Apple announced the 4-inch iPhone 5 smartphone

Apple today announced the most awaiting phone for all the Apple lovers, the Apple iPhone 5. Many of the rumors came while talking about iPhone 5. Among those rumours was the 4-inch display and that the phone is thinner and higher than its predecessor, the iPhone 4S. Also chinese iPhone 5 was also launched in china market way before its launch. 

The 7.6mm width makes it the thinnest iPhone so far. Making the phone thinner is probably a good enough reason for many to updating their existing 4S to the new model. But making a thin phone also limit the possibility for Apple to produce a much better camera as it must be room for the lens and sensor which must be stacked on top of each other. Therefore, the Iphone 5 has similar camera specifications. It is a 8 megapixel camera with a BSI sensor, auto focus, face detection and 1080p video capture. The front camera has an increased resolution of 720p.

The new phone has a 4-inch retina display that has a 640 x 1136 pixel resolution. The width of the display is the same as iPhone 4, but the height is increased with 176 pixels up to 1136. This makes up to add one more row for icons. The iPhone 5 has a 800:1 contrast ratio and 500cd/m2 max. brightness, again same as iPhone 4.

The old 30-pin connector has been replaced by a 8-pin connector called Lightning. A Lightning-to-30-pin adapter accessory is available in the Apple Store for $29. The adapter is compatible with all older accessories and Iphone 5, Ipod Touch 5th generation and Ipod Nano 7th generation.




Apple has also updated the headset with a new design. Earlier, you could mix left and right ear-plugs, but that is not possible any more as the new headphones has directional speakers. Just like Apple has done with the camera (iSight) and display (Retina) these headset has got a name. The new headphones are called EarPods and these will work with all previously released Apple products.

Apple has kicked out Google from the iPhone 5 software. Google Maps are now history for iPhone which is now replaced by Maps. Hence, the iPhone 5 will be the first Apple device running iOS 6, and Apple Maps are now the default navigation and map app on this and future iOS devices.

                                            Comparison of Google Maps v/s Apple Maps

Apple is very good at making their new products look revolutionary and sensational. One example of this evident during the presentation today. Instead of saying that the Iphone 5 is 1.7 mm thinner than the iPhone 4S, the company showed the audience that the new phone model was 18% thinner. A much larger number to show off.

The hardware specifications is not iPhone's strength any more. Looking at the specifications alone is not a good reason to go for this particular phone model. I think consumers will buy this for the well-known intuitive user interface and of course the Apple/iPhone brand name.

                              

The iPhone 5 will be available with three variants. Apple has not yet revealed the sim-free price of iPhone 5, but these are the prices in US on two year contract.

16 GB edition for $199

32 GB edition for $299

and the largest 64 GB edition for $399.

Too bad Apple didn't add a memory card slot on the new iPhone.

Like earlier the phone is launched in two colors : Black and White. iPhone 5 will be available in the US, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, France, Germany, Australia, UK on September 21st. 22 other European countries will get the phone on September 28. 100 countries will receive the iPhone 5 during December.

Apple again, has shown the world that it can make good software indulged in good hardware. There's no doubt that in one year from now, the iPhone 5 will be the best-selling mobile phones from Apple. I pesonally, do not think the iPhone 5 is the "All-new design" and "Completely redesigned" as Apple chose to call it. The iPhone 5 is an evolution smartphone based on the ideas behind Iphone 4/4S.

Some new features found in iPhone 5 -

• New A6 processor
• Three different network configurations (2 x GSM and one CDMA)
• LTE network speed
• Now with Wi-Fi a (802.11a/b/g/n)
• Larger display (4-inch with a 640 x 1136 pixel resolution)
• 1.2 front camera with 720p video capture
• New smaller Lightning connector (8-pin)
• Audio jack located at the bottom of the handset
• New EarPods headphones
• iOS 6
• Lighter with 112 gram

Apple iPhone 5 highlights -

• Weight: 112 gram
• Size: 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm
• Networks configurations - 

1. GSM model A1428: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 4 and 17)
2. CDMA model A1429: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5, 13, 25)
3. GSM model A1429: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5)

• 4 inch touch display, 640 x 1136 pixels resolution
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5GHz
• 8 megapixel camera, BSI sensor
• Bluetooth 4.0
• A6 processor
• AGPS and GLONASS
• Talk time: 8 hours (3G)
• Standby time: 225 hours
• Sensors: gyro, accelerometer, proximity, ambient light

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How to control your Computer using your Android Device

There are times when you are sitting some distance away from your computer and you want to play a movie, or open a file, or browse the internet, or may be shutdown your computer. This all activities could be done using an application called Unified Remote.

