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How to add almost any gift card to Passbook

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:25:00 +0000

(Credit: Jason Cipriani/CNET)

Here's how you can add almost any gift card to Passbook right now.

Do a quick search on Twitter and you'll find many iOS users sending request after request (or in some cases, demand after demand) to retailers, airlines, and merchants for Passbook integration. Passbook is clearly one feature iOS users are eager to use, but the delay in adoption is driving them mad.

Enter Gyft.

Gyft is a gift card app for iOS that allows you to store gift card information in a single, easy-to-access place. Sound familiar?

As TechCrunch pointed out this morning, Gyft received a big update last night, bringing with it the ability to add any gift card stored in your Gyft account to Passbook. There are over 200 retailers supported by Gyft, ranging from Amazon to Zappos.

You'll need to add the gift card to Gyft before you can add it to Passbook. It is a little redundant, but for people dying to use Passbook, this is the most straightforward option. Don't have a gift card to add right now? Sephora is currently offering a free $5 gift card through the app, giving you the chance for a practice run of getting a gift card from Gyft to Passbook.

Tap on the Add to Passbook button for any gift card you have stored in Gyft.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET)

Once you've added a card to Gyft, view details for it and then tap on the Add to Passbook button. You'll then be prompted to review and add it. Gyft has plenty of features beyond Passbook integration. You can purchase and send gift cards from directly within the app, as well as keep tabs on the current balance for most supported vendors.

By Jason Cipriani

, from cNET.

Download Instagram for Android Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:16:00 +0000

Instagram for Android is a way to share your world. Pick from one of several gorgeous filtered effects to breathe a new life into your mobile photos. Transform everyday moments into works of art you'll want to share with friends and family.

Share your photos in a simple photo stream with friends to see and follow your friends' photos with the click of a single button. Every day you open up Instagram, you'll see new photos from your closest friends, and creative people from around the world.

Features include free custom designed filters and borders, lux works it's magic by making your photos more vibrant and brings out details in your photos you couldn't see before, linear and radial Tilt-Shift blur effects for extra depth of field, instant sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Foursquare, interact with friends through giving and receiving likes and comments, and full front and back camera support.

Instagram is a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your photos with friends and family.

Snap a picture, choose a filter to transform its look and feel, then post to Instagram. Share to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr too – it's as easy as pie. It's photo sharing, reinvented.

What's new in version 3.0.4

Version 3.0.4 introduces Photo Maps, new design for user profiles and other parts of Instagram, and allows you to write longer captions when sharing photos.

Download Instagram

Supported Android Devices: You can run Instagram on any camera phone with Android 2.2 or above with support for OpenGL ES 2*.

DOWNLOAD INSTAGRAM 3.0

Available on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

OFFICIAL SCREENSHOTS

We created a pack of screenshots for press and promotional purposes. Images may only be used when featuring the Instagram product or when used to illustrate an article about Instagram.

Screenshots Logos & Icons

New iPad Mini model hits the Web, but is it the real thing?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 07:56:00 +0000

The device looks to have a similar design to those cases that have already been leaked onto the Internet.

Apple's iPad Mini doesn't even exist, but yet another mockup of the device's appearance has surfaced.

Chinese tech site BoLoPad today published photos of what it claims is the iPad Mini. The images show a 7.85-inch tablet with an aluminum back casing. That casing includes the Apple logo, a hole for a camera, and the typical iPad markings, including the device's storage amount and legal jargon.

When examined at different angles, the device appears to resemble those leaked already, with the small Lightning connector on the bottom flanked by two speaker ports. One of the sides has volume buttons, while the top has the lock button. A headphone port also sits atop the device.

Alleged iPad Mini image. (Credit: BoloPad)

From the front, the tablet comes with the typical black bezel found in Apple's current slates, and has a physical home button.

iPad Mini casings have been hitting the Web at a surprisingly rapid rate over the last several weeks. Earlier this month, in fact, a purported iPad Mini back casing surfaced with designs that looked nearly identical to those from BoLoPad.

The iPad Mini leaks seem to be following the same trajectory as the iPhone 5, which proved to be one of the worst-kept secrets in tech. The device was leaking onto the Web months before its arrival, making the actual unveiling a bit less breathless.

As for this latest mockup? As with all others, it's tough to say if it's legit. Even worse, there's no way of telling right now if Apple will actually unveil the iPad Mini next month, as expected. However, the signs seem to be pointing toward it.

CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the images. We will update this story when we have more information.

(Via AppleInsider)

Source: cNET

Video: iPad Secrets

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 04:46:00 +0000

The iPad has a lot of features that everyone knows and loves, but what might be more interesting are the features that very few people are aware of. Learn iPad secrets with help from a professional consumer electronics journalist in this free video clip.

Video Transcript

The great thing about the iPad is that it's designed for everyone, you, me, mom, dad, even grandma and grandpa. But, even the most intuitive devices have functions that sometimes slip under the radar. I'm Jonathan Rettinger bringing to light some of the best hidden secrets the iPad has to offer.

Each new generation,the iPad is crammed with beautiful upgrades, from its processor to its display, to its camera, to its gorgeous tapered profile. But, below the surface, a lot of user features are improved as well. But the little menu navigation, you'll find some really useful features just waiting to be discovered.

The iPad's touch screen keyboard can be adequate for quick emails, but it's just too cramped for formal computer typing. So, if you're typing quickly text starts to look like gibberish. Apple addressed this by letting you split the keyboard right down the middle. Just press the keyboard with both thumbs and split it by dragging it apart.

Now, you can utilize the art of thumb typing only perfected on a smart phone. And, in split keyboard mode, there are new phantom keys for convenience. A hidden "Y" key is just to the right of "T" and you'll find a hidden "G" just to the side of "H". Multi-touch gestures bring fast navigation shortcuts to your device all with the flick of your fingers. This feature can be enabled under your settings menu. Now, you can start using the iPad like a real pro. To return to the home screen at any time, simply put five fingers on the iPad and make a pinching motion.

Home is now closer than ever. Switch quickly between apps by placing four fingers on the screen and swiping to the left, bring you back to the previous app you were using. Swiping to the left and right moves between them. Access to the multitasking bar is now easier than ever.

With four fingers, a simple swipe up on the screen's going to give you quick access to your recently used apps, orientation lock, screen brightness, volume and music control. Sometimes, what you're looking at on your iPad is just too good to forget. The screen shot feature is a great, little known option, to help capture the moment. Taking a screen shot is easy, simply press the home button and sleep-awake button at the same time and that's it. Screen shots are saved in your photos gallery where you can review them or email them or whatever you like.

The iPad isn't just fun to touch, it's fun to look at as well even when you're not using it. The picture frame feature cycles through your choice of photos taken with your iPad or stored on the device. The feature is easily activated right from your lock screen. The default transition is three seconds between photos, but that can easily be adjusted under settings. Then you can quickly flashback to your vacation anytime on the go.

The iPads pretty good at keeping some intimate secrets but now all that beautiful hardware can be put to even better and faster use with those hidden features right out in the open. Thanks for tuning in. There's much more to check out with us right here on eHow Tech.

Video Series by Jon Rettinger, eHow

Top 5 Features in Mac OS X Mountain Lion: Why Upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 04:20:00 +0000

If you love your iPad or iPhone, Apple's OS X 10.8 is a desktop OS that was made for you. Popularly known as "Mountain Lion," the latest system software builds on the features of 10.7 "Lion" while offering a computing experience closer to that of the mobile iOS. Mac owners downloaded Mountain Lion from the App Store 3 million times just in the first four days after its release on July 25, 2012. If you're on the fence about upgrading, understand that Mountain Lion will also sync better with your iDevices and share better with integrated options for social media. There are over 200 new features in this version of OS X, including a few you've probably been waiting for.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images

NotificationsSwipe two fingers rightward on your trackpad and you'll see a list of your latest email messages, upcoming calendar events, Twitter interactions and more. Each type of notification is configurable to appear briefly onscreen, remain until you dismiss it or stay hidden until you summon the Notification Center panel. This feature was created to match notifications in iOS 6, offering a consistent experience on the desktop or mobile.

Gatekeeper

The Mac may be much less vulnerable to malware and viruses than its PC counterpart, but it's still better to be safe than sorry. Apple believes that too, because Mountain Lion comes equipped with Gatekeeper, an anti-malware app lauded by security experts for offering both security and control. By default, Gatekeeper checks every application you install for a developer ID, indicating trusted software. If you want more or less security, you can tell Gatekeeper to allow only apps you download from the App Store, or to let you grab all of those open-source apps you enjoy.

