The iPhone 5 launch is rapidly approaching. At least we all think it is, Apple is famously secretive regarding new products: launching new iPhones, computers and whizz-bang devices on an (largely) unsuspecting public out of the nowhere. All this causes a tremendous amount of excitement amongst tech industry watchers as people worldwide speculate, theorize, imagine, and just plain make-up what the Cupertino-based company is really up to.
Speculation regarding the next-generation of iPhone is rampant, even though nobody is 100 per cent sure that Apple is even working on, let alone getting ready to launch a new iPhone model. After all, the iPhone 4S is still selling incredibly well. Having said that, we are pretty sure that Apple is ready to launch a fifth-generation of iPhone this year, and we’re reasonbly confident that it’ll come between the months of June and September.
How can we be so sure? Well partly it’s legacy, Apple has launched a new iPhone around June to September since 2007, slowly introducing new features like the Retina-display, HD-cameras, and Siri to gradually ensure each model is better than the last. This encourages current owners to upgrade to a new phone, gets new people leaving their contracts to choose an iPhone over another model, and prevents people from jumping ship to another handset like Android (perish the thought). We’ve also heard reports from retail that Apple is scaling back production of the iPhone 4S, even though it is still selling well. And although the iPhone 4S is as damn near perfect a phone that we can think of, there’s no reason to believe Apple won’t release an even better model this year.
Apple itself has kept exceptionally quiet (as usual) about any new features. Even so, there’s plenty of information (and misinformation) as to what direction the iPhone is going in. Apple has been investing in companies and taking patents in technologies like Liquidmetal, waterproofing technology, iWallet payment systems, solar powered screens, screens with antenna technology, OLED screens, haptic feedback, 3D displays, and more. All of this shows the type of technology Apple is thinking about, it’s just a question of what technology it decides to use, which device, and when.
So welcome to the wonderful world of iPhone speculation. Trying to second-guess Apple’s every next move is an obsession of ours (and many other tech pundits). We’ve scoured the patents, analyzed the business deals, and spent a lot of time scouring some of the more remote, and potentially reliable, sources (typically those based in China that are close to the manufacture of the upcoming device). There’s also we admit a fair amount of ‘finger-in-the-air’ guesswork, but these are the features we think you can look forward to in the next generation of iPhone.
iPhone 5: A5X or A6 CPU, Liquidmetal, and a physical redesign
It’s likely that Apple is ready to introdue the new quad-core A6 CPU rather than use the A5X processor in the new iPad. Mostly because the dual-core A5 (with faster graphics) seems specifically designed to power a Retina display iPad, and would have little effect on the new iPhone. If the iPhone 5 has a faster processor it will probably be powered by a ARM quad-cortex-A9 and designed using a new 28nm process (it’ll be one of the first chips in existence at 28nm – the smaller specification enables more transisters to be packed into the same space, enabling smaller and more power efficient devices, or faster CPUs in the same space). The clock speed is likely to be modest, between 1–1.5GHz (up from the 800Mhz to 1GHz of the new iPad). Although we think Apple may veer on the side of caution here. Apple has consistently upped the processing speed of the iPhone in order for it to introduce new features like multi-tasking, video recording, and Siri as well as power better and more feature-packed apps like iPhoto.
Liquidmetal casing
The very name conjures up a new slick, amorphous technology – perhaps made of water, or waterproof (which the iPhone 5 may be, but it’s nothing to do with this). Liquidmetal is the commercial name for a new type of alloy that is strong, resistent to corrosion, and has a “high coefficient of restituion” (a posh way of saying it’s ‘bouncy’ – we’re not making this up, an experiment with ball bearings found they bounced three times as high on a Liquidmetal plate). Don’t expect the iPhone 5 to bounce, but it may be stronger and less-prone to breaking. Dr. Atakan Peker, Liquidmetal’s inventor explained: “Liquidmetal is super strong, scratch and corrosion resistant, resilient and can be precision cast into complex shapes. Apple’s exclusively licensing a new material technology (specifically for casing and enclosures) is a first in the industry. I expect Apple to use this technology in a breakthrough product.” (Business Insider). The alloy has been used in a limited way (some SIM-ejector tools are made from it) but we think eventually Apple will put it to a more comprehensive use.
