Thứ Ba, 31 tháng 5, 2011

Apple Likely to Integrate iCloud for the iPhone 5

Apple Likely to Integrate iCloud for the iPhone 5

Apple has been rumored to move from its current online file storage provider, MobileMe, to iCloud, which has recently been renamed to CloudMe. The overhauling of this internet service that started as iTools and renamed in 2008 together with the release of the then- launched iPhone 3G is said to unfold together with the release of the rumored next generation of iPhone, the Apple iPhone5. The iPhone 5 will be released with the much talked about operating system, the iOS 5. The beta version of the iCloud service is also said to be prepped up for the operating system for the Apple Macbooks, the Mac OS X Lion.

Sources say that Apple has purchased the domain name iCloud.com for $4.5 million from the Sweddish company, Xcerion who is responsible for creating iCloud. iCloud, on the other hand, was just rebranded as CloudMe with the company purchasing the domain name CloudMe.com.

News and rumors has it that Apple's rumored iCloud service is focused on music streaming and downloads with Apple recently closing a deal with at least two major record labels to allow the company to stream and distribute copyrighted materials to users and subscribers.

Apple's current MobileMe service which costs $99 annually offers users with 20 GB of virtual file storage memory for music which you can access from anywhere in the world using different devices, such as iPad, desktop or laptop computers and smart phones. But reporters and Apple close- watchers suggest that there are strong evidences pointing to the company's efforts to broaden the scope of their storage, with hopes that the service will become an online diary and locker where users can store their precious moments such as videos, pictures and music files.

Apple is also said to be overheard stating that they might make the MobileMe service- which will eventually be known as iCloud- free for its users. This strategy would lead to sky- rocket sales and convince more consumers to take a hold of their hardware devices. This plan would lead to more intrigues and speculations about Apple's need to upgrade the amount of memory storage that they have on their iPhones and other devices.

By fall of this year, we'll get to see the revamped and renamed internet cloud service from Apple- that, if rumors about the September release of the iPhone 5 are true.


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Planny iPhone App Review – No Frills Planning

Planny iPhone App Review – No Frills Planning

For me to use a to-do list on a regular basis it has to be easily accessible, simple to use and very reliable.  My life is not so complex that I need anything hugely complicated, and my job requires the same thing each day, so I rarely need to plan much in advance.  To this end, the standard Calendar app on my iPhone is ideal as not only is it simple and easy to use, but it syncs with my Mac too.

If I were to swap over to a new planner, the app would have to be something very special indeed.  Will Planny be that app?  Let's find out.

Released at the beginning of April, Planny promises to be a streamlined organizer that makes the most of the touchscreen interface.  As with most organizers, when you start the app you're presented with a daily view split into hours, with the option of viewing your calendar by month too.  Handily you can set the hours displayed on a single page to those of your work, so there's no unnecessary swiping.

Events appear inside circles  – although can be altered to a square, heart or hexagon – and a double tap shows all the relevant information.  Each appointment can be assigned a start time and a title, plus there is the option to add notes, set an alert or schedule a repeat.

With your appointment saved, you can assign a priority level.  This is then visually indicated on the daily view by both color – green for low importance, blue for medium and red for high priority – and by how high up the screen the appointment is.  This makes spotting the most important things in your day very easy, and is the best thing about Planny.  Switching to calendar view adds a small number alert on any days with appointments added.

If you need to move an appointment to a later time, you can tap and drag it across the screen to a new time, another excellent time saver.  At this point, Planny was proving useful, however, things stared to take a turn for the negative when I delved a little deeper.  That appointment I'd just dragged to a new time?  Fine if it's on the same day, but if the appointment has moved to the next day, you have to fiddle about in the menu system.  I would have much preferred the ability to drag it over to the next calendar page manually.

Then there is the adding of a new appointment.  When you've been through everything and clicked 'save' – which happens far too often – you're returned to the current day planner; so if you want to check the appointment has been saved you have to either swipe through or visit the calendar overview.  Seeing as there is a Now button to return the view to the present day, I would have preferred to see what I'd just added and compare it with other events of that day.

But the biggest problem for Planny is the way it handles more than one appointment at the same time on the same day.  Instead of clearly overlapping them, it piles them up with very little indication there's more than one appointment for that time, especially if they're all the same level of priority.  This could lead to overbooking and missed appointments – defeating the point of an organizer!

These may seem like little niggles, but as I mentioned from the start, I need the least annoying system possible if I'm to use a planner – and although Planny started out well, I soon returned to the standard Calendar.  However, Planny gains a point for being a free app, and provided your schedule isn't very busy or that likely to alter much, it's a perfectly serviceable organizer.

