Sunday, April 27, 2014

iOS 8 Concept Video: Intelligent iOS for a Big iPhone 6

In a month we will see what Apple has in store for iOS 8, but a new iOS 8 concept shows a gesture and motion sensing update that could deliver a better iPhone experience and could help make an iPhone 6 with a larger screen easier to use with one hand.

iOS 8 is the name for Apple’s next version of the popular iOS software for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The company plans to announce the future of iOS at WWDC 204 on June 2nd in San Francisco, which is where we expect to see the first look at iOS 8.

Curved iPhone 6 Concept Brings New Rumors to Life

A brand new iPhone 6 concept brings the most recent iPhone 6 rumors to life and gives us a look at what an iPhone could look like with a curved display.

As we move deeper into the new year, we’re starting to hear more and more about Apple’s plans for 2014. The company is rumored to be coming out with a new MacBook Air, an iWatch, brand new iPads, and a new iPhone that is currently dubbed iPhone 6. The iPhone 6 is expected to debut in the summer or the fall to take on the likes of the HTC One M8 and the all new Samsung Galaxy S5 that launched earlier this month.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

LG G3: Everything We Know So Far - Specification, Feature, Release Date, Price, Color

When LG G2 was released last year beside the Nexus series, the flagship was well received and in fact surprised everybody with their high-end specs with innovative and useful features, this year LG is prepping up for the release of their rumored LG G3. With lots of expectations around, it is only natural that we take a look at what we know so far i.e. rumors, expectations and confirmed features alike.

User Interface (Most Recently Leaked Features)

A stand out point about LG is their user interface, every time LG introduces a device; the user interface gets a dashing improvement from the predecessor. Even this year, LG has improved their graphical ecosystem with their upcoming LG G3.

First image of LG G3 with redesigned rear buttons leak

Details about LG's upcoming 2014 flagship LG G3 smartphone have been leaking at a very fast rate. The first image of the smartphone has just leaked.

When LG launched the LG G2 last year, the company introduced what appeared to be a very strange button arrangement. LG designed the G2 to be a very thin smartphone, so instead of placing the power and volume buttons on the side of the G2, LG chose to place them on the back of the smartphone. LG believes that by moving the buttons to the rear, you actually have more control using the smartphone since your fingers naturally rest in that position while being held.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Apple offers to fix rare iPhone 5 glitch

SAN FRANCISCO – Apple Inc has offered to replace faulty on-off buttons on the iPhone 5, a rare glitch that it said on Friday affected "a small percentage" of the previous-generation smartphones.

Apple said on its user-support page that "iPhone 5 models manufactured through March 2013 may be affected by this issue," in which the button, also known as a sleep/wake mechanism, stops functioning or works only intermittently.

It did not say how many phones were shipped with the faulty mechanism. Owners can type in their iPhone serial numbers on Apple's website to see if their phones qualify for a fix, then either take their gadgets to a store or mail them in to be repaired.

Apple offers to replace faulty iPhone 5 on-off buttons for free

Apple on Friday said it would replace power buttons that are not working properly on some iPhone 5handsets.

iPhone owners with the problem can enter their phone's serial number into Apple's support website and, if the phone is eligible, the company will repair it for free.

Apple said the on-off -- or "sleep-wake" in Apple parlance -- issue affected only a "small percentage" of iPhone 5 users, causing the button to work intermittently or to flat out stop working.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Three iPhone Cases with Secret Identities

Apple pours millions into producing the sleekest, thinnest, most beautiful phones allowed by the laws of physics. We get them home, and what do we do?

We entomb them in blobs of mass-produced silicone rubber.

You know: cases. For protection, for grippiness, maybe to express our individuality.

But I say if you’re going to saddle yourself with the bulk and ugliness of an iPhone case, you may as well get some extra mileage out of it. Fortunately, the world teems with bizarre and wonderful double-duty cases. There are, for example, cases that turn your iPhone into a stun gun, a bottle opener, or a Swiss Army knife.