A mock-up of how a Liquidmetal case could look. Credit: Nak Design
A new look for the iPhone 5
A redesign of some sorts is on the cards. After Apple launched the iPhone 4 and 4S with the same design, we think it’s likely that it will do something different this time. Rumours mostly focus on the idea of a thinner phone with a metal rear; this could possibly look more like the iPad (or iPod touch). Betting on any Apple device consistently getting thinner and smaller with fewer buttons is always a safe bet, although the size of the iPhone (including screen) as remained fairly consistent for the last five years; suggesting that Apple is largely happy with the decisions it made during the original launch. More controversial design suggestions seem to focus around the Home button, which many pundits are suggesting will become a flatter, squarer shape. Perhaps replaced with a touch-sensitive strip, rather than a physical push button (some people have speculated that the wider button will still push down but will also be touch sensitive so you can swipe left and right across it). Apple has also patented virtual touch controls for the side of a device, presumably to enable it to remove the physical buttons from the iPhone and replace. That Apple dislikes buttons (especially uneccessary ones) is beyond doubt, and we’re sure it’s design team has given the Home buttons (as well as Volume and Mute buttons) a good stern stare. Whether that translates to actually removing the buttons is another matter – we think they’ll stick around for a few more generations yet.
An iPhone 5 mock-up Credit: Fuse Chicken
Next: iPhone 5 power connection, memory, RAM, battery
Article source: http://www.macworld.co.uk/apple-education/news/index.cfm?newsid=3358570
Posted in iPhone 5 by .
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In particular, Apple is facing growing competition from South Korea’s Samsung, whose smartphone line uses screens varying from 2.8 to 5.3 inches. The larger devices — including its flagship Galaxy S2 in the U.S. and Galaxy S3 in Europe — have 4.3- and 4.8-inch screens, respectively.
A larger-screened iPhone will put Apple not only in line with competitors such as Samsung, but also in line with broader consumer demand.
Indeed, research firm Strategy Analytics released in March a report claiming that almost 90 percent of smartphone owners want a smartphone with a screen in the range from 4.0 to 4.5 inches.
Samsung shipped 26 percent of all smartphones in the first quarter of this year, crowning it the leader with 38 million units. Apple took second place with 33.1 million units.
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Article source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/343019/20120519/larger-iphone-5-job-s-final-work.htm
Posted in iPhone 5 by .
May 12
20
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1: A So-So Tablet That Would've Been Really Cool A Year Ago [REVIEW]
Kevin Smith, Business Insider
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Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2 line now comes in two flavors. There’s the 7-inch model, which we think is a better than the Kindle Fire if you’re looking for a budget tablet.
Now we have its big brother, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1.
It’s very similar in design to its pocket-sized, sibling but that extra three inches gives more room for browsing the web, emailing, taking/viewing photos, and more.
This Galaxy Tab serves up Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, giving you all the latest features and much more control over how you interact with the device.
The Galaxy Tab 2 is Wi-Fi only, a bummer for 4G LTE fanatics. At times when testing the unit I wished that 3G or LTE was available because I had a little trouble holding a steady Wi-Fi connection. The problem was solved after I switched to a different network, but my iPad had no problems holding a signal on the initial network.
The Galaxy Tab’s native browser offers Adobe flash support, tabbed browsing, incognito windows, and it was also nice to have the option of downloading popular browsers on the device. However, I suggest using Google Chrome as your default browser. It syncs to your Google account and works just as if you were on a PC.
At the end of the day though, the Galaxy Tab 2 feels like its competing with the iPad 2, not the new iPad. But Android lovers will still get a kick out of it.
Article source: http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-continues-to-step-up-their-tablet-offerings-is-apple-in-reach-galaxy-tab-2-101-review-2012-5
Posted in samsung galaxy tab by .
May 12
20
Apple Attempts To Block Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Sales In United States After Courtroom Victory
Apple recently won an appeal court victory that suggests Samsung should never have been allowed to sell the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the United States and now Apple has filed a new motion for an injunction to pull the Google Android powered tablet from US shelves.
Apple and Samsung are set to begin high-level settlement talks on Monday which could keep the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in circulation, in the meantime if those talks fail a new injunction request could be ruled on by as early as June 7.
You may recall that Apple declared a similar court victory in Germany over the Galaxy Tab 10.1 however a judge in that case overturned Apple’s injunction, claiming that the Tab 10.1 was “sufficiently different” enough to avoid the injunction. The product in Germany known as the Galaxy Tab 10.1N is not sold in the United States.
Apple’s Tuesday victory vacated Judge Lucy Koh’s original ruling that Apple’s case had no merit in terms of the iPad argument, although she left the iPhone part of the case intact.