Positives:

  • Fast recognition of important tasks.
  • Easy to drag appointments to new times on the same day.
  • No setup, minimal menus.

Negatives:

  • Difficult to spot multiple appointments for the same time with the same priority.
  • Appointments can't be dragged to another day.
  • Not very visually impressive.

Overall: 3/5

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , iPhone camera, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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iPhone 5 May Get Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text Feature

iPhone 5 May Get Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text Feature

So now, we might get a new feature of Text to Speech in the next generation iPhone by Apple. The Patently Apple reports, Apple has filed a patent application for a system that provides you the ability of converting text to speech and vice versa on iPhone. The system for Apple filed a patent, would be also helpful in loudy background environment and as well as at those places where user can't talk loudly.
According to a new Apple patent application that was published this morning by the US Patent and Trademark Office, future iPhone's are likely to provide end users with effective new ways of communicating in both noisy environments like a restaurant or even during a quiet office meeting without stirring a mouse.

For this purpose, Apple might add a new sensor in handset for noise detection. And the new system will work like this; when the user at loudy environment, the iPhone automatically convert the speech from the end into the text. And when user less noisy environment i.e meeting, iPhone will allow user to write text, which would be converted to speech and send to the other end. Here's more on the iPhone 5 news

[via hackphone]

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SharkEye iPhone Case Review and Video

SharkEye iPhone Case Review and Video

Is it really possible to use a rugged iPhone 4 case everyday?  For me, the downside of cases which offer almost complete protection for your phone is the additional size and bulk – I just don't want to carry them around.  I always knew there would be a sweet spot, where the phone is kept safe without sacrificing its portability, and I think the SharkEye may have found it.

The SharkEye comes in three pieces, with a top and bottom section encapsulating the device and a third, central part containing a clever screen protector.  This is where the SharkEye gets its name, as it works like the protective membrane that slides over a shark's eye in moments of danger.Before we get into the way it works, we need to assemble the case and identify how it protects your phone.  Inside the very top and bottom sections of the case is a soft elastomer lining, which is anything up to 5mm thick in some places, acting as an absorbent cushion and protecting the corners of the phone.

You slot the iPhone 4 into the base first, then slide the screen protector assembly on, before finally adding the large top section and clicking it all into place.  It's actually a bit fiddly as the screen protector has a tendency to get caught on the casing, but once the phone is inside and you've given it a squeeze, it's securely held together by a big clip.

The elastomer lining covers the volume buttons, Home button and sleep/wake key, plus there are flaps for the 30-pin connector and the headphone jack.  Only the speakers and the mute switch are uncovered, but are deep inside the body of the case itself.  The case is made from stiff, textured plastic which adds grip, but perhaps doesn't feel as pleasing to the touch as glossy polycarbonate can.

The SharkEye's party piece is the retractable cover of the screen.  By using a slider in the rear of the case you can open and close the 'garage door' over the top of the screen.  The motion is clean and smooth, and if you've got big enough hands it's easy to close the cover using one hand; however opening it really requires two.

SharkEye has demonstrated that the cover can protect the screen from a steel ball being dropped on it from nearly 40″, so although it doesn't look all that tough, in reality it is!  The same goes for the rest of the SharkEye, as it feels very sturdy in the hand, and knowing about that soft lining adds considerable peace of mind.

For me though, what made the SharkEye the best rugged case I've used was how little it added to the size and weight of the phone.  An iPhone 4 wrapped up inside the SharkEye weighs 196 grams, up from 137 grams, and the case adds only around 10mm to each of its dimensions.  Considering the level of protection the SharkEye provides, keeping it pocketable is quite an achievement.

I've been using the SharkEye for a little over a week now, and have enjoyed the security it offers my phone, plus I've not once wanted to swap it over for a smaller, lighter case; as it just hasn't felt intrusive.  The look has grown on me too, although its uninteresting shape won't appeal to everyone.  Using the SharkEye's screen cover has become second nature, and this clever system is far more preferable than a built-in screen protector seen on other tough cases.

The only time I found the SharkEye a pain was when using the very edges of the phone's screen, as it's quite deep inside the case and the lip around the edge is not only quite big, but a bit sharp too.  I noticed this while playing some games – Angry Birds, DrawRace and Speedball 2: Evolution were particular standouts – and when typing quickly.  For typing I just took some more care, but for longer periods of gaming, it was better to take it out.

When considering my final thoughts on the SharkEye, I realized why I liked it more than others, and it's because it doesn't really feel like a super-tough rugged case.  Instead of looking like it belongs on the dashboard of a Humvee, the SharkEye looks at home on the table at your local coffee shop, plus it's easily slipped into your pocket when you leave.  Considering the protection the SharkEye does offer, this is a great achievement and a huge recommendation.

