www.tech-sanity.com
Original Geekbench benchmarks had revealed that Apple's new iPhone 5 is powered by a 1.02 GHz ARMv7 processor with 1GB RAM.
But it looks like iPhone 5's A6 chip is much more powerful as it has been clocked at 1.3GHz by a new version of Geekbench 2 - an iOS benchmarking app, that hit the App Store today.
Primate Labs John Poole told Engadget that the new version of Geekbench 2 app "features a dramatically improved processor frequency detection algorithm, which consistently reports the A6's frequency as 1.3GHz."
He said: "Earlier versions of Geekbench had trouble determining the A6's frequency, which lead to people claiming the A6's frequency as 1.0GHz as it was the most common value Geekbench reported."
Teardown of iPhone 5's A6 chip has revealed that it is powered by a dual-core CPU and triple-core graphics processing unit (GPU).
Performance tests carried out on Apple's dual-core A6 chip with triple-core graphics has validated Apple's claim that iPhone 5's A6 chip is twice as fast as iPhone 4S's A5 chip. The benchmarks have also determined that iPhone 5 is the world's fastest smartphone currently.
Performance benchmark results have also shown that iPhone 5's A6 chip runs at variable frequency, ranging from 800MH to 1.3GHz. Our iPhone 5 unit regularly displays 1.29GHz (it reported 1.10GHz initially), but as you can see above, a screenshot from an Engadget reader displays 1.30GHz.
www.tech-sanity.com
A major security vulnerability has been discovered in some TouchWiz-based Samsung smartphones, including the Galaxy S2 and certain Galaxy S3 models. Security researcher Ravi Borgaonkar at the Ekoparty security conference discovered it several days ago. . It involves the use of a single line of code in a malicious web page to immediately trigger a factory reset without prompting the user, or allowing them to cancel the process. Even more serious is the possibility that this could be paired with a similar glitch to render the user's SIM card inoperable. And as the malicious code is in URI form, it can also be delivered via NFC or QR code.
Various Samsung phones seem to be affected such as Galaxy 2 and 3, the Galaxy Ace and Galaxy Beam. As far as we can tell, though, the bug does not affect Samsung phones running stock Android, like the Galaxy Nexus. So it's Touchwoxz relalated.
The vulnerability is the result of the way the native Samsung dialer app handles USSD codes and telephone links. USSD codes are special combinations of characters that can be entered in the keypad to perform certain functions, like enabling call forwarding, or accessing hidden menus on the device. On Samsung phones, there's also a USSD code for factory resetting the phone (and presumably another for nuking your SIM). This, combined with the fact that the dialer automatically runs telephone links that are passed to it by other apps, results in a particularly nasty issue for anyone unfortunate enough to run by a malicious web page.
There are, of course, other applications of this glitch -- for example, the ability to automatically run numbers through the dialer could be used to call premium-rate phone numbers. But the fact that just visiting a web site could factory reset your phone, wipe your internal storage and nuke your SIM is a very serious issue. So we'd advise you update your software if you're running an S3, and if you're not, we'd recommend using a third-party dialer like Dialer One until all this has blown over.
The Kim Dotcom saga continues to unfold in New Zealand after the country’s prime minister ordered a full enquiry into claims that the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) unlawfully spied on the Megaupload founder.
New Zealand PM John Key called the GCSB’s efforts to intercept Dotcom communications illegal after it emerged that the agency — the country’s equivalent of the FBI – had wiretapped his communications as part of the sting without receiving the necessary authority and permissions, Investigate Magazine reports.
A statement from Key, in which the prime minister “expressed his disappointment that unlawful acts had taken place”, read:
“I expect our intelligence agencies to operate always within the law. Their operations depend on public trust. I look forward to the Inspector-General’s inquiry getting to the heart of what took place and what can be done about it because this is also a matter for the High Court in its consideration of the Megaupload litigation.”
Dotcom took to Twitter to welcome the enquiry and he likened the latest twist to that of a James Bond film:
I welcome the inquiry by @johnkeypm into unlawful acts by the GCSB. Please extend the inquiry to cover the entire Crown Law Mega case.
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) September 24, 2012
I’m now a real life James Bond villain in a real life political copyright thriller scripted by Hollywood & the White House.
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) September 24, 2012
Authorities have been criticized for the perceived mishandling of a number of issues around Dotcom’s arrest and subsequent trial.
Police have been accused of acting with a heavy hand when footage of the raid on Dotcom’s mansion was aired in national television. Multiple helicopters and several police vehicles converging on his mansion while the multi-millionaire German Dotcom claimed he had been punched, kicked, kneed and otherwise treated unfairly during his arrest.
Authorities suffered a significant blow in June when the New Zealand high court ruled that search warrants for the raid were invalid.
Despite the trial ongoing Dotcom has continued his efforts to revive the Megaupload service and today he claimed that work is now 90 percent complete. Developers were offered early access to the project last month.
The Megaupload founder, formerly Kim Schmitz, is also working on music service Megabox, which he said will launch before the end of the year alongside a revamped Megaupload, that is said will not be operation in the US.
The US Department of Justice closed Megaupload down in January, in what it called one of the largest cases of copyright fraud ever. While there may have been infringing content on the site, many of its users have lost photos, files and other memories stored to the backup service.