Mobile Integration

For the longest time, syncing your calendar, notes and other items from your iPhone or iPod to your Mac required a USB cable. With iCloud, Apple has provided you with the means to keep everything up-to-date without manual prodding. Mountain Lion kicks up the integration, syncing your contacts, notes, reminders, messages, email, GameCenter and even Safari tabs between your Mac and your other Apple devices.

If you love Messages on your iOS device, the new Messages app brings the same functionality to the desktop. Send text or photo messages to anyone with an compatible Apple device, chat using services such as AIM and Google Chat, or start a FaceTime session. Features like delivery receipts and typing notification match the mobile version of the software.

GameCenter

You read that right: GameCenter finally arrives on the Mac. If you've been playing games with friends and climbing the leaderboards on your iOS device, log right in and enjoy. GameCenter recommends games you can play with your Apple-owning friends, or finds you opponents who are logged in and ready. If you have an Apple TV, play your games on your big-screen TV using AirPlay Mirroring.

Social Sharing

Need to tweet? Apple has integrated Twitter so tightly into Mountain Lion that you may forget it has a website. Bring up the Notification Center and click to tweet, and your Mac notifies you of any retweets or replies. Use the sharing button in Safari, iPhoto and other apps to share using relevant services, including Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube, Flickr, or in a fall 2012 update, Facebook.

Miscellany

With so many new features in OS X 10.8, this incomplete list is sure to leave out some you'll love, whether it's Dictation, Reminders or Power Nap, which updates your Mac while it sleeps. At a lower price point than any previous major system upgrade -- and that includes Lion -- these are significant improvements for your small investment.

By Michael Cox, eHow Contributor

Michael Cox

Michael Cox writes about lifestyle issues, popular culture, sports and technology. In a career spanning more than 10 years his work has appeared in dozens of magazines, books and websites, including MSN.com, "Adobe Magazine" and "Yahoo! Internet Life." Scott holds a professional certificate in technical communications from the University of Washington.

All you need to know about the HTC Windows Phone 8X and 8S

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 04:06:00 +0000

Today was HTC day, as the company has made its first Windows Phone 8 devices official. Meet the HTC Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S! Beautiful names, right? Oh well, we guess we'll have to put up with it.

Anyway, the two phones are here now, and they are not bad at all! The flagship model, the 8X, is a pretty promising handset with a nice 4.3" LCD 2 display and a staggering pixel density of 342ppi! The other internals are just as impressive. Meanwhile, the slightly more affordable Windows Phone 8S also seems like a very stylish and capable offering, although it does bring the resolution down to mere 480x800, which should still be enough to provide decent image quality on the 4" display.

It's also worth noting that both phones are very colorful, and come in a bunch of different color schemes, which immediately reminds us of Nokia's Lumias. The only WP handset thus far which has refused to succumb to this coloromania is Samsung's ATIV S, which has a more "business" kind of appearance. But back to the 8X and 8S - if you want to know all the details about HTC's new products, just check out our coverage below - you'll find all you to know on PhoneArena there:

Read more on PhoneArena.Com

Great Games for Your Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:49:00 +0000

Sean Gallup/Getty Images News/Getty Images

In bed, at the office, in class -- smartphone users are up for gaming just about anywhere, according to a February 2012 survey conducted by mobile gaming company MocoSpace. And with so many games available, many approaching console quality, who can blame them? No matter what genre you enjoy, you’re sure to find a mobile game you love to fill your free time.

Bird Mania

Any roundup of must-have mobile games would be lacking without a mention of “Angry Birds” and its spinoffs, all available for iPhone and Android. These addictive games put you in control of a slingshot filled with various types of birds, as you try to knock down the increasingly complex structures built by the pigs who stole their eggs. For a more mellow experience, check out “Tiny Wings” (iPhone), where you use your finger to launch a bird whose wings are too small to fly up and down a dreamy backdrop of candy-colored hills.

Angry Birds

Download 'Angry Birds' here.

Hammock Games

Doodle Jump

When you need to unwind for a few minutes, these casual games are perfect for a quick break. “Doodle Jump” (all platforms), is a fun game that sends you higher and higher through a never-ending series of platforms, avoiding enemies and collecting power-ups along the way. If you like your games with a dose of 90s synthpop, try “Robot Unicorn Attack,” a frenetic side-scrolling endless runner for iPhone and Android that has you guiding a psychedelic unicorn through a series of obstacles with Erasure’s “Always” looping in the background.

Download 'Doodle Jump' here.

Puzzle Mania

Cut the Rope

Engage your brain with these mind-twisting puzzlers. “Bejeweled Blitz” (iPhone) is a mobile take on the popular browser game that retains the frantic pace of the original as you attempt to clear as many gems as possible in 60 seconds. For a less fast-paced (but still satisfyingly strategic) experience, “Cut the Rope: Experiments” for iPhone and Android offers 150 levels that have you trying to figure out what lines you need to cut -- and in what order -- to drop a piece of candy right into Om Nom’s hungry mouth.

Download 'Cut The Rope: Experiments' here.

The Best of Action

Real Steel HD

Looking for an adrenaline-pumping, pulse-pounding action game? “Rage HD” (iPhone) is a first-person shooter from id Software, the same studio that defined the genre in the 90s with “Doom” and “Quake.” The game places you behind the trigger in a post-apocalyptic game show with hungry mutants lurking around every corner. If you’re more in the mood for hand-to-hand combat, check out “Real Steel: HD,” which brings the no-holds-barred robot combat of the movie to your iPhone or Android smartphone.

Download 'Real Steel: HD' here.

The Classics

Tetris

Take a stroll down memory lane with these vintage arcade classics, but don’t worry – you won’t need to bum quarters from your mom. Old favorites like “Tetris,” “Centipede” and “Pac-Man” have been reimagined with better graphics and new features for the iPhone and Android smartphones. You can scratch your 90s arcade itch with games like “Ultimate Mortal Kombat III” and “Golden Axe,” both for the iPhone.

Download 'Tetris' here.

Socially Connected

Scramble With Friends

One is the loneliest number, but you won’t have that problem if you play one of these super-social mobile games. Indulge your competitive nature with Zynga’s “With Friends” series of games for iOS and Android, which allow you to play one-on-one against friends or randomly selected strangers. Offerings currently include the Scrabble-like hit “Words With Friends,” “Scramble With Friends,” “Chess With Friends,” “Matching With Friends,” “Gems With Friends” and “Hanging With Friends.” If you would rather play alongside friends than against them, TeamLava’s “City Story” (iPhone and Android) lets you build your own city and invite friends to be your Read More

Download 'Scramble With Friends' here.

Learn Something

Oregon Trial

Games can be more than just candy for your brain; exercise your mind with educational games that teach and entertain at the same time. The classic “Oregon Trail” that we all remember from elementary school comes to life on Android phones and the iPhone, with fantastic graphics and plenty of historical facts, including references to real locations and famous people. Wannabe moguls will enjoy “Lemonade Tycoon” for the iPhone, which uses the classic “lemonade stand” formula to teach lessons about capitalism, business, and supply and demand.

Download 'The Oregon Trail' here.

Eye-Popping Graphics

Horn

Modern smartphones, with their stunning, high-quality displays and high-powered graphics processors, nearly rival consoles in their ability to render mind-blowing graphics. If you want to put your iPhone’s Retina Display through its paces, check out the recently released role-playing game “Horn,” which casts you as a hero determined to rescue his people from a curse. Android users can show off their phone's graphical prowess with the high-definition fighting game “Samurai II: Vengeance THD.”

Download 'Horn' here.

Space Invaders

N.O.V.A 2

Defend your home from intergalactic evil with the "N.O.V.A. - Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance" series for Android and iOS. Spanning three games so far, the series follows protagonist Kal Wardin as he fights to prevent a mysterious alien race from destroying humanity. The games offer console-worthy graphics, an epic storyline and a real-time multiplayer.

Download 'N.O.V.A. 2 - Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance' here.

Handheld Sports

Homerun Battle 3D

Go for glory with games that put you behind the ball. If you’ve ever dreamed of winning the BCS Championship, you have a (virtual) shot at it with EA’s “NCAA Football” for the iPhone. Choose from more than 55 popular college football teams, draft your dream players and go head-to-head against friends over Bluetooth, with real commentary from Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit. If you’d rather take a run around the diamond, “Homerun Battle 3D” for iPhone and Android gives you the chance to hit homers against a real opponent.

Get 'Homerun Battle 3D' here.