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iPhone 5 Image

iPhone 5 Image

There seems to be some buzz around the iPhone 5 having its camera flash repositioned as we have previously reported, and also reported on a possible reason for the moving of the flash on the next iOS smartphone, and now a new image has hit the next which is purportedly of the rear of an iPhone5 that shows the device with a repositioned flash.

According to the guys over at Phone Dog by way of Macrumors, the new image posted by Apple Pro and apparently originating from Chinese site Weibo, is said to be that of the iPhone 5 pictures back and has the flash over on the right side and the camera on the left.

Having said all that, as you probably know images such as these are easily faked but does tie up with previous rumours that the iPhone 5g camera flash might be repositioned in the upcoming handset, so it could be plausible.

So the usual applies with this, treat firmly as pure speculation until such times as some confirmation comes along one way or another, full image can be seen below.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news.
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Moved Camera Flash Another “Fix” For the iPhone 5, or a 3D Camera?

Moved Camera Flash Another "Fix" For the iPhone 5, or a 3D Camera?

Thanks to a purported leak of an iPhone 5 case, new rumors of the iPhone5 featuring a repositioned camera flash could be the result of yet another flawed design on the iPhone 4. But could that other cut-out also be for a rumored 3D camera?

iPhone users eager for a sneak peak at the iPhone 5′s form factor have been abuzz3D in conjecture over a recently-discovered iPhone case being offered on the trade site alibaba.com that purports to be for the "iPhone 5G." While the iPhone inside the photo is most definitely a mock-up, the case itself is possibly believed to be the product of a design leak from one of Apple's China-based component manufacturers, giving the tech community a kind of "outline" of what the form factor of the iPhone 5 may end up being.

While many have focused on the sloped shoulders of the purported iPhone 5 case's chassis and seemingly-edge-to-edge screen, new reports are taking notice of a considerable shift in the position of the rear-facing flash. As opposed to the positioning of the iPhone 4′s LED flash — which sits just to the side of the camera sensor — the mysterious iPhone 5 case features a cutout on the other side of the rear face of the design.

If this indeed is an inside peak at what the iPhone 5 features, what would a repositioned camera flash mean? Given some of the issues with the camera flash on the iPhone 4, would this not constitute yet another "fix" on the iPhone 5?

Or, could that circular cutout be for something revolutionary for the iPhone 5, such as a 3D camera?

iPhone 4 Camera Flash Issues: a History

Camera flash issues are nothing new for the iPhone 4. Early on in the release of the iPhone 4 in the Summer of 2010, there were numerous reports of the iPhone 4 taking yellowed photos. Heather Kelly at Macworld did a thorough investigation of the issue way back in July of 2010, most of which was inconclusive, stating: "Hopefully, this isn't a hardware issue involving the camera's lens, and Apple can fix the problem with an update to the iPhone 4′s firmware."

It still remains to be seen what the culprit of the camera flash issues on some iPhone 4s are: while some believed that it was a software issue, others suggested it was a design flaw in the LED flash, or even an effect of shoddy, poorly-designed iPhone 4 cases.

More recently, Apple purportedly had to deal with similar problems with the white iPhone 4′s chassis. Cult of Mac, which predicted the release of the white iPhone 4 perfectly, indicated in a report from October of 2010 that the white plastic was letting too much light into the case, affecting the clarity of photos: "The handset's semi-translucent glass case leaks light in, ruining pictures taken with the internal camera, especially when the built-in flash is used." It was this flaw that caused the delay in the release of the white iPhone 4.

While Apple only made nominal changes to the positioning of camera components to compensate for the white iPhone 4, the iPhone 5 could feature a dramatic repositioning of the camera flash, particularly if it is looking to invest in an 8-megapixel camera and upping the ante on the iPhone being consider a serious picture-taker.

Is that a repositioned camera flash, or another 3D camera sensor?

Of course, if this is the case, it will be yet another "fix" for an iPhone 4 flaw: first the antenna, now the camera flash. As we've commented before, Apple cannot sell fixes like these as "new features," and raise conjecture about the quality of the previous device.

Could Two Cutouts on the Purported iPhone 5 Case Be For a 3D Camera Array?

There is another more exciting possible feature that the two cutouts on the iPhone 5 case could suggest: t a 3D camera array. Rumors of a 3D camera have gained little traction over the past year, with most reports focusing on a relatively nondescript Apple patent, which outlines the schematics for taking 3D photos. Typically, patents such as there are years away from seeing mainstream introduction, but the purported iPhone 5 case design features several elements that conform to the schematics of the 3D camera patent.