Dotcom extradition hearing is set to take place in March 2013. The date was rescheduled from August 2012 following a series of issues relating to the way that police has handled the case.
www.tech-sanity.com
Benchmarks that rate RAM, processor speed, browser speed, JavaScript and graphics capabilities of various smartphone published by PC Magazine let the publication to declare the iPhone 5 "the fastest smartphone in the land" and able to substantially surpass rivals like Samsung's Galaxy S III and Motorola's Droid Razr M, the latter of which was just released last week (the S III came out in June). The iPhone 5 was more than twice as fast as any previous iPhone model, even when they were updated to iOS 6.
Graphics and JavaScript appear to be the strong suits of the new iPhone, with its GPU (said in recent examinations of the A6 to be a triple-core setup) in some cases doubling the score achieved by the Razr M and the S III and offering substantial improvements in every area tested. The iPhone 5 had previously broken a record for smartphones in the JavaScript-testing SunSpider benchmark. Even more impressive was the improvement in the iPhone 5 when compared to earlier models of iPhone.
In both Browsermark (browser testing) and Sunspider, Apple's claim of "twice as fast" as the iPhone 4S was seen as no exaggeration. In the Geekbench suite, scores were generally more than double, and in one instance (the streaming memory test) results showed a full tripling over the iPhone 4S. As mentioned, graphics testing showed the iPhone 5 easily doubling scores achieved by the 4S, and the gap grows further when older models such as the iPhone 3GS are tested.
Compared to an original iPhone running iOS 3.1.3, the iPhone five is more than 20 times faster in browsing almost 20 times faster in graphics, and five times faster in JavaScript. Tests with Geekbench focusing on RAM, along with GLBenchmark (which measures graphics) could only be compared as far back as the iPhone 3G running iOS 4.2.1, but still showed the iPhone 5 as generally 10-15 times faster in RAM and between five and 10 times faster in graphics.
Though the award for "world's fastest smartphone" won't last long -- rivals are already planning next year's competitors -- the fact that the iPhone 5 exceeds by a substantive margin its top rivals in almost all measures of "speed" may be a crucial selling point heading into the holiday buying season. In addition to the advantages that come to the iPhone naturally from the company's "cool" factor and the improvements in iOS 6 down to the improved build quality of the hardware, being "the fastest" on the market -- and likely to keep that crown for a little while -- is (for some) the most important factor apart from price in making a buying decision amongst a rapidly-growing field of quality smartphones. It provides at least as much of an edge as does being the only new model with access to the world's largest App Store for a certain segment of the market. [via PCMag]
www.tech-sanity.com
As promised, Microsoft is issuing a security patch for a Flash vulnerability on Windows 8 in Internet Explorer 10. Though the operating system has yet to see its official public release, researchers testing the RTM version found a bug that could cause Flash to crash and allow for attackers to take control of a user's machine. Additionally, the company is rolling out an update to address a security hole in Internet Explorer versions 7 and 8 on Windows XP -- and IE 9 on Windows 7 and Windows Vista -- which left the door open for hackers to spread malware via a specially designed Flash animation. Both security patches are available via Microsoft's Windows Update service.
HTC announced the new Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S smartphones. The 8X and 8S represent a new focus on Windows Phone for HTC. Microsoft has committed to a heavy promotion of HTC's new devices, and it's even gone so far as to call them the "Signature of the Windows Phone 8 brand. HTC's new flagship Windows Phone. The 8Xs t packs a 1.5 GHz, dual-core Snapdragon S4 chipset and 4.3-inch 1280x720 display good for a PPI of 342 and It's light and thin as well. The tapered edges of and soft-touch finish of the make the phone easy to hold, though you do feel the edges dig into your palm a little when you grip it. The screen is beautiful. Deep blacks, and eye-popping colors that immediately impress you.The combination of the screens responsiveness, the beefed-up processor, and OS improvements really make for an experience that's fast and fluid. The 8X keeps pace with the Lumia 920 in nearly every category, and even bests it in a few. It has LTE, a gig of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera (with dedicated button), a 2-megapixel front camera, 1080p video recording, NFC, and Beats Audio enhancement with an "enhanced" headphone amp (of course). The one major downside to the phone is that it's only available in a 16 gigabyte storage capacity, and has no expandable storage. And while it does have a slightly smaller, but comparable, 1800 mAh battery and a slightly smaller screen than the 4.5-inch Lumia 920, those may not end up being negatives if battery life is the same and you prefer a smaller screen.
But that's not the only phone HTC has in tow; the HTC 8S is the cheaper, smaller sibling to the 8X with specs that reflect that across the board. Whether its the 4-inch, 800x400 Super LCD, the 1 GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU, the 512 megabytes of RAM, lack of LTE, or the 5-megapixel camera (with no front cam), there's no room for debate as to which phone is better. The one plus is that because it only has 4 gigabytes of storage, HTC included a microSD slot for system expansion. But those looking for a cheap-ish Windows Phone could probably find worse.
Looking at the 8X and 8S, with their loud color schemes and boxy designs, Nokia's design influence is apparent. It's almost as if HTC took Nokia's playbook, lifted the pages about design, and then made some strikingly Lumia-like devices. All of this with Microsoft's blessing, approval, backing, and on-stage support from Microsoft's CEO.