Through this application you can do about every single activity that you can do with your Mouse or your Keyboard. Right from typing text in notepad, commenting on your friends Facebook status, Volume up-down of your player, opening a new tab, shutdown, restart your computer each and everything.

Its simply a 2-min job to do and you are ready to access your whole computer with your Android device.


Requirements -

1) Wi-Fi installed on your computer
2) Android Device


Steps -
You have to download two applications, one from your computer and the other from your Android device.

1) Download and install the Unified Remote server application on your computer. This will allow your device to connect and communicate to your PC on your home network. Requires Windows and .NET Framework 4.

Link:  http://www.unifiedremote.com/

2) After starting the server you will have to allow the software to bypass your firewall. This is again an important step as the Unified Remote server application on your computer must be allowed to bypass your firewall for it to connect to your Android device.

3) There appears a Unified Remote icon on your task bar. You can control the server (Start/Stop) from here.

4) When you double click the icon a window opens from where you can Start/Stop the Unified Remote application server when not in use.

5) Now your computer part is done. Time for installing the Unified Remote app on your Android device.

Search into Google Play from your Android device for "Unified Remote" and download the FREE version. Or go to the link,

https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Unified+Intents

Screenshots of Unified Remote app-

 

Here's a demo video:

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Google acquires "Quickoffice" - the maker of mobile office suite for Smartphone and Tablets

   

Google announced that it has get over on one of the top creators of office applications for mobile devices. The  “Quickoffice” is a office suite that are pre-installed on mobile devices from some of the most popular smartphone sold viz. Samsung, HTC, Nokia, LG, Sony, Motorola etc. The application has been installed on over 300 million devices to the date, the company claims. The Quickoffice suite application is available for iOS, Android and Sybian devices.  Adding up to the pre-installed suite on some phones, the company also claims its two main products called “Quickoffice Pro” and “Quickoffice Pro HD” are among the top-ten paid apps in the Google Play market.

Quickoffice is an assortment of apps for creating, editing and sharing Microsoft Office documents such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Google alleged in a statement that it will convey the office technology to its Apps product suite.

Google complete statement is:

We're happy to announce that we have acquired Quickoffice, a leader in office productivity solutions.

Google + Quickoffice = get more done anytime, anywhere

Today, consumers, businesses and schools use Google Apps to get stuff done from anywhere, with anyone and on any device. Quickoffice has an established track record of enabling seamless interoperability with popular file formats, and we'll be working on bringing their powerful technology to our Apps product suite.

Quickoffice has a strong base of users, and we look forward to supporting them while we work on an even more seamless, intuitive and integrated experience.

We're excited to welcome the Quickoffice team and their users to Google.

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The War of the Smartphones

There is a battle in progress - the winner will take a profitable chunk out of the mobile phone market and with it the ad and app revenue generated therein. The problem is that the media, bloggers, journalists and even the public believe there is an on-going battle between Google and Apple/BlackBerry in progress. But in reality this isn't the case, far from it, in reality Apple and BlackBerry are competitors as they have handsets which use a proprietary operating system and then they spend a small fortune marketing the brand. Google does something else. It does not make handsets (granted the Nexus is a Google handset but made and co-branded by Samsung) and it does not sell its operating system (it gives it freely to handset manufacturers under terms which allow Google services to interact within the network and handset to generate advertising revenue).

This creates a quandary whereby Apple and RIM are creating in all intense and purposes 'lifestyle' devices incarceration within a pre-determined ecosystem and enclosed application-based environment but Google leaves the portcullis to the castle open to anyone able to adapt, develop and thereafter resell their software. The problem is that Apple/RIM are intoxicated by their own 'brand', although that is not to say Android isn't a brand it's just what that brand means and therein becomes associated with is completely different to anything Apple or RIM create and distribute.

Market share

So, what the issue here surrounds is that of the public perception whereby 'Google' is going to steal or beat Apple and RIM into inferiority within the smartphone market. However this just isn't the case, in reality a free Google product will help to see an increase in market share, but that does not mean Google captures that market share for its self. HTC or Samsung capture that market. We need to remember that Handsets and Operating Systems, partially due to the success of Android, have become divorced from one another. This cleavage creates a perception  problem and one that needs to be cleared up.

Android is battling BlackBerry and Apple

Apple makes the iPhone. The iPhone is in incredible piece of both technological and marketing accomplishment yet it's operating system iOS is confined to the Apple mobile computing environment. You cant install iOS on a BlackBerry 9780 or a HTC Sensation. So that means Android cannot be compared to Apple or BlackBerry in the same way. Yet, this is what has happened so far. The question is can this be healthy for the future of Android.