In the original case Circuit Judge Kathleen O’Malley wrote the dissenting opinion in which she said Apple should be granted an immediate injunction because of harm caused to sales by the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The other two judges in the case ruled that the Apple vs. Samsung argument should simply be placed back into the original court for review.
Since Judge Koh never actually ruled on the iPad design patent which had previously been deemed invalid she is now overseeing settlement talks between the two company’s.
If talks fail Samsung must produce a response to the injunction request by May 25th.
While sales are not expected to be hurt by the final outcome it is likely that Samsung will change the design of its tablet devices to avoid future litigation with Apple.
Apparently Apple now owns the rights to flat rectangular objects. Actually Apple didn’t think up the iPad design on their own they just slimmed it down, check out this video from 1994 which conceptualized a very much iPad friendly looking tablet:
Do you think Apple’s patent claims over the design of the iPad devices is valid or proof that the patent system is in need of a major overhaul?
Article source: http://www.inquisitr.com/239672/apple-attempts-to-block-samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-sales-in-united-states/
Posted in samsung galaxy tab by .
Apple may help achieve hat-trick of import bans
On the heels of an appeals court win that suggested that Samsung should have been barred from selling its copycat Galaxy Tab 10.1 from the get-go, Apple has now filed a motion for a new injunction against the tablet asking it to be pulled from US shelves. The two companies are scheduled to begin high-level settlement talks on Monday, but should they fail the new injunction request could be ruled on as early as June 7.
Apple won a similar ban in Germany on the original Galaxy Tab 10.1, forcing Samsung to make design changes that were judged sufficiently different to be able to avoid the injunction. That resulting product, the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, is not sold in the US and most other countries. There are already ITC US import bans in place against two of HTC’s phones and some of Motorola’s Android devices.
Apple won the reversal on Tuesday, which vacated Judge Lucy Koh’s original ruling that there was no merit to Apple’s copyright complaint regarding the iPad (the ruling on the iPhone portion of the case was left intact). Indeed, one of the three judges in the appeal, Circuit Judge Kathleen O’Malley, went so far as to issue a dissenting opinion from the other judges, saying that Apple should be granted an immediate injunction, and that Apple has been harmed by Samsung being allowed to sell the Galaxy Tab 10.1, according to patent court observer Florian Mueller.
The other two judges said simply that the matter should go back to the original court for review, since Judge Koh had never ruled on the iPad design patent (since it had previously been deemed invalid). Judge Koh is currently overseeing the settlement talks between Apple and Samsung, and will not take action on the matter until those talks are completed. Should those talks fail to produce a settlement, Samsung has until May 25th to produce a response to the injunction request, and Judge Koh may schedule it for June 7, the same date a separate injunction request against the Galaxy Nexus is scheduled to be heard.
The rulings are not expected to have much impact on either Apple’s or Samsung’s overall sales, but do clarify Apple’s design rights — and so far, the iPad maker has been largely successful in putting pressure on Android firms to redesign their products to be distinct from Apple’s. Regardless of how the rest of the case goes, a redesign of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to avoid Apple patents is likely. [via Florian Mueller]
iPad (top) vs. Galaxy Tab 10.1N (bottom)
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Posted in samsung galaxy tab by .
May 12
20
iPhone 5 is a Real Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs is rumored to have worked closely on the redesigned next iPhone.
May 18 2012, 3:15am CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr
The rumors of the iPhone 5 are currently revolving around the larger screen. It is expected that the iPhone 5 has at least a 4-inch display. A new report on Bloomberg says that Steve Jobs was closely… Full Story below
Updates to this story
Quote:
“driven by the continued success of the iPhone 4S, Apple’s sales grew 96.2 percent in the first quarter of 2012 as the new model expanded into new markets and carriers. Sales in China were particularly strong this quarter. With more than 5 million units, China became the second-largest market for Apple after the US”
Source: PC World
The rumors of the iPhone 5 are currently revolving around the larger screen. It is expected that the iPhone 5 has at least a 4-inch display. A new report on Bloomberg says that Steve Jobs was closely involved in the redesign of the new larger iPhone.
Bloomberg does not shed any more light on the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 is expected to launch this fall.
The next big event for Apple fans is the WWDC 2012 on June 11th. It is expected that Apple will unveil Retina Display MacBooks and likely will reveal the details of iOS 6.