By Jacqui Lane, eHow

iPhone 5: Is Apple missing Steve Jobs?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 13:32:00 +0000

If Steve Jobswere still alive, would the new map application on the iPhone 5 be such an unmitigated disaster? Interesting question, isn't it?
As Apple's chief executive, Jobs was a perfectionist. He had no tolerance for corner-cutting or mediocre products. The last time Apple released a truly substandard product - MobileMe, in 2008 - Jobs gathered the team into an auditorium, berated them mercilessly and then got rid of the team leader in front of everybody, according to Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs. The three devices that made Apple the most valuable company in America - the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad - were all genuine innovations that forced every other technology company to play catch-up.

No doubt, the iPhone 5, which went on sale on Friday, will be another hit. Apple's halo remains powerful. But there is nothing about it that is especially innovative. Plus, of course, it has that nasty glitch. In rolling out a new operating system for the iPhone 5, Apple replaced Google's map application - the mapping gold standard - with its own, vastly inferior, application, which has infuriated its customers. With maps now such a critical feature of smartphones, it seems to be an inexplicable mistake.

And maybe that's all it is - a mistake, soon to be fixed. But it is just as likely to turn out to be the canary in the coal mine. Though Apple will remain a highly profitable company for years to come, I would be surprised if it ever gives us another product as transformative as the iPhone or the iPad.

Part of the reason is obvious: Jobs isn't there anymore. It is rare that a company is so completely an extension of one man's brain as Apple was an extension of Jobs. While he was alive, that was a strength; now it's a weakness. Apple's current executive team is no doubt trying to maintain the same demanding, innovative culture, but it's just not the same without the man himself looking over everybody's shoulder. If the map glitch tells us anything, it is that.

But there is also a less obvious - yet possibly more important - reason that Apple's best days may soon be behind it. When Jobs returned to the company in 1997, after 12 years in exile, Apple was in deep trouble. It could afford to take big risks and, indeed, to search for a new business model, because it had nothing to lose.

Fifteen years later, Apple has a hugely profitable business model to defend - and a lot to lose. Companies change when that happens. "The business model becomes a gilded cage, and management won't do anything to challenge it, while doing everything they can to protect it," says Larry Keeley, an innovation strategist at Doblin, a consulting firm.

It happens in every industry, but it is especially easy to see in technology because things move so quickly. It was less than 15 years ago that Microsoft appeared to be invincible. But once its Windows operating system and Office applications became giant moneymakers, Microsoft's entire strategy became geared toward protecting its two cash cows. It ruthlessly used its Windows platform to promote its own products at the expense of rivals. (The Microsoft antitrust trial took dead aim at that behavior.) Although Microsoft still makes billions, its new products are mainly "me-too" versions of innovations made by other companies.

Now it is Apple's turn to be king of the hill - and, not surprisingly, it has begun to behave in a very similar fashion. You can see it in the patent litigation against Samsung, a costly and counterproductive exercise that has nothing to do with innovation and everything to do with protecting its turf.

And you can see it in the decision to replace Google's map application. Once an ally, Google is now a rival, and the thought of allowing Google to promote its maps on Apple's platform had become anathema. More to the point, Apple wants to force its customers to use its own products, even when they are not as good as those from rivals. Once companies start acting that way, they become vulnerable to newer, nimbler competitors that are trying to create something new, instead of milking the old. Just ask BlackBerry, which once reigned supreme in the smartphone market but is now roadkill for Apple and Samsung.

Even before Jobs died, Apple was becoming a company whose main goal was to defend its business model. Yes, he would never have allowed his minions to ship such an embarrassing application. But despite his genius, it is unlikely he could have kept Apple from eventually lapsing into the ordinary. It is the nature of capitalism that big companies become defensive, while newer rivals emerge with better, smarter ideas.

"Oh my god," read one Twitter message I saw. "Apple Maps is the worst ever. It is like using MapQuest on a BlackBerry."

Joe Nocera, New York Times

STEVE JOBS' DEFINING MARKETING PRINCIPLE

No one can argue with the success of Apple and the genius of Steve Jobs in driving the company to that success. Much has been written about Steve Jobs' vision, genius, intuition, etc. and at least as much has been written about his prowess as a marketer. One of the defining principles, by most accounts anyway, in the marketing mind of Mr. Jobs was that as a marketer you drove the destiny of the brand. You don't leave the decision making to the customer, who may or may not know what they really want.

Like Henry Ford before him, Steve Jobs understood what it truly meant to position a brand; to define what the brand was going to deliver, and to tell the customer what they should expect from it. The marketing world is filled with products that have failed because they tried to deliver what the customer "thought" they wanted.

As marketers we need to be bold, be visionary, and see our products for what they can deliver and then tell our customers what they need. Of course there is a risk to following this path, but the risk of trying to follow the direction of an uninformed and visionless consumer is far higher.

Brandengineers.com

iPhone 5 full review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:16:00 +0000

iPhone 5 full review: Finally, the iPhone we've always wanted.

The good:

The iPhone 5 adds everything we wanted in the iPhone 4S: 4G LTE, a longer, larger screen, and a faster A6 processor. Plus, its top-to-bottom redesign is sharp, slim, and feather-light.

The bad:

Sprint and Verizon models can't use voice and data simultaneously. The smaller connector renders current accessories unusable without an adapter. There's no NFC, and the screen size pales in comparison to jumbo Android models.

Image: From left: The Lumia 900, iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3.

The bottom line:

The iPhone 5 completely rebuilds the iPhone on a framework of new features and design, addressing its major previous shortcomings. It's absolutely the best iPhone to date, and it easily secures its place in the top tier of the smartphone universe.

I've had the chance to use the iPhone 5 for nearly a week, and have been using it for nearly anything I can think of. Is it as futuristic or as exciting as the iPhone 4 or the original iPhone? No. Does this change the smartphone game? No. Other smartphones beat it on features here and there: if you want a larger screen, go with a Samsung Galaxy S3. If you want better battery life, go with a Droid Razr Maxx.

But, if you want a great, all-around, beautifully engineered smartphone that covers all bases, here it is. Just like the MacBook is to the world of laptops, the new iPhone is one of the top three, if not the best-designed, smartphone around. It's better in all the important ways.

The iPhone 5 is the iPhone we've wanted since 2010, adding long-overdue upgrades like a larger screen and faster 4G LTE in a razor-sharp new design. This is the iPhone, rebooted.

The new design is flat-out lovely, both to look at and to hold, and it's hard to find a single part that hasn't been tweaked from the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 5 is at once completely rebuilt and completely familiar.

What's different?

Look at our review of last year's iPhone 4S, where we said, "Even without 4G and a giant screen, this phone's smart(ass) voice assistant, Siri, the benefits of iOS 5, and its spectacular camera make it a top choice for anyone ready to upgrade."

Well, guess what? Now it has 4G LTE and...well, maybe not a giant screen, but a larger screen. That's not all, though: the already great camera's been subtly improved, speakerphone and noise-canceling quality has been tweaked, and -- as always -- iOS 6 brings a host of other improvements, including baked-in turn-by-turn navigation, a smarter Siri, and Passbook, a location-aware digital wallet app for storing documents like gift cards, boarding passes, and tickets.

The question is: a full year later, is that enough? For me, it is. I don't want much more in my smartphone. Sure, I'd love a new magical technology to sink my teeth into, but not at the expense of being useful. Right now, I'm not sure what that technology would even be.

Like every year in the iPhone's life cycle, a handful of important new features take the spotlight. This time, 4G, screen size, and redesign step to the top.

You've gotten the full rundown already, most likely, on the various ins and outs of this phone, or if you haven't, I'll tell you about them below in greater detail. Here's what I noticed right away, and what made the biggest impression on me.

First off, you're going to be shocked at how light this phone is. It's the lightest iPhone, even though it's longer and has a bigger screen. After a few days with it, the iPhone 4S will feel as dense as lead.

Secondly, the screen size lengthening is subtle, but, like the Retina Display, you're going to have a hard time going back once you've used it. The extra space adds a lot to document viewing areas above the keyboard, landscape-oriented video playback (larger size and less letterboxing), and home-page organizing (an extra row of icons/folders). Who knows what game developers will dream up, but odds are that extra space on the sides in landscape mode will be handily used by virtual buttons and controls.

Third, this phone will make your home Wi-Fi look bad. Or at least, it did that to mine. Owners of other 4G LTE phones won't be shocked, but iPhone owners making the switch will start noticing that staying on LTE versus Wi-Fi might actually produce faster results...of course, at the expense of expensive data rates. I hopped off my work Wi-Fi and used AT&T LTE in midtown Manhattan to make a FaceTime call to my wife because the former was slowing down. LTE, in my tests, ran anywhere from 10 to 20Mbps, which is up to twice as fast as my wireless router's connection at home.