Nokia has put a lot into the Windows Phone platform. Unlike HTC, Nokia is betting its whole hand on WIndows Phone, and it has developed a number of differentiating software features for its Windows Phone smartphones. Nokia Drive, Nokia Music, and Nokia's Camera Lenses are all valuable software additions that Nokia brings to Windows Phone. HTC, on the other hand, is focusing mainly on hardware features to separate its Windows Phone 8 smartphones from others, and it hasn't done the extensive software development on the platform that Nokia has. Likewise, HTC does have its line of Android devices to fall back on, should Windows Phone 8 fail, but Nokia doesn't have a backup platform if things go south.
Both phones will begin shipping in November on AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, in an array of very bright colors (reds, blues, yellows) or just black. Pricing has yet to be finalized, but HTC would hope to keep both phones under $200 with contract. [HTC]
Nokia Lumia 920, you have some serious competition here.
www.tech-sanity.com
iPhoto for iPhone and iPad have been updated with support for iOS 6 and also includes a slew of new features including coaching tips, new ink effects, support for 36.5 megapixel photos, and more.
• Added support for iPod touch (4th generation and later)
• Coaching tips have been added to the Help system on the iPhone and iPod touch
• Effects now include six new Apple-designed ink effects such as Chalk and Palette Knife
• Images up to 36.5 megapixels are now supported*
• Full resolution photos can now be imported via iTunes File Sharing
• Tag albums can be created by adding custom tags to photos
• "Updating Library" alert appears less frequently
• Multiple photos can now be saved to the Camera Roll at one time
• Cropping presets now use detected faces to determine composition
• Tilt-shift and gradient effects can now be rotated
• Facebook sharing now supports single sign-on in Settings
• Comments can be added more easily when posting photos to Facebook
• Videos can be uploaded to Facebook
• Locations and friend tags can now be set when posting photos to Facebook
• Comments and locations can be set on individual photos when sharing a group of photos to Facebook
• Any photo previously posted to Facebook can be more easily replaced with a more current version
• A notification is now displayed when an upload to Facebook completes in the background
• Photos can now be shared directly to Cards, iMovie, and other supporting apps
• Journals now include new layout options
• Fonts and alignment of text in journal items can be modified
• New style and color options are available for Note and Memory items in journals
• Journal Note and Memory items can now be resized
• Dividers can be added to break journal pages into sections to control the reflow of layouts
• A new Swap mode makes it easier to change the placement of items in a journal layout
• You can now place a pin on a journal map when no location data is present
• Links to journals can now be shared directly to Facebook and Twitter, and via Messages
• Links to remote journals can now be shared even if the journal was created on another device
• A new Publish Changes button provides control over when to update your journal
• An overlay displaying month and year now appears when scrolling in Photos view
• Photos can now be sorted by date and can be filtered using new criteria
• Photos view now includes a Power Scroll strip for high-speed scrolling
• Grid of thumbnails can now be expanded to multiple rows in portrait orientation
www.tech-sanity.com
It’s tandem operating system updates for Apple today. After rolling out iOS 6 this morning, as promised, the company issued an update for OS X Mountain Lion, its desktop operating system.
OS X 10.8.2 is a major update to Mountain Lion, with some important new features — one in particular: Facebook integration. Also on board: Support for Passbook, Apple’s location-aware mobile wallet app, and some tweaks to iMessage and FaceTime that route messages and video chats to the Mac. Here’s the full change log:
This update is recommended for all OS X Mountain Lion users, and includes new features and fixes:
Facebook
- Single sign on for Facebook
- Adds Facebook as an option when sharing links and photos
- See Facebook friends’ contact information and profile pictures in Contacts
- Facebook notifications now appear in Notification Center
Game Center
- Share scores to Facebook, Twitter, Mail, or Messages
- Facebook friends are included in Game Center friend recommendations
- Added Facebook “Like” button for games
- Challenge friends to beat your score or achievement
Other new features
- Adds Power Nap support for MacBook Air (Late 2010)
- iMessages sent to your phone number now appear in Messages on your Mac
- You can now add passes to Passbook (on your iPhone or iPod touch) from Safari and Mail on your Mac
- FaceTime can now receive calls sent to your phone number
- New shared Reminders lists
- New sort options allow you to sort notes by title, the date you edited them, and when you created them
- Dictation now supports additional languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Korean, Canadian English, Canadian French, and Italian
- Dictionary app now includes a French definition dictionary
- Sina Weibo profile photos can now be added to Contacts
www.tech-sanity.com
When Windows 8 Consumers Preview was released, reaction was somewhat mixed from users and tech pundits alike. Much has been changed from past Windows versions and the software giant wants to merge both tablets and desktop UI into one single package. Since its a hybrid OS, desktop users doesn’t seem to look any happy. Along with revamped UI, unified desktop/tablet usage, and other enhancements, there are many features that have been either reworked, or removed for good. One of these features that is reworked, is application handling. Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows 8 handles running applications in a different way. As you know that Windows 8 is optimized for both PCs and tablets, and features metro style applications, which run in the Metro UI environment. The metro applications behave similar to that of Android/iOS apps (well, that’s the closest example i can think of). For instance, when you move to home screen (i.e. the Metro Start Screen) while using a metro app, the OS suspends the application to conserve CPU resources for other apps. Even though this reduces the load time of metro apps, suspended applications (apps running in the background) do consume memory resources, which can be serious problem if you don’t have enough memory at your disposal. In this post, we will show you a few ways to properly quit Metro apps.
