 respectively. Hit the link to see more pictures.
Philiphs’ GoGear LUXE new MP3 player could easily get into those mediocre DAPs category, with only 2GB of flash memory, the usual FM tuner, a one-line LCD screen and a scant 10 hours of continuous music play. But the facts prove different, with the cool diamondback cover, first-rate music quality and the built-in Bluetooth 2.1 headset, that provides 100 hours of standby time and the automatic pause feature, whenever a call comes in. Priced at S$139 ($92), this cool device is about to hit the streets of Singapore next month, and the rest of Asia, later on.