Using your iPhone 5 as a personal hot spot for a laptop or other device produces some of the same strong results as the third-gen iPad...and it's smaller. Of course, make sure you check on your tethering charges and data usage fees, but my MacBook Air did a fine job running off the LTE data connection at mid-day.

The look: Thin, metal, light as heck

You know its look, even if the look has been subtly transformed over the years: circular Home button, pocketable rectangle, familiarly sized screen. Can that design be toyed with, transformed a little, changed?

From left: The Lumia 900, iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3.

The newest iPhone has a wide metal body that stretches above previous iPhones, but is also thinner; still, this isn't a massive phone like the Samsung Galaxy Note or HTC One X. The iPhone 5 rises above the iPhone 4 and 4S, but subtly.

From the front and sides, it looks very similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S. The same rounded metal volume buttons, sleep/wake button on top, and silence switch remain. The headphone jack has moved to the bottom of the phone, just on like the iPod Touch. Some will like it, some won't; it makes standing the iPhone upright and using headphones a virtual impossibility. Actually, the entire bottom is all new: the headphone jack, the larger, redesigned speakers, a different type of perforated grille, and a much tinier Lightning connector port.

The Gorilla Glass back of the last iPhone is gone, replaced with metal. The two-tone look might seem new, but it's a bit of a reference to the silver-and-black back of the original iPhone. The very top and bottom of the rear is still glass. That anodized aluminum -- which Apple claims is the same as that on its MacBook laptops -- feels exactly the same, and is even shaded the same on the white model.

So far, it's held up without scratches. I'd say it'll do about as well as the aluminum finish on your 2008-and-later MacBook. On the black iPhone, the aluminum matches in a slate gray tone. On my white review model, it's MacBook-color silver. That aluminum covers most of the back and also the sides, replacing the iPhone 4 and 4S steel band, and lending to its lighter weight. The front glass sits slightly above the aluminum, which is cut to a mirrored angled edge on the front and back, eliminating sharp corners.

Why the move away from a glass back? Is it about creating a better, more durable finish, or is it about weight reduction? Apple's proud of its claims of how light the iPhone 5 is, and the new aluminum back is part of that. So is the move to a Nano-SIM card (making SIM swaps once again impossible and requiring a visit to your carrier's store). So is the thinner screen and the smaller dock connector. You get the picture.

Hold an iPhone 4S up to the new iPhone, and I could see the difference in thickness. It's not huge, but it feels even slimmer considering its expanded width and length. What I really noticed is how light it is. I still feel weirded out by it. The iPhone 5's 3.95-ounce weight is the lightest an iPhone's ever been. The iPhone 4S is nearly a full ounce heavier at 4.9 ounces. The iPhone 3Gwas 4.7 ounces. The original iPhone and iPhone 4 were 4.8 ounces. This is a phase-change in the nearly constant weight of the iPhone -- it's iPhone Air.

Yet, the iPhone 5 doesn't look dramatically different like the iPhone 4 once did. Actually, it seems more like a fusion of the iPhone with the iPad and MacBook design.

And, of course, there's the new, larger screen. You may not notice it from a distance -- the screen's still not as edge-to-edge on the top and bottom as many Android phones, but extra empty space has been shaved away to accommodate the display. There's a little less room around the Home Button and below the earpiece. The iPhone 5 screen is just as tall as the screen on the Samsung Galaxy S 2, but it's not as wide. That thinner body design gives the iPhone the same hand feel, and what I think is an easier grip. The extra length covers a bit more of your face on phone calls.

Over the last week with the iPhone 5, I started to forget that the phone was any larger. That seems to be the point. And, the iPhone fit just fine in my pants, too: the extra length has been traded out for less girth, so there's little bulge. And, with that awkward statement having been uttered, I'll move on.

That 4-inch screen: Going longer

The iPhone 5 finally extends the 3.5-inch screen that's been the same size on the iPhone for five years, but it does so by going longer, not wider. A move from the iPhone 4 and 4S' 3.5-inch, 960x640-pixel display to a 4-inch, 1,136x640-pixel display effectively means the same Retina Display (326 pixels per inch), but with extra pixel real estate versus a magnified screen. All the icons and app buttons are the same size, but there's more room for other features, or more space for videos and photos to be displayed.

The iPhone's interface is the same as always: you have app icons greeting you in a grid, and a dock of up to four apps at the bottom. Instead of a grid of four rows of four apps, the longer screen accommodates five rows of four apps. More apps can fit on the home screen, but that's about it as far as user interface innovation. Extra screen height means pop-up notification banners are less intrusive at the top or bottom.

It's odd at first going longer versus also adding width, and it means a shift away from the iPad's more paperlike 4:3 display ratio. Pages of e-books could feel more stretched. In portrait mode, document text may not seem larger, but you'll see more of it in a list.

In landscape mode, text actually seems bigger because page width stretches out (so, you can fit more words on a line). The virtual keyboard in landscape mode also ends up a bit more spread out, too, with a little extra space on the sides, which took some getting used to.

(Credit: CNET)

I preferred portrait typing because the keyboard size and width remains the same, while the extra length allows more visible text above the virtual keys.

The screen difference isn't always dramatic, especially compared with some ultra-expansive Android devices: the Samsung Galaxy S3 beats it both on overall screen size (4.8 inches) and pixel resolution (1,280x720). In the iOS 6 Mail app, with one line of preview text, I fit six and a half messages on the screen at the same time on the iPhone 5 versus five and a third on the iPhone 4 and 4S. Other apps toy with the layout more; I fit eight tasks on one screen in the new iOS 6 version of Reminders, versus five on the iPhone 4S with iOS 5.1.1.

Infinity Blade II, before iPhone 5 optimization. Note the black bars. (Credit: CNET)

Of course, you'll need new apps to take advantage of the longer screen, and at the time I tested the iPhone 5, those weren't available because iOS 6 hadn't formally launched. Older apps run in a letterboxed type of mode at the same size as existing phones, with little black bars on the top and bottom. Apps work perfectly fine this way, especially in portrait mode, but you definitely notice the difference. App-makers will be scrambling to make their apps take advantage of the extra screen space, and my guess is it won't take long at all for most to be iPhone 5 (and iPod Touch) ready.

(Credit: CNET)

I tried iMovie, iPhoto, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, GarageBand, iCards, and all of the iPhone 5's built-in apps (Maps, Reminders, Messages, Photos, Camera, Videos, Weather, Passbook, Notes, Stocks, Newsstand, iTunes, the App Store, Game Center, Contacts, Calculator, Compass, Voice Memos, Mail, Safari, Music, and, of course, Phone), and they all take advantage of the extra space in a variety of useful ways. How others will adopt the extra real estate remains to be seen.

(Credit: CNET)

I'm looking forward to killer apps that will take advantage of the larger screen. So far, I haven't found any that do it in surprising ways. My guess is that games will benefit the most, along with video and photo apps, and, to some degree, reading/news apps.

(Credit: CNET)

Video playback, of course, has a lot more punch because the new 16:9 aspect ratio reduces or removes letterboxing across the board in landscape mode. An HD episode of "Planet Earth" filled the entire screen, while the available viewing space shrank down even more on the iPhone 4S because of letterboxing. YouTube videos looked great. Some movies, of course, like Pixar's "Wall-E," still have letterboxing because they're shot in the superwide CinemaScope aspect ratio (21:9), but they look a lot larger than before -- and you can still zoom in with a tap on the screen.

I think that, much like the Retina Display, you'll miss the iPhone 5's new screen more when you try to go back to an older phone. The new display feels like a natural, so much so that to the casual eye, the iPhone 5 doesn't look entirely different with the screen turned off. The iPhone 4 and 4S screens feel small and hemmed-in by comparison.

iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S video playback of the same 1080p nature video.
(Credit: CNET)

The new iPhone 5's display also has a layer removed from the screen, creating a display that acts as its own capacitive surface. I didn't notice that difference using it; it feels as crisp and fast-responding as before. Apple promises 44 percent extra color saturation on this new display, much like the third-gen iPad's improved color saturation.

The difference wasn't as dramatic in a side-by-side playback of a 1080p episode of "Planet Earth," but the iPhone 5 seemed to have a slight edge. It was a little too close to call in game-playing, photo-viewing, and everyday experience with the phone, even held side-by-side with the iPhone 4S. The real difference, again, is the size. Autobrightness adjustments have also been tweaked a little, and I found on average that the iPhone 5 found more-appropriate brightness levels for the room I was in.