There are 4 different ways to close/shutdown the Metro apps that Windows 8 provides you with. The first method involves the use of Switch List that contains all the running metro applications. Its fairly easy, to close an app from the Switch List, right click the app and select Close to shut down the app.
Next up, is using the task manager, you can easily quit the metro applications. It shows you all the currently running Metro apps in the Task Manager. Just Right click the running app and select End Task to close it.
The above mentioned methods let you close the Metro apps from outside the application interface. However, if you want to close the app without having to open Task Manager or access the Switch List, you can grab the App window from the top end and drag it all the way down to the bottom of the screen. This will immediately close the metro style application. You can also close any running metro style app using the Alt+F4 hotkey combination.
www.tech-sanity.com
AnandTech published the first SunSpider Javascript benchmarks for the iPhone 5. SunSpider measures Javascript performance which runs in web browsers.
Figures where impressive and it looks like it is leading the pack.
The chart below shows that better than a bunch of words.
Smaller numbers are better, so the final score of 914.7ms is better than all of the other devices on the chart and is the fastest SunSpider test they've ever recorded for a smartphone. The iPhone 5 is two and a half times as fast as the iPhone 4S (2250ms) and notably faster than the Samsung Galaxy S III (1442.9-1824.9ms).
Javascript is used as a measure of web browser performance, but the final score can be impacted by both the processor as well as the particular Javascript implementation on the device. Javascript is a common area of optimization due to its common usage on websites and may have been improved in iOS 6 which ships with the iPhone 5. AnandTech notes that the superior performance is likely a reflection of the Apple A6's improved memory subsystem.
www.tech-sanity.com
Here we going some concrete dates at last.
Microsoft officials confirmed on September 17 that Windows 8 will launch in New York City on October 25.
Here's the "Save the Date" invitation:
Microsoft is still not sharing the specific venue, time or agenda for the launch. Microsoft officials did share that there will be a Manhattan holiday pop-up store opening this fall, but declined to say whether it would be open in time for the Windows 8 launch.
Microsoft is making Windows 8 -- and Surface RT, its first tablet running the Windows RT on ARM version of the product -- available commercially on October 26.
New York City has been Microsoft's chosen site for many of its recent Windows launches, including Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.
www.tech-sanity.com
Windows 8 Tablet pricing is starting to dematerialise and it's looking bait bit steeper than Microsoft has lead us to believe.
First up: Asus has a trio of Windows 8 tablets on deck for the holidays, but the pricing is so high---$599 to $1,299 for a hybrid---that it's going to be nearly impossible to compete in the marketplace.
The challenges here are obvious despite Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's talk of a sweet spot.
In a nutshell:
• Asus isn't a business brand yet it is pricing its Windows tablet as if there were some enterprise secret sauce. Asus roadmap only highlighted upcoming products not the big sales pitch to differentiate these tablets.
• Also included in Asus' roadmap are details about 12 and 13-inch laptops. What's truly odd is that one laptop is $549 and the next-gen Transformer is $1,399. The Transformer Book is billed as "one device for two personalities between tablet and notebook."
• Consumers will balk at these tablet prices and a) either opt for a laptop or b) go with a cheaper tablet such as Apple's iPad or any variety of Android.
The roadmap here is preliminary in that Asus could change its pricing before the tablets launch along with Windows 8. But if the pricing sticks these tablets could have rough sledding ahead. Given the pricing fumbles of OEMs, it's no wonder that Microsoft has cooked up its Surface tablet. After all, Microsoft has the resources to lose money---just look at the billions lost in the search wars---in the name of market share.
www.tech-sanity.com
Motorola just launched an Android-powered desktop computer in China that hosts all sorts of home entertainment content. The HMC3260 has an 18.5-inch LED touchscreen that can play TV shows, movies, play games, browse the web, and otherwise run Android apps. Motorola partnered up with a cloud service provider called WASU to load this thing up with content. Here are the specs.
• Freescale i.MX53 ARM Cortex A8 1GHz
• Memory: 1 GB DDR RAM, 4 GB NAND flash memory.
• 18.5-inch LED display (1366x768 @ 60Hz, 16:9 widescreen)
• Android 2.3.4 operating system, customized Android Launcher with rich desktop experience
• TV and video client and integration
• Broadband internet access through EuroDOCSIS and LAN (PPPoE / DHCP +, etc.)
While Android is certainly no stranger to dipping its toes in the desktop computer world, it's not often we see big-name manufacturers create an all-out desktop device complete with a mouse and keyboard. It's still running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, so don't expect a whole lot from the Motorola HMC3260, but the concept sure is interesting.
There's no information on pricing or availability, but you can find more info at the source link below. Could you imagine an Android-powered device that would replace a traditional desktop computer? I'm looking at you, Transformer Prime owners.
www.tech-sanity.com
Microsoft helped disrupt more than 500 different strains of malware this week. in an attempt to deal to the Nitol botnet. Retailers in China selling computers with counterfeit versions of Windows loaded with malware where found and felt to. Microsoft discovered that 20 percent of the PCs its researchers purchased in China were infected with malware. Microsoft is calling on suppliers, resellers, distributors, and retailers to safeguard consumers from purchasing machines loaded with malware. "They need to adopt and practice stringent policies that ensure that the computers and software they purchase and resell come from trustworthy sources," says Microsoft's Richard Domingues Boscovich.