The Sleek, Large-Screen iPhone 6 Emerges As The Leaks Suddenly Get Physical

The iPhone 6 will be just a little smaller than the just-released Samsung Galaxy S5, and virtually identical to the Nexus 5, but thinner. This is the conclusion of Toronto-based mobile device expert Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy, based on a prototype of a case for the forthcoming iPhone 6 procured by the leak-o-sphere’s Australian prodigy, Sonny Dickson. In a video released yesterday (see end of this post), Hilsenteger does a Goldilocks comparison of a mockup of the iPhone 6 inside the leaked case and the current iPhone 5s (too small), the Galaxy Note 3 (too big) and the Nexus 5 (just right!).

What is significant about the video is that this case represents the first tangible physical evidence of what the form factor of the iPhone 6 will be. Dickson himself released some shadowy images of purported case backscovered in cling film back in February. The actual case backs of the iPhone 5s and 5c that Dickson obtained almost two months before those phones’ official reveal was the biggest clue to what those products turned out to be during the last iPhone cycle (which I covered extensively in these pages). The latest Dickson photos from February were less convincing to me than the clearly detailed videos that showed hands rotating the 5s and 5c case backs had been. Why was the cling film not removed? Was it disguising a cheap 3d printed prototype? Why was the power button located so low?

Read more...

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Larger iPhone 6 may be delayed due to battery issues

A reportfrom Taiwanese website Commercial News is claiming that Apple had planned to launch two models of the iPhone 6 this year, a 4.7-inch "traditional" device and a much larger 5.5 inch device - however issues with battery production may have put a major hold on the larger handset, with its release now looking increasingly unlikely this calendar year.

The issue seems to centre on the fact that Apple wants the device to remain as thin as possible, requiring a battery no thicker than 2 mm, but current battery technology typically comes in at around 2.8 mm, meaning that Apple will either have to relax its requirements (highly unlikely given the company's attention to aesthetic detail) or they'll need to wait until battery technology has caught up with its demands, potentially pushing plans for a larger device into next year, or beyond.

Here are a bunch of iPhone apps that are way better than Apple’s own apps

Your iPhone comes with a bunch of standard apps right out of the box.

But since the App Store launched in 2008, developers have found ways to improve on the basic apps that come with your iPhone. For every basic app like Calendar, Music, and Weather, there’s a better alternative.

We rounded up some of the best alternative apps that can make your iPhone so much better.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

HTC's marketing has gotten better, but it still needs work

HTC is no stranger to the ups and downs of the industry. From being one of the best to one of the worst, HTC has done it all. At this point in time, you could say that HTC is doing pretty well for themselves - maybe not as great as they once were, but they’re able to turn themselves around, which is more than some companies are able to say. The success of the HTC One last year came as a surprise to many (in a good way), but if HTC wants to continue seeing profits rise, it seems like they would have to do some adjusting to their marketing approach.

I feel like HTC is doing a better job this year than they did last year in terms of visibility, but somehow the slogan “Just Ask The Internet” doesn’t really stick with me as much as something like, say, Samsung’s “The Next Big Thing Is Here”. Both come off as confident, except for HTC’s slogan puts them in dangerous territory. Certain parts of the Internet love the HTC One... and certain parts don’t. It just kind of leaves the door open to some of the negativity that surrounds the device (for example, HTC's decision to keep the same camera that was on the original One).

10 “hidden” Samsung Galaxy S5 features you probably already know about (as told by Samsung)

Many people are of the popular opinion that TouchWiz has gotten bloated beyond repair. No matter which side of that line you stand on, TouchWiz on the Samsung Galaxy S5 is packed with more features than you know. Samsung has detailed 10 hidden features that many of us may or may not have known about. Grab your Galaxy S5 and get ready to dive in:

You can write on it with a Pencil. For those times where a finger just isn’t enough. On a more normal note, we’re glad it doesn’t require a capacitive stylus for pen input. How to do it: Settings, then Display, then enable the ‘Increase touch sensitivity’ feature.
Tilt the phone to construct a smart playlist. You can turn the phone to landscape mode while in the music player to get a smart playlist based on the currently playing song. Neato

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

HTC One (M8) has the fastest touch response yet at 46ms: Report

While there are quite a lot of selling points with which HTC can market its new flagship One (M8), there is now one more achievement which the company can add - the lowest display latency.