(Credit: CNET)

This seems like a good time to discuss thumbs. As in, your thumb size and the iPhone 5. Going back to the iPhone 4S, I realized that the phone's design has been perfectly aligned to allow a comfortable bridge between thumbing the Home button and stretching all the way to the top icon on the iPhone's 3.5-inch display. That's not entirely the case, now. I could, with some positioning, still thumb the Home button and make my way around the taller screen, but the iPhone 5's a little more of a two-hander. It might encourage more people and app developers to switch to landscape orientation, where the extra length and pixel space provide finger room on both sides without cramming the middle.

(Credit: CNET)

Game developers are likely to lean toward the landscape 16:9 orientation, because it more closely matches a standard HDTV's dimensions, and most console games. The extra width allows useful virtual button space, too.

4G LTE: Faster, at last

Last year's iPhone 4S had a subtle network bump to 3.5G (listed as "4G" on the iPhone 4S following iOS 5.1), offering faster data speeds on AT&T. The iPhone 5 finally adopts faster LTE, joining most other smartphones on the market and even the third-gen iPad, with the leap to LTE back in March. (On the top corner of the iPhone, the service indicator reads "LTE" when it's up and running.) However, the presence of LTE doesn't mean a world LTE phone; currently, LTE roaming between carriers overseas is impossible.

(Credit: CNET)

There's also support, depending on the iPhone 5 version you buy, for slower GSM (including EDGE and UMTS/HSPA) and CDMA/EV-DO networks. The iPhone 5's LTE uses a single chip for voice and data, a single radio chip, and a "dynamic antenna" that will switch connections between different networks automatically.

In the United States, AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon Wireless will carry the iPhone 5. T-Mobile loses out. In Canada, it's Rogers, Bell, Telus, Fido, Virgin, and Koodo. In Asia, the providers will be SoftBank, SmarTone, SingTel, and SK Telecom. For Australia there's Telstra, Optus, and Virgin Mobile, and in Europe it will go to Deutsche Telekom and EE. On carriers without LTE, the iPhone 5 will run on dual-band 3.5G HDPA+. I didn't notice any problems when switching between LTE and 4G, but I tended to find myself stationary in a place that had LTE service or a place that didn't, without much time to test the transition midcall.

There's a catch, though: there are now two versions of iPhone 5 in the U.S., one GSM model and another version for the CDMA carriers. You may not have your dream of a universal LTE phone, but international roaming is possible between 2G and 3G. Also, get ready to accept that Verizon and Sprint iPhone 5s still won't be able to make calls and access data simultaneously, even though many other Verizon/Sprint LTE phones can pull this off. That's because those other phones use a two-antenna system for LTE/voice (voice doesn't run over LTE yet), while the iPhone 5 only uses one plus a dynamic antenna for what Apple says is more connection stability.

Nevertheless, data access via 4G LTE is stunningly fast. This is no gentle upgrade. In my home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, I tested both my AT&T iPhone 4S and the AT&T iPhone 5 at the same time. The iPhone 4S averaged a 2.4Mbps download speeds over "4G," whereas the iPhone 5 averaged 20.31Mbps. In comparison, my home wireless Internet via Time Warner averaged 9.02Mbps at the hour I tested (1:30 a.m.).

(Credit: CNET)

The difference can be felt loading Web pages: the mobile version of CNET took 5.3 seconds over LTE, versus 8.5 seconds on the iPhone 4S. A graphically intensive Web site like the desktop version of Huffington Post took 16 seconds to load via LTE, versus 23.3 seconds on the iPhone 4S in 4G.

Those who already use 4G LTE may simply be nodding their heads, but to iPhone owners looking to upgrade, this is major news. For many people, LTE will be faster than their own home broadband.

Of course, that's a dangerous seduction: with fast LTE comes expensive rates and data caps. AT&T also requires a specific plan to even enable FaceTime over cellular. Make sure you don't fall down the rabbit hole of overusing your LTE, because believe me, you're going to want to. I tried setting it up a wireless hot spot for my MacBook Air, and the result was generally excellent.

Outside major cities, it's not quite as exciting if you don't have LTE coverage. Using the AT&T iPhone 5 out in East Setauket, Long Island, data download speed was merely 3.5Mbps because of a lack of AT&T LTE service. Verizon's LTE coverage map is larger, but Sprint's LTE network is small as well. My experience with AT&T and LTE may not necessarily be yours.

Wi-Fi has also gotten a bit of a boost via dual-band 802.11n support over both 2.5GHz and 5GHz. It should help in the event of interference with other Wi-Fi devices, although I never encountered that problem before, even with tons of Wi-Fi gadgets scattered about my apartment.

(Credit: CNET)

The camera

Something on the iPhone 5 has to not be new, right? Well, even the rear iSight camera's been tweaked, but not quite as much as other features. It's still an 8-megapixel camera, but there's a new sapphire-crystal lens, and improved hardware enabling features like dynamic low-lighting adjustment, image stabilization on the 1080p video camera, and the capability to take still shots while shooting video.

(Credit: CNET)

The camera takes excellent pictures, a bit more so now than before. The iPhone 5 takes far clearer low-light pictures, but the result, while more coherent, is grainier and lower resolution than the wonderfully detailed images taken in bright, direct light. I ran around in semi-darkness in my son's room taking pictures of his toys, and found that the iPhone 5 was able to make things out in places where the iPhone 4S couldn't.

Indoor shot with the iPhone 5.(Credit: CNET)

I settled for some indoor house shots instead to show off how the camera works in dimmer conditions. Of course, you'll probably use flash in those instances, but it can't hurt to have it as a backup.

iPhone 5 camera, outdoors.

Read more from cNET.

5 things that surprised me about the iPhone 5

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 03:37:00 +0000

Of all the new parts of the iPhone 5, what still feels the most shocking? Here are my Top 5.

After a week of using the iPhone 5, I've posted my review of Apple's new phone on CNET. Which brings me to wondering: how much can a familiar-looking device that we've seemingly known about for months be capable of surprising anyone, much less a tech editor?

For me, the iPhone 5 surprised in the following ways.

The weight

Shaving about an ounce off a phone's heft doesn't sound like a lot, and I've always been skeptical of incremental reductions (20 percent lighter!), but the first thing that shocked me when I picked up the iPhone 5 was how light it was, not how thin it was. There's a reason for this: many smartphones boast large screens and sleek looks, but few weigh as little as 3.95 ounces. Most other iPhones weigh about the same, so it feels different immediately.

The beauty of Maps

Whenever you hear that an app is beautiful to behold, especially an app as integral to the use of the iPhone as Maps, it can't help but feel superfluous. Still, try to look at Maps on an iPhone 5 and not feel wowed. Right now, it's the best graphics demo the iPhone 5 has in its stable, and Flyovers feel intensely surreal, even if you're a Google Earth addict. Whether the graphical finesse of the new Maps and turn-by-turn navigation can make up for the lack of more-refined Google search terms, Street View, and public transit directions feels like a dicey proposition, but Maps is undeniably fun to play with.

The speed

In particular, I'm talking about LTE. I'm not a 4G LTE user at home, and I never thought I'd need it in a phone. Still, the wake-up moment for me was when I opted for FaceTime over LTE instead of Wi-Fi because LTE was more than twice as fast as my home broadband wireless connection, and the connection was smoother. It's a seductive draw: would I end up paying through the nose for LTE for its snappy convenience? I've used it far more than I ever thought I would, at least on the review unit. The A6 processor's harder to appreciate right off the bat, but both combined give this iPhone a serious turbo kick.

Lightning doesn't support Thunderbolt

For years, I've wondered when iOS devices would sync via Apple's incredibly fast Thunderbolt port. A new, smaller connector seemed like the ideal opportunity. Then came the name: Lightning. Lightning and Thunderbolt. Yet, the packed-in Lightning cable works via USB. The door could still be open for Thunderbolt (or USB 3.0) in the future. Does faster syncing matter? To me, it does.

Everything changed just a bit

There's no Big Thing on the iPhone 5, but, try to name a part of the phone that hasn't changed. Usually, iPhones keep at least one or two things intact from one year to the next. This year: design, screen, speakers, microphones, cameras, data connection, even connector port and earphones were toyed with. Instead of investing in one game-changer, the iPhone 5's a top-to-bottom tune-up that makes me wonder, just a little bit, what Apple could do to top it next year.