Microsoft has previously disrupted the Kelihos (around 100,000 machines) and Zeus botnets (around 13 million infections) by working closely with US officials. For this week's Nitol botnet disruption, a court granted Microsoft's request to takeover the 3322.org domain name, which hosted the Nitol botnet, through a DNS redirect — allowing the company to block Nitol and other malicious subdomains hosted at the site, including over 37 million malware connections. "Cybercriminals have made it clear that anyone with a computer could become an unwitting mule for malware," says Boscovich. "Today’s action is a step toward preventing that."
www.tech-sanity.com
The Wall Street Journal's Spencer Ante was lucky enough to try a pair of the glasses out for 10 minutes, and his verdict is mixed.
He explains that the glasses weigh just a few ounces, with an embedded camera and that all-important heads-up display we've long been hoping for, which projects data into the user's field of vision on a small screen above the right eye. He explains what they're like to use:
In all, the glasses are like a wearable smartphone, allowing the user to take pictures, send messages and perform other functions via voice-activated commands. For instance, say "OK, Glass" into one of the glasses' two microphones and a menu pops off to the side of your vision showing icons that will let you take a picture, record a video, use Google Maps or make a phone call.
After 10 minutes of playing with the glasses-which the company prefers to call Google Glass, since they don't have lenses-I could see their long-term potential. The device fit well. It was easy to snap a picture or video without taking my smartphone out of my pocket. It was cool to see the information there in front of my right eye, though a little disorienting. I kept closing my left eye, which was uncomfortable.
All told, it's clearly too early to tell how good the glasses will be, because the software that will provide most of their functionality isn't finished yet. Sergey Brin explained to Ante that the HUD mapping system wasn't ready, nor was the phone functionality. With a $1,500 early-adopter launch coming up next year, the pressure's on. [WSJ]
www.tech-sanity.com
We've seen and heard about many of the new features coming to iOS 6 already, but with the announcement of the iPhone 5, we now know exactly when it's coming: September 19.
Little has been added in the way of functionality aside from what we saw at WWDC, but it will be compatible with devices all the way back to the iPhone 3GS (along with the iPhone 4 and 4S, and the iPad 2 and New iPad). Below is a rundown of the new features, and if you're unfamiliar with what's already been announced in iOS 6 there's a quick rundown of the other notable features.
iMessage: With the latest iOS 6 beta, Apple quietly introduced the ability to send, receive and sync iMessages between multiple devices, even if its sent to your phone number. Messaging on iOS is now a near seamless experience that allows you to pick up any of your Apple devices (or even Messages on Mountain Lion), and continue a previous conversation in stride
.
Wi-Fi + Cellular: A new secret little feature in iOS 6 is the ability to keep your cellular data alive if there's no internet available on a wi-fi network you might be connected to. Maybe you're on a network that's set up solely for AirPlay, or maybe you've setup an ad hoc connection with a wi-fi flash drive. Either way, it's nice not to lose mobile data entirely. Also expect this to play nice with AirPlay direct.
Siri: The search functionality of Siri has been greatly expanded to fetch sports scores, list movie times and book tables at restaurants. It's almost to the point where it serves some practical function in our lives.
Maps: Gone are Google Maps. In its place is Apple's own home-cooked Maps app, complete with data from TomTom. From what we've seen so far, it's not a finished product quite yet, but the addition of 3D maps and turn-by-turn navigation are welcome additions to be sure.
Passbook: Apple's answer to Google Wallet and Pay With Square is Passbook. It will store your credit card data, customer rewards cards, coupons and plane tickets. And either with the use of a QR code or bluetooth, merchants can collect your payment info and send you on your way.
Facebook: Like being able to Tweet from anywhere in iOS? You can do the same with Facebook now. And as an added bonus, you can update Facebook and Twitter straight from notification center. Just be careful with contact sync, as Facebook will overwrite your contacts primary info with its own.
Facetime over 3G: Like Facetiming on the go? If you do, you can now do it over 3G without needing a wi-fi connection. Just as long as you're not on AT&T.
iCloud Tabs: iCloud tabs is a nice little feature that will allow you to access open Safari tabs on other iCloud connected devices. Pages viewed on iPhones, iPads, MacBooks (running Mountain Lion) can all be accessed from any device. A bit overdue, perhaps, but a welcome feature nonetheless.
YouTube: Apple's baked-in YouTube app is no longer available in iOS. Be sure to download Google's standalone app if you don't want to view YouTube vids in Safari.
www.tech-sanity.com
Apple's new Lightning connector, the replacement for the old 30-pin, and the way you'll be charging and syncing all your iPads, Pods, and Phones from now on.
According to Apple, the Lightning connector is more durable, reversible (making it easier to use), and "adaptive". It's 80 percent smaller than the old 30-pin. The cable itself is $20. And sadly, it's only USB 2.0. Ugh. There is an adapter to use old 30-pin gadgets with it, but it looks like it's over an inch thick, and is $30. There's a cable version of the adapter for $40.