According to tests performed by Lesnumeriques.fr, the HTC One (M8)'s average touch response time has been measured as 46 milliseconds. This, according to the Lesnumeriques, makes the One (M8) the fastest tested mass-market smartphone so far. Usually display latency (average touch response time) is measured in milliseconds, and usually ranges between 80ms and 250ms in most modern smartphones. Notably, the display latency is usually larger in tablets.

Review: HTC One M8 lacks game-changing selling feature

TORONTO -- For some longtime smartphone users, Apple's iPhones and Samsung's Galaxy phones are starting to feel a little boring.

Sure, the newest models are always packed with a good number of incremental upgrades that keep the devices top of mind for most buyers.

But it's been a while since the tech giants have released a new killer feature that's really taken the world by storm.

HTC is hoping that represents an opening for its new smartphone, the HTC One M8, which is officially available through Bell, Rogers and Telus next week.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Samsung Electronics Co profit falls for second straight quarter on cheaper smartphone prices

SEOUL, South Korea — Declining smartphone prices hit profit at Samsung Electronics Co. for a second straight quarter.

The consumer technology heavyweight said Tuesday that it expects operating income of about 8.4 trillion won (US$8 billion) for the January-March quarter, down 4% from a year earlier. Sales were flat at 53 trillion won. Samsung, the world’s largest maker of smartphones, televisions and memory chips, will release full quarterly results later this month.

The operating profit was in line with the median estimate by analysts surveyed by FactSet. Compared with the previous quarter, sales sank 11% while operating income inched up 1%.

Samsung Galaxy S5 review: One of the best phones you can buy

About a year ago, Samsung launched one of the most hyped smartphones, the Galaxy S4. It had a lengthy list of special features, but failed to impress critics because it was too confusing and difficult to use.

This year, Samsung took a step back with its newest flagship phone, the Galaxy S5, and refined the experience to focus on the stuff people care about the most like screen size, camera and battery life. The Galaxy S5 isn’t as beautiful as rival devices like the HTC One and iPhone 5S, but it is much more user friendly and inviting than previous Samsung phones. And in many ways, it trumps its competitors thanks to a superior screen and excellent camera performance.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Will Apple’s iPhone 6 Cost Too Much?

The high end of the smartphone market -- one in which Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) plays pretty much exclusively -- appears to have saturated. Now, while some may mistake this for "on the decline," the fact of the matter is that this segment as a whole isn't growing anywhere nearly as much as the broader smartphone market. In order to grow, Apple needs to gain more share at the high end. The upcoming iPhone 6 is Apple's best shot at a return to profit growth.

The iPhone 6 will be more expensive to makeA faster processor, more RAM, larger chassis, bigger/higher resolution screen, and other goodies don't come cheap. Apple needs to pay for it. Now, there's no doubt that it will squeeze its suppliers to the extent that it can, but even still, it would be remarkable if Apple actually found a way to keep the cost of its next-generation iPhone 6 flat relative to the 5s.

iPhone 6 & Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Concepts Compare Rumors

New iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4concepts borrow from their respective rumor mills and bring rumors to life well ahead of the iPhone 6 and Galaxy Note 4 releases later on this year.

While we wait for Apple and Samsung to announce their rumored iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphones, designers have taken it upon themselves to produce their own concepts. Many of these concepts are based on future technology, others, like the ones we’re about to show you, borrow from real life rumors.

Rumors suggest that the next iPhone might come in two different sizes. The iPhone 6 rumor mill states that Apple might release a new iPhone that’s around 4.5-inches to 4.7-inches and another that is over 5-inches in size. The 5+-inch iPhone 6 would be a direct challenger to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung’s 5.7-inch smartphone, and the rumored Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

You can make your own HTC One M8 Dot View case, but I wouldn’t recommend it

HTC’s fancy new case for its flagship One M8 is bordering on brilliant, but it’s also $50 and kind of flimsy. What would happen if you tried to make your own version of the Dot View case? We decided to give it a shot to find out, and the end result was… well, just look for yourself.