Read more from cNet

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Amazon Kindle Fire 2: What's new?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 02:04:00 +0000

Back for round two, the true successor to Amazon's flagship tablet is finally here in the form of the Kindle Fire (2), coming with upgraded processor, memory and battery but otherwise identical to the original model. Tempting consumers with its attractive and lower price point of $159, it's sure to raise a few suspect eyes in the process, but will it still be substantial enough to make it a worthwhile offering compared to its more impressive sibling in the Kindle Fire HD?

Design:

New model, same design as before. That pretty much sums up the Amazon Kindle Fire 2, as it's an exact facsimile to its predecessor in every aspect – both in its construction and choice of materials. Certainly, we can't expect much in the design front, especially for its price point and all, but hey, it's easier to grasp with one hand than the Kindle Fire HD.

Worth pointing out, there's no expandable memory or microHDMI port with the Amazon Kindle Fire 2, which isn't too surprising at all.

Analyzing its body meticulously from head-to-toe, it's safe to say that it has one clean appearance – with only its two speakers, power button, 3.5mm headset jack, and microUSB port occupying its sides.

Display:

Employing the same 7" IPS LCD display as the first generation, it's effective enough for most things – such as reading a book or surfing the web. Even though we're seeing higher resolutions on other 7-inch displays, the Kindle Fire 2's 1024 x 600 resolution still coughs up enough detail for us to comfortably view fine text. Even though we like its neutral color production, there's some distortion at various viewing angles. Additionally, outdoor usage is challenging, seeing that it has a tendency to appear washed out.

From PhoneArena.Com

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Kindle Fire HD

7" HD Display, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Dual-Antenna Wi-Fi, 16GB or 32GB

World's most advanced 7" tablet

1280x800 HD display with polarizing filter and anti-glare technology for rich color and deep contrast from any viewing angle
Exclusive Dolby audio and dual-driver stereo speakers for immersive, virtual surround sound
World's first tablet with dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi for 40% faster downloads and streaming (compared to iPad 3)
High performance 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor with Imagination PowerVR 3D graphics core for fast and fluid performance
Over 22 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, books, audiobooks, and popular apps and games such as Facebook, Netflix, Twitter, HBO GO, Pandora, and Angry Birds Space
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Includes special offers and sponsored screensavers.
Learn more
Kindle FreeTime - a personalized tablet experience just for kids. Set daily screen limits, and give access to appropriate content for each child. Free on every Kindle Fire HD. Coming next month
Prime Instant Video - unlimited, instant streaming of thousands of popular movies and TV shows
Kindle Owners' Lending Library - Kindle owners can choose from more than 180,000 books to borrow for free with no due dates, including over 100 current and former New York Times best sellers and all 7 Harry Potter books.

iZZi Orbit iPhone 5 case features fisheye, wide-angle, 2x zoom camera lens, yours for $200

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 01:32:00 +0000

Now here is an interesting iPhone 5 case, the kind of which we don't get to see every day. The Orbit is made by iZZi Gadgets and in addition to protecting the surface of the iPhone 5 from accidental scratches, it outfits the smartphone with three high-quality lenses for its camera. One of them provides a 180-degree fisheye view, which would be perfect for capturing those skateboarding tricks, a 2x optical zoom lens is available for bringing the action closer, and a 67x wide-angle lens has been thrown in for good measure.

Clearly, the iZZi Orbit is made for amateur photographers, or enthusiasts that don't really like carrying a dedicated camera all the time. Still, it doubles as a protective case as well with its two-layer armor. Made out of aircraft-grade aluminum, the case is available in red, black, and silver. Out of the box you get a protective sleeve, wrist lanyard, microfiber cleaning cloth, and accessory mates.

Currently, the iZZi Orbit is not available for purchase, but you can pre-order one through Kickstarter for $200. Alternatively, a model with a single lens is also available for a price of $100. The accessory is expected to start shipping in October.

Here are some pictures about the iZZi Orbit iPhone 5 case features:

Source: iZZi Gadgets via AVING

Samsung Galaxy S III: 15 power user tips

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 00:34:00 +0000

It's no secret that the Samsung Galaxy S III is the must-have phone this summer. After all, this high-end Android phone has won over reviewers and consumers alike, selling more than 10 million units in less than two months on the market. PCWorld gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Much of the hype surrounding the Galaxy S III is well deserved—the phone comes packed with cool features, including its voice controls, gesture controls, and multimedia-sharing tools.

However, your Galaxy S III has some lesser-known features that could be more useful than its headline-grabbing capabilities. And, despite what Samsung's marketing campaign may have you believe, not all of these features are specific to the Galaxy S III—some are available, often via downloadable apps, on many high-end Android devices. Read on to learn 15 ways you can get the most out of your slick new smartphone.

Calls made easier

The Samsung Galaxy S III supports smart gestures.

Dialing phone numbers or even tapping a contact's name to place a call? That's so 2011. The Galaxy S III's motion controls allow you to place a call simply by moving your phone to your ear when you're viewing a contact or a text message.

The phone's voice controls also allow you to answer and reject calls by voice. And if you really feel the need to touch the screen, you'll be happy to know that the Galaxy S III speeds up this process, too: When you're viewing a contact, you swipe left to send a text and swipe right to initiate a call.

If you're not a Galaxy S III user, but you're still hankering to try out motion controls, you're not out of luck: Super Missed Callis a free (ad-supported) Android app that lets you place and reject calls by moving your phone.

Steady that snapshot

Apple has made a big deal about the Siri voice-control features included in the iPhone 4S.

But one thing Siri can't do is control the iPhone's camera—unlike the Galaxy S III's voice controls. When you enable the voice controls for the S III's camera settings (settings > language and input > voice command for apps > camera), you'll be able to say "Shoot," and the camera will automatically capture a snapshot.

Anyone who's captured an off-kilter shot caused by tapping and accidentally moving a touchscreen will appreciate this voice control as a way to steady a shot, and it can be used to snap self-portraits, too.

Anxious to try voice controls on your Android device's camera? Download Voice Remote Control Camera from Google Play.

Know who's calling, silently

Customized ringtones make it easy to know who's calling without a glance at your phone, but they work only when you're able to keep your phone's ringer on.

If you're in a location where a ringing phone is unacceptable, you could be out of luck—unless you've set up custom vibration patterns for certain contacts. Go to sounds > device vibration > create, and scroll to the bottom.

Looking to get this capability on your own Android phone? Head to Google Play and download Contact Vibrate or ViBe.

Wake up in style

Let's face it: We all have to get out of bed sometime. And what better way to face your day than to be prepared for all it has to offer.

Using the "Briefing" setting on your Galaxy S III's alarm clock, you can have your phone wake you by reading the time, weather and weather forecast, news headlines, and any appointments you may have lined up. To turn this feature on, go to alarm type in the settings menu and change it to briefing.

Not a Galaxy S III owner? Download WakeVoice ($2.99) from Google Play to get some of these features on your Android phone.

Hear your calls, crystal clear

No cell phone is going to offer perfect sound quality, but you can improve the Galaxy S III's call quality by customizing it to your needs.

The phone offers a personalized call-equalization setting, which tests each of your ears with a range of tones and frequencies to see how well you hear them. It then creates a customized EQ curve for each ear, allowing you to hear calls as clearly as possible. You can access this feature via settings > call sound EQ settings > personalized EQ.

Get the whole picture

The Galaxy S III's panoramic mode.

Don't miss out on those big, scenic shots: Capture the entire thing using the Galaxy S III's panoramic mode.

When you're in the camera, just switch your shooting mode topanorama, and you can pan across some gorgeous scenery as the Galaxy S III goes to work, snapping the photos you need and stitching them together to make a panoramic image.

Want to get this functionality on your Android phone? Try outPhotaf Panorama (free) or Pano ($3.06), both available in Google Play.

Next: Video, web browsing, location, volume tips and more.

Keep that video playing

If you've ever tried to keep a toddler entertained by playing a video on your phone, you know how handy it can be. Until said toddler presses a few buttons, minimizing or stopping the video—then all bets are off.

If you want to keep that child's attention where it should be—on the video, of course—lock the phone's touchscreen by simply pressing the power button once when a video is playing.

Looking to add this feature to your phone? Head over to Google Play and download Screen Lock / disable touch or the $0.99 Toddler Video Player Lock.

Send your own personal video

The All Share Play log-in screen on the Samsung Galaxy S III.

Samsung's AllShare Play feature has gained a lot of attention, and deservedly so: It sends the content that you see on your phone over to your big-screen TV (provided that your TV is compatible with Samsung's sharing technology).

This is a great way to watch a movie or see photos on a big screen, but it also offers a unique way to send a video message. Simply record a video of yourself on your phone, and then play it back on your TV with friends and family watching.