Before today, Apple had used a 30-pin connector with its iPhones and iPods since 2003, when the third generation iPod switched over from FireWire.
The 30-pin connector was useful because it allowed Apple to use the connector to control accessories using only the iPod or iPhone in a way traditional USB connectors couldn't. But over the years, all the old tech stuffed into it became too heavy and too spacious an anchor, so Apple tossed it all out
www.tech-sanity.com
Apple announced it's new A6 chip for the iPhone 5. No word on whether it's quad core or not, but it's 22 percent smaller than the old A5 and has twice the GPU and graphics power. The A5 to the A5X was a huge graphics leap itself, so we'll let you know when we know more about it.
Apple is also claiming the A6 will help the camera take pictures 40 percent faster, and power better image stabilization, and photos from video.
As reference, the A5X at the time was billed as twice as powerful graphically as the A5 as well. So that's a little confusing, but we'll figure it out once the official specs come out. Either way, that soft stat represents a boost in CPU performance from the A5X. Apple also claims that it makes all these gains in performance while actively increasingly battery efficiency.
Cocktail napkin math would suggest that the A6 went to a 1GHz or 1.5GHz quad core processor, leaving behind the dual core A5x, but there's nothing official from Apple just yet.
For now, though, expect a boost in graphics, launch time, and battery life from the A6.
Apple finally putting its old, terrible earbuds to rest. The new ones, dubbed "EarPods" mark a bit of a shift, but still retain their iconic, white, hey-look-at-me-I've-got-an-iPhone-in-my-pocket color. Unlike the previous 'phones, these guys are the in-ear type, and will hopefully sound and fit a little better than the good old-fashioned kind. They'll be coming bundled with iPhone 5, the iPod Touch, and the iPod nano, and are also available separately starting now, and cost $29.
It might not be the biggest iPhone 5 update, or the one you're the most excited for, but it's probably the one that was the longest time coming. Hopefully they'll justify their weird look by being better than their.
www.tech-sanity.com
The iPhone 5 is announced and its thinner, taller 2x faster.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook took to the stage a short while ago at the Yerba Buena Centre, San Francisco, along with a bevy of other company executives and vice-presidents, to announce the sixth-generation iPhone.
In a small pocket of San Francisco, technology press gathered to learn what the new iPhone would look and feel like, despite the dozens of leaks that led up to today's announcement. Nonetheless, the news was in no way dampened by the series of cracks in Apple's tight-lipped mantra.
The new iPhone comes in 3 different flavors: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, costing $199, $299 and $399 respectively on a two-year contract. Pre-orders start on September 14 and Apple will begin shipping the devices September 21.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook took to the stage a short while ago at the Yerba Buena Center, San Francisco, along with a bevy of other company executives and vice-presidents, to announce the sixth-generation iPhone.
In a small pocket of San Francisco, technology press gathered to learn what the new iPhone would look and feel like, despite the dozens of leaks that led up to today's announcement. Nonetheless, the news was in no way dampened by the series of cracks in Apple's tight-lipped mantra.
The new iPhone comes in 3 different flavors: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, costing $199, $299 and $399 respectively on a two-year contract. Pre-orders start on Setember 14 and Apple will begin shipping the devices September 21.
iOS 6 will be released on September 19. It is available on the iPhone 4, 4S, 3GS, the iPad 2, iPad 3, and the fourth-generation iPod touch.
The iPhone 4 will replace the iPhone 3GS as Apple's entry-level smartphone, and will be free on a two-year contract.
Here's what Apple is serving up in the iPhone 5:
Apple's iPhone 5 event
A brand new design: The iPhone 5 is the thinnest phone Apple has ever made, with a 4-inch Retina display, boasting 1136 x 640 pixels (or 326 pixels per inch) with a 16:9 ratio. The screen is not wider as anticipated, however. The screen also has 44 percent more color saturation than the iPhone 4S.
The iPhone 5 is also taller to accommodate an extra line of apps in the home screen. The handset is also 18 percent thinner, at 7.6mm the device is 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S at 112g.
Global 4G LTE connectivity: Dubbed "Ultrafast Wireless," the handset now includes HDPA+, DC-HSPDA, and 4G LTE for global next-generation networking. LTE is on a single chip for voice and data. The handset has a dynamic antenna that allows the phone to switch between different networks.
Available on Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon in the U.S.; Softbank, Smartone, Singtel, SK Telecom in Asia; and Deutsche Telekom and EE in Europe.
The iPhone 5 also includes 802.11n Wi-Fi networking (2.4GHz and 5GHz), allowing for speeds up to 150Mbps.
Improved processor: The A6 debuts in the new iPhone, a processor that is twice as fast as the A5 chip and twice as fast in graphics as well, making way for faster performance. It's also 22 percent smaller than the A5 in the iPhone 4S.
Battery life improvements: The battery now exceeds that of the iPhone 4S, allowing for 8 hours of 3G talk time, 3G browsing and LTE browsing. It accommodates 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing. Crucially, the device will last on standby for 225 hours.
iSight camera: Featuring an 8 megapixel camera, it takes photos at 3264 x 2448 resolution. It also has backside illumination and a five-element lens. The camera itself is 25 percent smaller.