Could that cutout be for a second camera sensor with integrated LED flash?

3d image for iphone 5 3d cameraTo achieve a 3D image, two offset photos would need to be taken to create a "stereo" image.

All accounts of the Apple 3D camera patent's schematic show the placement of three sensors, whereas the purported iPhone 5 case only accounts for two. But other elements of the patent explain that Apple's approach to achieving 3D would be accomplished not through software alone, but through hardware as well, as Neil Hughes at Apple Insider explains, noting that current 3D software "must 'guess' at how to perform stereo disparity compensation for 3D images. Those guesses, Apple said, can result in images with artifacts in a composed 3D image that would result in a poor quality photo. Apple's method would instead employ a hardware-based approach with a 'deterministic calculation for stereo disparity compensation.'"

The notion of a "stereo" image, together with an example photo from the patent, suggests that perhaps Apple has managed to capture 3D photo-taking technology with just two sensors.

there's no doubt that 3D technology is a hot commodity right now, and even though we've written about how Apple Should Put the Brakes on 3D Photo Technology for the iPhone 5, 3D photo capabilities would be a mind-blowing new feature that would define the iPhone 5 not as a simple refresh, but rather as a next-generation device. It could also make up for the lack of 4G capabilities.

Chances are, 3D technology is still a way's off for the iPhone, and a shady iPhone 5 case design isn't nearly enough to put a 3D camera into the "probable" column for iPhone 5 features. But if that case is real, it's time to start think out of the box for what else it could be.

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Planny iPhone App Review – No Frills Planning

Planny iPhone App Review – No Frills Planning

For me to use a to-do list on a regular basis it has to be easily accessible, simple to use and very reliable.  My life is not so complex that I need anything hugely complicated, and my job requires the same thing each day, so I rarely need to plan much in advance.  To this end, the standard Calendar app on my iPhone is ideal as not only is it simple and easy to use, but it syncs with my Mac too.

If I were to swap over to a new planner, the app would have to be something very special indeed.  Will Planny be that app?  Let's find out.

Released at the beginning of April, Planny promises to be a streamlined organizer that makes the most of the touchscreen interface.  As with most organizers, when you start the app you're presented with a daily view split into hours, with the option of viewing your calendar by month too.  Handily you can set the hours displayed on a single page to those of your work, so there's no unnecessary swiping.

Events appear inside circles  – although can be altered to a square, heart or hexagon – and a double tap shows all the relevant information.  Each appointment can be assigned a start time and a title, plus there is the option to add notes, set an alert or schedule a repeat.

With your appointment saved, you can assign a priority level.  This is then visually indicated on the daily view by both color – green for low importance, blue for medium and red for high priority – and by how high up the screen the appointment is.  This makes spotting the most important things in your day very easy, and is the best thing about Planny.  Switching to calendar view adds a small number alert on any days with appointments added.

If you need to move an appointment to a later time, you can tap and drag it across the screen to a new time, another excellent time saver.  At this point, Planny was proving useful, however, things stared to take a turn for the negative when I delved a little deeper.  That appointment I'd just dragged to a new time?  Fine if it's on the same day, but if the appointment has moved to the next day, you have to fiddle about in the menu system.  I would have much preferred the ability to drag it over to the next calendar page manually.

Then there is the adding of a new appointment.  When you've been through everything and clicked 'save' – which happens far too often – you're returned to the current day planner; so if you want to check the appointment has been saved you have to either swipe through or visit the calendar overview.  Seeing as there is a Now button to return the view to the present day, I would have preferred to see what I'd just added and compare it with other events of that day.

But the biggest problem for Planny is the way it handles more than one appointment at the same time on the same day.  Instead of clearly overlapping them, it piles them up with very little indication there's more than one appointment for that time, especially if they're all the same level of priority.  This could lead to overbooking and missed appointments – defeating the point of an organizer!

These may seem like little niggles, but as I mentioned from the start, I need the least annoying system possible if I'm to use a planner – and although Planny started out well, I soon returned to the standard Calendar.  However, Planny gains a point for being a free app, and provided your schedule isn't very busy or that likely to alter much, it's a perfectly serviceable organizer.

Positives:

  • Fast recognition of important tasks.
  • Easy to drag appointments to new times on the same day.
  • No setup, minimal menus.

Negatives:

  • Difficult to spot multiple appointments for the same time with the same priority.
  • Appointments can't be dragged to another day.
  • Not very visually impressive.

Overall: 3/5

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , iPhone camera, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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