If you'd like to try this with another Android phone, you'll have to purchase a cable to connect your phone to your TV or have a DLNA-compatible phone and TV or set-top box.

Unlock the lock screen's potential

Feel like your lock screen doesn't serve much purpose? Unlock its potential by adding shortcuts to your favorite apps and widgets.

Head to settings > security > lock screen options, and you can choose which items you want to see on your lock screen. Keep in mind that you will have to disable the screen lock in order to add most of them.

And speaking of lock-screen options, don't forget to enable the camera shortcut while you're in that settings menu. Once you do, you'll be able to launch the camera simply by placing your finger on the lock screen and turning the phone sideways, into a landscape orientation.

If your Android phone doesn't offer these features, download WidgetLocker Lockscreenfrom Google Play; this $2.99 app offers many of the same tools.

Browse the web, privately

Don't want to leave tracks as you surf the Web on your Galaxy S III? Turn on Incognito browsing.

To do so, open the phone's on-board browser, and go to the Tabs window in the upper right. Once you're there, click the cloak-and-dagger man. Presto, you're browsing privately. When you close the browser, your history isn't saved.

If you want to get this feature on your Android device, it's in Google's Chrome for Androidbrowser and in apps like InBrowser.

See two videos at once

I remember seeing picture-in-picture video at a friend's house back in the 1980s and being absolutely awed by the technology.

If only my 10-year-old self could get a look at the Samsung Galaxy S III's Pop-up Play feature, which allows you view picture-in-picture video when using the phone's video player. You can even use it to create a small video window that can sit on top of other apps, so you can, for example, watch a movie while checking email.

Stick It! is a $1.79 app available in Google Play that will bring some of these features to other Android phones.

Share your location, directly

Whether you're on your way to meet someone, or waiting for someone to meet you, let them know where you are—exactly.

Open up the S III's texting interface, then press menu and select add text. When the next menu pops up, select location > Google Maps. From there, you can opt to send your exact whereabouts to a friend via SMS.

Want to try this on your Android device? Download WhatsApp Messenger from Google Play.

Save that screen

Take a screenshot. And another. And another. Taking screenshots with the S III is a snap—all you have to do is swipe the screen with your palm. So go ahead, take some more. And some more. And, well, you get the idea.

Other Android phones don't make it quite as easy. If you're using a phone running Android version 4.0 or later, you have to press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time.

Give that volume a boost

If you're struggling to hear a caller, but you've already maxed out the phone's volume, you're out of luck, right? Not so fast: Samsung's phone offers a way to add a little bit more volume.

When you're on a call, an extra-volume button appears on your screen, next to the contact phone. You can use the button to turn up the volume when your call isn't coming through as loudly and clearly as you might like.

If you don't yet have a Galaxy S III, you will likely have to root your device to get this kind of volume boost. If you're daring, you can find instructions for doing so online.

Make the phone a flashlight

Stop digging around your bag in the dark, hunting for your keys.

If you have your S III in hand, you've already got a flashlight. The Assistive Light widget—which you can add to your home screen by going to Apps, selecting the Widgets tab, and choosing Assistive Light—turns the camera's flash into a flashlight when you need it most. Some other Android phones have this widget as well.

Want to add the flashlight feature to your Android phone? Check out Tiny Flashlight + LED, available as a free download in Google Play.

From PC World

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Samsung Galaxy Note Review: Now With Android 4.0

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:07:00 +0000

The Samsung Galaxy Note ($300 with a two-year contract; price as of February 14, 2012) has been out for a while internationally, but on February 19, the 5.3-inch phone with a stylus-like pen will arrive on U.S. shores exclusively on AT&T’s 4G LTE network. After Galaxy Note commercials appeared during the Super Bowl, Twitter users joked that it resembled a Palm Pilot. The Galaxy Note might have a pen, but it is far from the capacitive PDAs of yore. The Note’s “S Pen” works quite well with the user interface, but I wished that the device had more apps to use the pen with.

Tablet, Phone, or 'Phablet'?

The Galaxy Note’s 5.3-inch display puts the Note in an interesting spot between a phone and a tablet. According to Samsung, an unlocked version of the Note won't be available in the United States, which puts the device more in the "subsidized phone with contract" category.

I have to say, however, that it feels a little silly to hold something of this size up to your face and make a phone call. It is light enough, but I found it a bit too wide for my hands, feeling uncomfortable and unwieldy at times. The Galaxy Note measures 5.78 by 3.27 by 0.38 inches, and weighs 6.28 ounces.

The Note has the typical touch-sensitive navigation buttons below the display (Menu, Home, Back, Search), plus a volume rocker and a power button. On the bottom of the Note, you’ll find the slot for the S Pen (which I’ll cover soon).

The Note’s aesthetic is pretty similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S II phones (though larger), with a rectangular shape, a piano-black bezel, chrome piping, and a textured “carbon blue” battery cover.

HD Super AMOLED Display

The Galaxy Note’s 5.3-inch display has a 1280-by-800-pixel resolution. The technology is HD Super AMOLED, not to be confused with Super AMOLED Plus, which we saw on the Samsung Galaxy S II line of phones. This is the same display technology as on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. As I noted in my review of the Galaxy Nexus, HD Super AMOLED is based on the PenTile pixel structure, in which pixels share subpixels. Galaxy S II phones, on the other hand, have full RGB displays, in which the pixels each have their own subpixels. In comparison with Super AMOLED Plus displays, HD Super AMOLED displays supposedly have a lower overall subpixel density, reduced sharpness, and degraded color accuracy.

When I reviewed the Galaxy Nexus, I noted that I couldn’t really see a difference between the two different display types in terms of sharpness. The Galaxy Note also handled image and text rendering well, producing sharp, clear text and details on both Web pages and high-resolution images. I noticed a touch of degradation on higher-resolution images, particularly when I zoomed in, but the image quality definitely looked better than on some other phone and tablets we’ve seen.

The main problem I have with the display is that the colors are oversaturated. Additionally, skin tones look ruddy, and whites have a slight yellowish tint. This is a common problem among AMOLED displays, Samsung-made or not. Still, oversaturation isn’t always a bad thing: Colors on the Note look rich and bright, while blacks are deep.

Using the S Pen

The Galaxy Note includes a Wacom-made “S Pen” for note-taking and drawing. And as I mentioned earlier, the S Pen is a far cry from the old styluses you might remember. Wacom pens recognize both right-handed and left-handed users, and the S Pen also mimics the act of physically taking notes: The harder you press the pen on the Note, the thicker and bolder your lines will be.

Starting July 10, the Note will be upgraded to Android 4.0, "Ice Cream Sandwich," with a version of TouchWiz that's similar to the one on the Galaxy S II line of phones. As you might expect, the Galaxy Note also has built-in software and special gestures for the pen.

One handy app, called S Memo Lite, lets you jot down notes from pretty much anywhere in the phone. To pull up the S Memo Lite app, you hold down the button on the pen, and double tap on the display. If you have another app open, the notepad appears on top of it, allowing you to switch back to it easily.

A fuller version of S Memo, S Note Premium Suite, is accessible from the apps menu. In this app, you can add color to your drawing or text, or insert pictures (either via your gallery or from the provided clip art) and shapes.

In Premium Suite, you can now choose from seven different templates: Note, Meeting Note, Idea Note, Magazine, Diary, Recipe and Travel. These templates allow you to easy add images, video, maps and text for whatever you feel like creating in S Note. You can also now record and play back step-by-step details of you drawings and share it with others. While this feature is cool, I don’t really see the purpose of it. I suppose if you want to show somebody step-by-step directions on a map or something it could be useful.

Premium Suite also has an automatic shape correction feature, which will straighten any lines and create perfect circles or rectangles. It seems like it would be useful for drawing flow charts on the fly. You can also enter in basic mathematical equations and S Note will solve them for you via Wolphram Alpha.

You can also take screenshots, simply by pressing and holding the pen to whatever item you want to capture. Your shot then opens in a simple photo-editing app that lets you crop the screenshot in either lasso or rectangle mode.

Writing on the Galaxy Note takes some getting used to. At first, I was appalled at how horrible my handwriting looked. Once I got the hang of using the pen, though, I started to enjoy it. As somebody who is constantly doodling and prefers writing down notes to typing them, I liked being able to jot down ideas or reminders. The keyboard has a pen mode, which will convert your handwriting into text. I thought it did a pretty good job of recognizing my handwriting, though it misinterpreted what I was trying to write a few times.