The new A6 chip has a "smart filter" and image signal processor that allows for 40 percent quicker photo taking, even in low-light conditions.
Users can also take 1080p video, and the stabilization has improved. It features face detection for up to 10 people.
'Lightning' dock connector: An 80 percent smaller dock connector. Accessory makers have been working with Apple to support new peripherals. Apple will also provide an adapter for the old 30-pin dock connector, which has been used since 2003.
A quick rundown of the other hardware specifications:
• FaceTime HD with 720p support;
• FaceTime now works over 3G with iOS 6;
• Speaker has five magnets, up from two, featuring better quality and using 20 percent less space;
• Noise cancelling improvements, called "Wideband audio."
And last, but most certainly not least:
iOS 6: Despite the new iPhone design and the wealth of new features, ultimately it will be the software that carries the next-generation smartphone. Dubbed the "world's most advanced mobile operating system," Apple will make the latest mobile software available to download for older devices later this month.
Included with iOS 6 we have:
• Maps: Maps have been built up completely from the ground. iOS no longer users Google Maps, but instead has its own in-house solution. It includes traffic notifications, 3D graphics, and driving directions. A new "Flyover" feature allows users to see 3D satellite imagery and 3D buildings in non-satellite view.
• Panorama: As the leaks suggested, the new iSight camera allows for panoramic photo taking, up to 28 megapixels in total. The iPhone takes slices of photos and stiches them together in realtime, creating a seamless transition between the individual photos taken.
• Passbook: Passbook keeps your boarding passes, store cards and e-ticket details all in one place. If you're airline or coffee shop supports Passbook -- many already are -- your passes appear when you reach the airport or the store where you can check-in or redeem your gift card or coupon. If, for example, your gate changes after you have checked in, Passbook will tell you where you need to go next.
• Facebook integration: Facebook is integrated by default with iOS 6, in much of the same way Twitter was with iOS 5. Simply open up the Settings and install it directly to your device. It's integrated deep into the operating system. We'll see more of this later.
• Privacy improvements: Settings now includes a Privacy option. This follows the Path contact list uploading controversy earlier this year. Twitter was also embroiled in the privacy mess. Users are now explicitly asked for consent before any personal data is accessed within the iPhone or iPad.
• Do Not Disturb: Users can schedule the Do Not Disturb setting to prevent the device from making sounds during sleeping hours. However, if an important call comes through -- from your family members in an emergency, for instance -- your iPhone will still ring. If they ring back again shortly after, it will ring again.
A quick rundown of the other iOS 6 features:
• New fullscreen mode in Safari;
• iCloud syncronizing tabs in Safari;
• VIP in email, collecting messages from important people in one place;
• Siri improvements, now includes sports scores, movie timings, restaurant bookings;
• Siri can also update your Facebook status;
• Shared Photo Streams to share photo content with your friends;
• Enhancements to accessibility for those with disabilities;
www.tech-sanity.com
Not much extra to see here this is a review done by Engadget.
Only thing I would add and its a big thing not mentioned is the Amazon apps store and therefore the Kindle Fires are all only available in the US.
You CANNOT access the store outside of the USA so it makes these units totally useless for none USZ based users.
More Info
It was 10 months ago that we had a doppelgänger in our midst. Amazon unleashed the Kindle Fire to the world and we spent much of the beginning of our review comparing and contrasting it to the (even then a bit long-in-the-tooth) BlackBerry PlayBook. Now, finally, we can stop making that comparison -- at least for this, Amazon's current top-shelf tablet.
It's the Kindle Fire HD and it quite handily addresses nearly every concern that we had with the original Fire. It's thinner, lighter, faster and, yes, better looking. It's a huge step forward from that which came before and yet it still follows very much in the footsteps of its predecessor, existing as a physical portal to a digital marketplace with an alluring selection of premium content. Is it enough of an improvement to topple our current king of budget tablets, the Nexus 7? You'll just have to read on to find out.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD review
Hardware
To borrow a bit of cigarette marketing, the Kindle Fire HD has come a long way, baby.
www.tech-sanity.com
FireCore has released version 2.0 of its aTV Flash (black) program, which is specifically aimed at jailbroken second- and third-generation Apple TVs (the small black model that sells for $99). The new update is not yet working for the latest, 1080p-supporting black Apple TV, but brings a new Library View, integrated search, trakt.tv and Last.fm scrobbling, Recently Added displays and more to second-gen Apple TV units.
The software is a popular choice for owners of black (or the older "silver") Apple TV units that are either out of warranty or simply want the unit to be able to play video formats other than those stored and supported in iTunes. The program features it's own menu system that works alongside the usual Apple TV menu and features, but can show media files stored on network drives and other devices. The program supports video formats like MKV and AVI and features Internet access, Last.fm radio stations, subtitle support and other features.
The new version 2.0 features a Library View that indexes media from across devices and platforms and organizes movies, TV and music by tags and genre, release date, star rating, age rating and other optional criteria. TV show seasons are automatically recognized and sorted together. There is also now an integrated search so that users can type in partial titles, artists, filenames or other information rather than just browse.
The latest version also has trakt.tv syncing for those with multiple Apple TV units in a household, allowing a program watched on one unit to be marked as watched on another unit. Users can also mark programs as watched on the trakt.tv website and the info will be reflected on the owner's Apple TV units. The Last.fm support includes scrobbling so that users can track their listening habits in their Last.fm account.