It didn’t take long to figure out the basics of the Dot View case. Basically, there’s a small magnet hidden between the layers of rubber on the front flap, behind the HTC logo. There is also a tiny sheet of metal in the back side of the case. These two offer just enough magnetic force to activate a trigger mechanism in the phone that allows it to understand the case is in place and then when the case is open or closed.

Read more...

HTC One M8 To Hit Dubai Shelves On April 4, Special Gold Edition Planned

Phone manufacturer HTC unveiled its latest smartphone the HTC One (M8) in Dubai on Wednesday, and announced that the device will be available for sale across the UAE and Saudi Arabia from Friday, April 4.

The phone will be priced at Dhs2,750 in the UAE and SAR2,800 in Saudi Arabia.

Nikitas Glykas, executive director, HTC MEA described the device as a “premium product, such as an expensive watch or a fine piece of jewellery.”

The phone, almost 90 per cent metal, features a 5-inch, full HD (1080p) display and a Super LCD3 touch screen with Gorilla Glass 3. It comes with HTC’s new interface — Sense 6 and is supported by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.3 GHz quad-core processor.

Samsung Galaxy S 5 gets drop tested, holds up remarkably well

Many people knock Samsung for making its phones out of plastic, but there’s something to be said for their durability. A new drop test from TechSmartt pits the Galaxy S5 against the Galaxy S 4 and shows both phones holding up surprisingly well. However, the Galaxy S5 really takes the cake, surviving four drops and being run over by an SUV.

Read more...

Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone and three new Gear watches coming April 11

WITH THE LATEST version of its Galaxy S smartphone, Samsung has tried to focus less on the technical marvels, and more on the everyday user. The Galaxy S5 becomes available on April 11, and in a press briefing on Tuesday (April 1), Ken Price explained that Samsung wants to “become more about what people are doing with the phone”.

Which is why many of the features he highlighted during his presentation in a suite at the Fairmont Pacific Rim are upgrades to basic mobile traits: better networking and greater resistance to the elements, in particular.

Price, the vice president of sales and marketing for Samsung Canada’s mobile division, explained that “people are using these outside, they’re dropping them”, so the new GS5 has been constructed to withstand a metre of water for 30 minutes and is better at keeping out dirt and dust. But he warned that the GS5 is not a “ruggedized” device. “It is not an underwater camera,” he half-joked.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is a great camera, with an OK phone

The Nokia Lumia 1020’s 41 megapixel camera is, simply put, a beast. It sets the smartphone apart from its contemporaries, with the gap made wider still by its excellent colour reproduction, exceptional low-light shooting and digital zoom performance. Nokia’s hardware and software allows photographers to capture more detailed images, zoom, crop and cut photos that feature greater clarity and detail than what most smartphone currently cameras are capable of.

As for what the rest of the Lumia 1020 offers users? Well, that’s another story.

Available to Rogers and Telus cellular customers, the Lumia 1020 with its matte finish and 10.4 mm x 130.4 mm x 71.4 mm size, feels and looks like any number of other monolithic Android or Windows Phone 8 handsets on the market today, save the camera lens and flash assembly jutting out of the back of the handset. Unless you have large hands or long fingers, this protrusion likely won’t get in the way while you’re holding it. Unfortunately, unless you have large hands or long fingers, you also won’t be able to reach the top of the Lumia 1020’s 4.5-inch 1280 x 768 display. But the same follows for a lot of handsets these days. While the phone is well built and feels solid to the touch, it doesn’t offer the same confidence-inspiring heft offered by premium handsets like the iPhone 5s or the HTC One M8. In short, the handset feels… adequate. You likely won’t destroy it through the casual abuse most of us heap on our smartphones during the course of a two-year cellular contract. But there are other handsets out there that are a whole lot more hardy.

LG G Flex review: The shape of things to come?

Smartphone manufacturers stick to their guns all too often, with few daring to deviate from what has been a winning formula in the past.

This criticism certainly does not apply to LG, which has brought us one of the most unconventionally-shaped handsets we have ever seen in the shape of the LG G Flex.

This 6-inch Android device is among the first to come with a fully curved display, but are there really any benefits to this novel design quirk?
Read more...

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)