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Article source: http://www.i4u.com/50568/iphone-5-real-steve-jobs
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Worldwide sales of mobile phones saw a 2 percent decline from the first quarter of 2011 due to a slowdown in demand from the Asia/Pacific region, but the launch of the Apple iPhone 5 will help drive a stronger second half of the year in Western Europe and North America, according to Gartner. The report also notes that Apple’s sales in China were “particularly strong” despite people holding of sales in the hope of an iPhone 5.
As a whole the market saw a decline, notes the Gartner report: “Worldwide sales of mobile phones to end users reached 419.1 million units in the first quarter of 2012, a 2 percent decline from the first quarter of 2011.”
RIM, Nokia, Motorola, LG, and HTC all saw their share of the market shrink when compared to the first quarter of 2011. “Global sales of mobile devices declined more than expected due to a slowdown in demand from the Asia/Pacific region,” said Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta.
“The first quarter, traditionally the strongest quarter for Asia — which is driven by Chinese New Year, saw a lack of new product launches from leading manufacturers, and users delayed upgrades in the hope of better smartphone deals arriving later in the year,” added Gupta.
In contrast, “driven by the continued success of the iPhone 4S, Apple’s sales grew 96.2 percent in the first quarter of 2012 as the new model expanded into new markets and carriers. Sales in China were particularly strong this quarter. With more than 5 million units, China became the second-largest market for Apple after the US,” notes the Gartner report.
Asian Sales Drop
The drop in sales was partly a result of the downturn in Asian markets. “We were not expecting a slowdown in Asia,” Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta said in a statement. “China is usually a particularly big market in the first quarter, with the Chinese New Year normally leading to a sales boom. But this year consumers have held off upgrading, waiting for other high end devices, like the new Apple iPhone.”
Gartner research indicates that Apple sold 33.1 million iPhones sold in the first quarter of 2012 (below what Apple claimed in its financial results last month). The sales place the smartphone maker in third place behind Samsung and Nokia, with 8 percent of all worldwide mobile phone sales. That is the total mobile phone market, including standard handsets as well as smartphones.
Samsung is in first place with 86,567.6 million units sold in the quarter for 20.7 percent share of the market. Samsung overtook Nokia for the first time that quarter. Nokia sold 83,162.5 million units worldwide for a 19.8 percent share of the market.
The report notes that Nokia’s mobile handset sales reached 83.2 million units, a 22.7 percent decrease from the first quarter of 2011. Gupta blames this on Nokia’s slow progress in the smartphone market: “Smartphone sales are becoming of paramount importance at a worldwide level. For example, smartphone volumes contributed to approximately 43.9 percent of overall sales for Samsung as opposed to 16% for Nokia.”
Apple Climbs, Fights
Among smartphone operating systems, Apple’s iOS saw a year-over-year increase from 16.9 percent share in the first quarter of 2011 to 22.9 percent share to kick off 2012. Apple and Samsung accounted for 49.3 percent of all smartphone sales worldwide. This is above the 29.3 percent the two collectively represented in the first quarter of 2011, notes the report.
Gartner notes that Android is beating the iPhone: “In the smartphone OS market, Android accounted for more than half of all smartphone sales (56.1 percent) in the first quarter of 2012.”
However, Gartner analyst Gupta said the smartphone market has become highly commoditized and differentiation is becoming a challenge for manufacturers, particularly those using the Android OS. “This is particularly true for smartphones based on the Android OS, where a strong commoditization trend is at work and most players are finding it hard to break the mould. At the high end, hardware features coupled with applications and services are helping differentiation, but this is restricted to major players with intellectual property assets.”
Gupta adds: “In the mid to low-end segment, price is increasingly becoming the sole differentiator. This will only worsen with the entry of new players and the dominance of Chinese manufacturers, leading to increased competition, low profitability and scattered market share.”
RIM is a sorry tale. The Blackberry maker sold 9.9 million mobile handsets in the first quarter of 2012, with its global share declining to 2.4% as competition increased in its international market strongholds, according to the report. “RIM desperately needs to deliver winning BB10 products to retain users and stay competitive. This will be very challenging, because BB10 lacks strong developer support, and a new BB10 device will only be available in the fourth quarter of 2012,” said Gupta.
Article source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/255789/iphone_5_expected_to_fire_up_mobile_market.html
Posted in iPhone 5 by .
In the latest move in a complex series of patent-related cases, Apple filed a motion in a U.S. district court late Friday to ban Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the U.S.