Pen gestures involve a learning curve, as well. To go “back,” you hold down the pen’s button and swipe to the left. To go to the home screen, you drag the pen from top to bottom while pressing the pen button. And if you want to open Menus, you swipe from bottom to top while pressing the button. Once you get accustomed to relying on the pen rather than on the hardware buttons, navigating the Note is a breeze. You can, of course, use the hardware buttons at any time if you don’t like the pen gestures.

If the S Pen feels too wimpy (or gives you horrible flashbacks of your capacitive-touch Windows Mobile phone), you can invest in the S Pen Holder Kit (sold separately). The accessory is basically a standard writing-pen shell for the S Pen, complete with a pocket clip.

Pen-Friendly Apps and Other Software

The selection of pen-friendly apps feels a bit anemic. Samsung says that the SDK for the Galaxy Note and S Pen will be available to developers soon (though the company doesn’t specify when). I see a lot of potential for creative programs and productivity apps, as well as games that incorporate the S Pen (think Nintendo DS-style games).

Right now, the included apps that support pen mode are Polaris Office, S Memo, and a game called Crayon Physics. Polaris Office lets you create documents, spreadsheets, and slideshow presentations. You can insert drawings or screenshots in a presentation, or use the pen to insert text. Crayon Physics is a cute game in which you draw objects to move a ball from point A to point B.

This version of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface has a few interesting features, including resizable widgets for the home screen and a revamped calendar app. The calendar app takes advantage of the larger display, presenting a tabbed interface that lets you view the whole year, a week, a month, three days, a day, or the like.

You’ll also get a new app called My Story, which lets you create multimedia letters and cards. As far as I can tell, you can only share these notes with other people who have the My Story app—basically fellow Galaxy phone owners.

You'll find quite a few AT&T- and Samsung-added apps, too, such as AT&T’s Live TV, AT&T Navigator, YPMobile, Samsung Media Hub, and more. You can remove some of these apps, however, by pressing the Menu key and selecting Edit (see the screenshot).

Performance

The U.S. Galaxy Note is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor. (The European version, on the other hand, has a 1.4GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos processor.) I tested a few graphics-heavy games on the Note, including Osmos HD and World of Goo. Both ran smoothly without any glitches, and looked terrific on the Note’s large display. Video also ran flawlessly, without any issues.

I ran the Vellamo benchmarking app on the Note to test its graphics and browser performance. We take these scores with a grain of salt, since the app is made by Qualcomm and the Galaxy Note has a Qualcomm processor. Surprisingly, the Note didn’t do that well, with a score of 773; that benchmark puts the Note behind both the Motorola Droid Razr (1040) and the Galaxy Nexus (803).

I also ran the FCC-approved Ookla app to test the Galaxy Note’s data speeds over AT&T LTE in San Francisco. In my neighborhood, I got an average download speed of 24.64 megabits per second, and an average upload speed of 8.78 mbps. Those are ridiculously fast speeds, and I could see the power of AT&T's LTE when downloading apps (which took seconds), browsing the Web, and watching streaming video.

Call quality was good over AT&T’s network. My friends on the other end of the line reported that my voice sounded clear and natural. I couldn’t detect any distortion or static in my friends’ voices, though a few sounded slightly distant.

We haven’t yet formally tested battery life, but the Galaxy Note lasted a full day of heavy testing before I had to plug it in again. We’ll update this section once we run our battery tests.

Camera

The 8-megapixel camera snapped good pictures, indoors and out. The colors in my indoor and outdoor photos looked accurate, while details appeared sharp. Honestly, though, the phone’s dimensions make it a little awkward to use as a camera. Have you ever tried shooting a photo with a tablet? It just feels strange.

The Galaxy Note can capture HD video in up to 1080p resolution. The device also has a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for making video calls or taking self-portraits.

As somebody who is reluctant to hop on the tablet train, the Galaxy Note’s size is ideal to me. I like being able to whip the Note out to jot down ideas, and I love being able to doodle during a meeting or while riding the bus. To me, this is a perfectly sized tablet. But a perfectly sized phone? I’m not so sure. I wish Samsung sold a Wi-Fi-only, carrier-free version in addition to the subsidized AT&T version with LTE. I see it more as a secondary device--something I take to work, but not out to dinner or to the beach. Overall, the Galaxy Note works well with the S Pen, and I am excited to see more pen-supported apps. Right now, the selection feels a bit limited.

From PC World

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iOS 6: the new features

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 03:40:00 +0000

In just two days Apple is bringing not just a brand new iPhone, but an updated platform it will work on, iOS 6, the newest version of its mobile operating system, and here is a breakdown of the main new features, all in an accessible slideshow where we take you one feature at a time.

The new iPhone is expected to launch on or around September 21st, and as we've seen before, Apple will probably try to have iOS 6 out a couple of days ahead of that date, so we're probably looking at a release right after the middle of September.

First, though, you should know that iOS 6 is a huge update with 200 new features. Among the brand new things you’ll see is Apple’s own Maps solution with turn-by-turn navigation and 3D renderings of cities, a new Passcode app collecting and organizing your boarding passes, store cards and others of the like.

Siri has received a huge overhaul with plenty of new features added so it now know more about sports, movies, restaurants and works with the new maps. Facebook is also deeply baked into the platform and well integrated with both apps and contacts.

There are a lot of nice little touches in the phone book, email, Safari and others that really seem to make this a must-have update to iOS. Check them all out below.

1. Siri knows sports

Siri can now give you the scores of sports games. You just have to ask it something like “What was the score of the last Heat game,” or just ask about who's taller Kobe or LeBron and you get an answer. Cool!

2. Siri knows movies

You can now ask about all the movies playing at a movie theater. Rotten Tomatoes ratings are integrated and you can ask for movies by actors and directors.

3. Siri knows restaurants

Fine-diners can now ask Siri for a great place for dinner, and get a meaningful list of restaurants, sorted by rating. OpenTable partnership also brings one tap reservations.

4. Siri can launch apps

Siri now knows your apps and can launch them for you.

5. Facebook is integrated with images and maps

Share images and maps straight from the apps on your iPhone/iPad.

6. Facebook is baked into the notification center

Now, along with Twitter, you can update your Facebook status from the notification center.

7. Facebook now plays well with the App Store

Also, you can like apps on the App Store and see what your friends use and like.

8. New Maps from Apple

Apple ditched Google Maps for its own solution in iOS 6.

9. Maps include 100 million business listings

Apple's new maps come with plenty of business listings.

10. Maps are integrated with Siri

You can also interact with Siri when say you are getting directions and it would clarify.

11. Maps come with Flyover - a bird eye’s view of major cities

Flyover is an extremely detailed look of major cities across the globe.

12. Turn-by-turn navigation!

Turn by turn navigation, it's here!

13. 3D Maps are also in the mix

And you also get to see 3D renderings of buildings around you.

14. You can now reply to a call with a message

In a meeting, you can now skip a call but still reply with an automated message.

15. ”Do not disturb” feature mutes calls from all except your favorites

16. Passcode organizes your boarding passes, store cards

17. FaceTime is now on the iPad, works over 3G/4G!

18. Safari comes with offline reading and iCloud tabs

19. Email app allows you to embed images straight from within a message

You also get a VIP inbox, giving you only the emails that truly matter.

20. Photo Stream becomes social with shared image galleries

From PhoneArena

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iPhone 5: 15 most-wanted features

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 02:34:00 +0000

Still waiting for an iPhone 5? So are we. Here's an updated look at some of the feature and design upgrades we'd most like to see, including the odds of their implementation.

First, an apology to those who've read this article before in its various iterations, you probably have a bad case of deja vu.

Truth be told, I originally published this column shortly after the iPhone 4 came out back in June 2010, which is why you see a lot of dated comments -- but they are fun to read.

Hopefully, this will be the last update, but you never know, considering how long this whole waiting-for-iPhone-5 saga has gone on.

As those of you who've read earlier versions of this column are aware, with the release of the iPhone 4S, Apple did include some features I was hoping would be in the iPhone 5, so the list is now shorter; it's been culled from 20 down to 15 features.

By popular demand, in this update I swapped in "Industry-standard micro-USB connector" and dropped "Removable battery," because, well, we know Apple we'll never do a removable battery. Also, since Apple has confirmed that FaceTime over cellular will be enabled with the release of iOS 6, I added that information to the text.

As a reminder, the 15 items in the list are ordered from least important to most in a reverse countdown. I've also included what I think are the odds of Apple actually implementing each request.

As always, feel free to agree or disagree with me and make your own suggestions (and to post your own ordered wish list).

Image: MacRumors commissioned this mock-up based on alleged iPhone 5 case schematics.(Credit: MacRumors.com)

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