The argument about Android's open eco-system are predominantly based on the Wintel arguments of the 1990s where, generally perceived, PC manufacturers and Software manufacturers colluded to bring down quality and technical excellence so as they could compete on a race to the bottom. Price was everything and that's how Intel, Windows and HP/Dell or IBM won out! The arguments are transplanted into the twenty first century that Google's Android will with Samsung, HTC and Sony Erricson's help see 'excellence' eroded through a battle of 'dumbing down' and racing to the bottom and competing on price.

Customer Views'

Yet, the issue here is that we are arguing that BlackBerry and Apple, the undoubted smartphone pioneers, worked hard to keep their phones at a certain cost level so as to retain their incredibly profitable revenue streams from collapsing because of engineering excellence. Apple and RIM make billions from selling phones, so when Android came along and people like DoCoMo, Huwaei and HTC created mid-range phones offering similar experiences to the iPhone or BlackBerry but at a substantially reduced price this created the perfect storm to occur within the mobile phone market. Apple and RIM went tooth and nail for the premium customers whilst Android's open handset alliance went all out for the budget and mid-size customers. The result was the undoubtedly that Android would dominate the smartphone market. Android handsets are shipping at 3-1 to Apple or RIM handsets according to Catalyst/comScore but, importantly, to different customers. 

Apple and RIM are rivals but Google's Android isn't, yet, a competitive rival to these two smartphone rivals.

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Sony announces its first mobile phone in 10 years: Sony Xperia Ion

Sony announces its very first mobile phone ‘Sony Xperia Ion’ in 10 years after it is being seperated from Ericsson at the CES 2012. Now the new products and devices is back with its brand logo of Sony instead of Sony Ericsson. AT&T is the first operator to have a Sony phone in the assortment.  Sony has selected AT&T as the first collaborator for the rejuvenated brand.

The first Android-based smartphone of Sony is the Sony Xperia Ion. It chose AT&T as its partner just like the corporation did while the announcement of Xperia Play in US.  The 4.6-inch model has a 12 megapixel camera with running Android Gingerbread. It has a dual core CPU provided with Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 MSM8260 processor.

                   

The logo on the backside of the phone is of Sony Ericsson which is seems to be a strange factor, since Sony has it own logo. This appears to have been in a rush as they have turned out a Sony logo in the frontside and Sony Ericsson logo on the backside.

Highlights- 

• Size: 132 x 68 x 10.6 mm
• Weight: 144 gram
• 4.6 inch HD Reality display with a 720 x 1280 pixels resolution, 16 million colors
• 1.5 dual-core processor, Qualcomm Snapdragon S3MSM8260
• 12 megapixel  Exmor-R camera, 3D sweep panorama, Fast capture feature
• 1.3 megapixel Exmor-R front camera
• 1 MB RAM, 16 GB storage
• HDMI out
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• 3.5mm audio jack
• 3D games
• Battery: Standyby - 400 hours; Talktime - 10 hours
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread Operating System. Upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich in 2nd quarter 2012 

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Sony Xperia S announced

There went a rumour about the announcement of the Sony Xperia S and also we have seen some leaked photos of the model  many time before. The latest leak photos had Sony Ericsson logo wearing on it but this final product image from CES has a Sony logo on the top. 

It is a smaller version of Sony Xperia Ion lacking of the LTE high speed connectivity. While the Xperia Ion has a huge 4.6 inch display, the Xperia S has a smaller 4.3 inch display. Even though it has a smaller display it comes with the same 720 x 1280 HD resoulution.   The white version of the Xperia S is said to be a Phones4U fashionable on the islet.

The camera megapixels count has increased from 8 to 12 in this newer version. There are very few smartphones that tender such a high number of megapixel count. Samsung Pixon 12, Sony Ericsson Satio and the legendary Nokia N8, all of these fabricate excellent image quality and we could expect that the 12 megapixel camera of the Sony Xperia S wil do the same.

Highlights -

•  Size: 128 x 64 x 10.6 mm
•  Weight: 144 gram
• 4.3 inch Reality display
• 720 x 1280 pixel resolution
•  Mobile Bravia Engine
•  Camera: - 12.1 megapixel camera, Sony Exmor-R sensor, Fastest Capture feature to take shots in 1.5 seconds geotagging, Smile shutter, Face recognition 
• 1080p video capture – primary
•  720p video capture   – secondary
•  1.5 GHz dual core processor
• Wi-Fi
• HDMI
•  3.5 mm audio jack
• Playstation Certified
• Available in white and black
• Battery: Standby – 450 hours; Talktime – 7 hrs 30min

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