The Apple filing came in the wake of an appeals court ruling earlier in the week that sided with Apple on the validity of an iPad design patent. Meanwhile, Apple and Samsung are scheduled to go into court-mandated settlement negotiations, set for May 21 and May 22, so the injunction is not likely to be granted over the next few days.
The motion for a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, where Judge Lucy Koh is presiding over several cases involving Apple and Samsung patent claims for tablets and smartphones.
Koh had earlier in the year said that Apple was unlikely to win its patent claim against the Tab 10.1, siding with Samsung’s contention that Apple’s iPad-related design patent claim in question would be considered invalid. Samsung has said that aspects of the iPad design patent are too obvious to be patented.
However, earlier this week, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit sided with Apple on the likely validity of the iPad design patent.
“While this Court had concluded that Apple had failed to establish likely success on the merits, the Federal Circuit held instead that Samsung had failed to raise a substantial question as to validity of the D’889 patent based on obviousness,” Apple said in its motion to Koh Friday.
In the motion, Apple pointed out that even though Koh had initially said that Apple’s patent was likely not valid, she did agree that Apple would suffer harm from competition with the Galaxy Tab 10.1. In addition, Apple stressed that the appeals court also agreed that Apple would suffer from competition with the Galaxy Tab.
“This Court should now promptly enter a preliminary injunction to protect Apple from the continuing irreparable harm that this Court found five months ago was likely to occur in the absence of such relief,” Apple concluded.
The Friday motion was first reported by Florian Mueller’s Foss Patents blog.
If the court-mandated settlement talks between the two companies fail, Koh could grant Apple’s request for the injunction to be handed down without a hearing.
However, Koh is scheduled to hear arguments on June 7 for a separate injunction Apple has requested, against Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone. She could also hear further arguments on the Tab 10.1 injunction at that time, Mueller suggested.
Apple sued Samsung last year for violations of multiple patents and trademarks in Android-based smartphones and tablets. Samsung has countersued. Apple filed a separate suit against Samsung this year on products released after the first suit was filed.
Apple and Samsung are litigating about 50 different lawsuits in several countries. In Germany, a Dusseldorf court is set hear on June 5 an appeal from Apple, which is seeking an injunction preventing Samsung Electronics from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, a tablet modified to beat an earlier injunction against the 10.1 version of the product in the country.
Article source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/255859/apple_files_for_preliminary_injunction_against_galaxy_tab_101.html
Posted in samsung galaxy tab by .
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Case-Mate gives recycled plastics a new life as sleek cases for the iPhone 4/4S. Made from recycled PET bottles, the cases are designed to provide a protective barrier for the popular albeit pricey phone. So next time you ponder what to do with your empty bottle, keep this Case-Mate stat in mind: One recycled water bottle provides enough material to make one case. Available in pink, tangerine, lime, turquoise, black and white, each case costs about $30.
Tablet promotes fun
Want to try a tablet without spending big bucks? Consider the Premium 7S tablet from E FUN. Priced at about $150, the seven-inch tablet has built-in Wi-Fi for e-mail and web access and a video player for viewing movies. It also includes a front-facing camera, a color multi-touch screen, a 1 GHz processor, four gigabytes of built-in flash memory, a microSD card slot and a 2.0 mini-USB port. Powered by the Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, the tablet comes with built-in access to Barnes Noble’s electronic book offerings.
GPS device plays it safe
Magellan’s new line of RoadMate GPS devices can smooth some of your travel worries this summer. Instead of providing directions with just street names, the 5230T-LM RoadMate tells you to turn at easy-to-spot landmarks, such as gas stations or banks. The model also cuts down on confusion by providing a “Junction View” that shows which lane you need to be in when merging or exiting. It also can provide alerts about upcoming red light cameras and even let you know when you’re driving faster than the posted speed limit. The RoadMate 5230T-LM costs about $170. Other versions are available.
Keeps track of phone
New phone jitters? You can rest easy with the ZOMM Wireless Leash. Designed to keep you from accidentally leaving your phone behind, the wireless device can be attached to your purse, keys or lanyard. When you — and the device — walk away from your phone, it will flash, vibrate and sound an alarm. The device also works as a wireless speaker phone, allowing you to answer calls when your phone isn’t in sight. It has a panic button for emergencies and provides one-touch emergency number access. The Bluetooth device costs about $90.
Article source: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120519/BUSINESS/305190056/1003/rsslink
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Article source: http://www.macworld.co.uk/ipad-iphone/news/?newsid=3358507
Posted in iPhone 5 2011 by .