Other improvements include better handling of WTV files and DVD audio tracks, improvements to AFP connections and subtitle handling. FireCore says that when it can get the program working for third-generation Apple TV units (visually identical to the second-generation machines except for 1080p resolution support), it will make the update available free for current customers. The program for second-gen Apple TV users is also a free update available through the Maintenance menu.
The aTV program requires second-gen Apple TV units to be running OS version 4.4 or higher. The program costs $30, and works only with jailbroken units (FireCore provides its own Seas0nPass jailbreaking tool for free).
www.tech-sanity.com
An Australian Business Traveler reported that a reader was recently able to load a boarding pass into Passbook while checking in to a Virgin Australia flight by simply using his iPhone running iOS 6:
AusBT reader Shaun Lorrain checked in for a Virgin Australia flight using the airline’s mobile website on his iPhone, which is running a developer preview edition of iOS 6 – and this is what he saw…. Yes, iOS 6 detected the mobile checkin and offered to save the boarding pass into Shaun’s Passbook account…Passbook also offers live updates to these e-passes, such as flight delays and changes to the airport boarding gate…United Airlines has already committed to supporting Passbook with its own mobile boarding passes, and other airlines won’t be slow to jump onto that bandwagon.
Interestingly, this popup message is not actually coming from iOS itself, but rather from the airline’s website, which has detected iOS 6 as the phone’s operating system. This means, at any time over the next few days, other airlines and businesses could start adding Passbook support to their websites too. The web is not curated like the App Store, so these updates can roll out without approval from Apple.
www.tech-sanity.com
The Nokia's Windows Phone event this morning, which showed off the new flagship Nokia Lumia 920 with a brief nod to the mode budget-friendly Nokia Lumia 820. Daniel Rubino from our Mobile Nations sibling site, WPCentral was there live to catch all the actions.
Along with some digs at Samsung (for their "first" Windows Phone 8 device being unfinished) and Apple (for putting needless metal elements in their antennas), Nokia threw the spotlight on location services, including their traditional maps products, transit directions (which will be offloaded to 3rd party apps in iOS 6), indoor directions, and some interesting if awkward Augmented Reality features. Inductive charging was also front-and-center, along with partnerships to bring compatible chargers to places like Virgin Atlantic lounges, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf outlets, and retails products like Fatboys.
Once again the materials look out of this world. Literally. Nokia stressed how you could pound nails with the Lumia 920. Literally. The screen is curved and gorgeous and intelligently tries to prevent glare when used outside. The assemblies are ceramic to prevent scratches, and the whole, solid unit looks built to last. Apple and Nokia are both making phenomenal, iconic hardware these days. No one else is coming close.
The most impressive part of the demo, however, was the Lumia 920 camera. Building off Nokia's PureView brand, it sports a massive, over-sampling lens with an f2.0 aperture that's essentially "floated" so it can capture more light, longer, and produce truly amazing images. A series of "lens" apps, including Microsoft's Photosynth allow for extended features and functionality as well.
It will be interesting to see if Phil Schiller, who's been handling the iPhone camera demos for the last few Apple events, can show off something competitive on September 12.
Microsoft's Joe Belfiore also previewed home screen tile customizations and a new feature of Windows Phone 8: Press the Home and Power button at the same time, and you get a screenshot. You're welcome, bloggers.
Steve Ballmer came out at the end to proclaim 2012 the "year of Windows", which was a bit odd since, from Microsoft's perspective, which year wouldn't be the year of Windows?
The biggest disappointment of the event, however, was that absolutely no pricing or launch date information was provided. Similar to the Microsoft Surface event, it smacked of something thrown together quickly to grab some b-roll from the iPhone 5, with neither the Windows Phone 8 feature set nor go-to-market strategy actually finished yet.
And that's too bad. Because those details matter. And you better believe that on September 12, Apple will announce a price and ship date for iPhone 5.
www.tech-sanity.com
Softbank Mobile Corp and Universal Robot Co Ltd co-developed software that enables personal authentication with hand veins by using a smartphone camera, etc.
In the past, a separate device was required to realize this function. The two companies aim to commercialize the software within fiscal 2012.
This time, Softbank Mobile and Universal Robot eliminated the need for an infrared device by developing their own algorithm that uses visible light to detect veins. Moreover, they employed a mechanism that extracts not only veins but also a palm pattern from the image of a palm taken by using visible light and uses them for personal authentication. Because palm patterns can be easily obtained, the new mechanism realizes highly-accurate, stable authentication, compared with authentication using only veins, they said.
www.tech-sanity.com
Apple has announced it will indeed hold a special media event on September 12 in San Francisco. The event will take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Eastern.
Invitation are out from Apple and features the text “It’s almost here” along with a large number 12 casting the shadow of a numeral 5, which would seem to lend credence to suggestions that Apple will be announcing the iPhone 5. The company’s also likely to discuss iOS 6, which it first announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June and is due for release in the fall.
Plenty of whispers about the iPhone 5 have been circulating in the past months, and many of them have centered around a September 12 event. Among the most pervasive rumors have been a phone with a larger display, the addition of LTE networking, and a new dock-connector port. In about a week, we’ll see which of these rumors are true and which are dead.
