Smart phones | Selection advice, New releases, Concepts

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I have good news my brothers & sisters; the iPhone 5 is rumored to be released this September!

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Apple will Release Mini iPad in August and iPhone 5 in September

We at Jailbreakhow.net, like many other fans of Apple are desperately waiting for the next gen iPhone, iPhone 5. While earlier this morning, we heard news from a famous Weblog, Digitimes, which shows that Apple will release iPhone 5 in September, While the Next generation iPad in the last quarter of this year. However, Apple will release a mini iPad in the second quarter (August) of this year.

With the release of Samsung Galaxy S III, many analysts are suggests that soon Apple will release a next generation iPhone with bigger screen and metallic body. Digitimes explained that the next gen iPhone will be manufactured in the Pegatron, who is the current manufacturer of iPhone 4S and the new iPad. According to the sources Pegatron has reportedly landed orders for the manufacturing of the iPhone 5.

Here’s what the posted:

To mainly focus on Apple’s orders, Pegatron has also internally decided to downsize its SI motherboard department and to shift resources to Apple’s orders. Since Asustek has been reducing its motherboard orders to Pegatron, while gross margins are also rather low, the shifting in resources is expected to benefit Pegatron in its operations, the sources noted.

However, Foxconn will manufacture the long rumored, low end mini iPad which will be a competitor of the Amazon’s kindle fire. This low end iPad will be much cheaper as compared to the original iPad. Digitimes has already reported many times that Apple will release a mini iPad with 7” screen as the rival of Amazon Kindle fire.

Now, what about the next gen iPad, iPad 4, it will be released in the last quarter of this year. But as far as the specifications are confirmed, No one is so sure about the features of the Next gen iPad. What do you want to see in the Next iPad? Do you think the mini iPad will be a good step from Apple? Let us know in the comments section below.

 

[A1Kaid]

New iPhone Concept Has a Slightly Curved Back

Jsus is the same designer that showed us the Xperia Play 2 concept and some other very interesting designs. Now he’s back with an iPhone concept, that promises a revolution and uses a slightly curved back. Notice the big departure from the small rounded volume buttons on the iPhone 4S to the unified volume button here.

The physical Home button is still here and I can’t say that this iPhone 5 design is shocking or game changing. What’s really a nice touch and interesting detail is the fact that the Apple logo here resembles the one for the WWDC 2012 invitation, hinting at a possible launch of the new iPhone there. From what I’ve heard at WWDC 2012 we will be seeing iOS 6.0 and some new MacBooks, but no new iPhone. Anyway, this new iPhone is certainly something that Apple would do, since it doesn’t stray from past design lines and it’s still pretty classy.

The only problem I have here is that the device seems a bit too thick, since it has a 3 layer design: the screen panel area, the metallic frame and the back cover, that seem to create a bulkier than usual iPhone. Anything special you’d like to change about it?

I don't think the new iPhone will have such a design, the back is curved (convex) meaning if you place it on a flat surface the phone will not sit flatly on the surface and that isn't a good thing. All the iPhone's have had a flat back-plate.

 

[p(-)0ENiX]

I don't think the new iPhone will have such a design, the back is curved (convex) meaning if you place it on a flat surface the phone will not sit flatly on the surface and that isn't a good thing. All the iPhone's have had a flat back-plate.

Yeah, I agree that such a design for the next iPhone should be avoided. Keep in mind that this is just a concept, I am sure Apple will not come up with such a design. There was a similar design posted towards the start of the thread in which the iPhone was shaped like a magic mouse. I am sure that designs with curved backs will never be adopted by Apple, since they lack stability while being placed on a flat surface.

 

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iPhone Plus, The Real Evolution of the iPhone Concept

ADR Studio never ceases to amaze us with incredible Apple concepts and now Antonio De Rosa has done it again. Meet the iPhone Plus design, a branding that Apple might actually apply to the iPhone 5. They already did that with the Macintosh Plus, so why not here as well?

The iPhone Plus uses a Liquidmetal body (thermoformed on a single plane, without junctions) and the screen has a double alkali-aluminosilicate sheet glass. We’re dealing here with a device that has a 4.3 inch Retina Display, the Apple A6 quad core processor, a 10 megapixel rear camera with f/2.4, 1080p video capture at 30 fps and a 2 megapixel front camera. There’s even a top pico projector, used to beam photos and videos to surfaces. As you can see, we have here an edge to edge display and there’s also a slim dock connector in here.

The Home button is fully capacitive and the handset also comes with a rear motion sensor. I wonder how the battery will behave, considering we have here a projector, a big display with big resolution and a potent camera. It also looks stunning and I’m sure it has LTE on board as well. I guess it should be around 7 or 8 mm in thickness, if you ask me.

 

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New Report Suggests That Apple Will Ditch Google Maps In iOS 6, Will Use Own 3D Maps

Apple will be announcing iOS 6 at the WWDC 2012 in June, and one of the most important features of the new version would be in-house Maps app. According to 9to5Mac, who got some intel off a reliable source, iOS 6 will come with Apple’s own Maps software and will have amazing 3D views.

The fruit company had recently acquired Map software companies like C3 Technologies, Placebase and Poly9, all of which will be used to power Maps in the new version of iOS. Apple and Google have had their difference and we all know that they do not like each other. This move will end Apple’s use of Google Maps on their Maps app, which is a good thing for both the companies. The new Maps app will be similar to the current one, but will have a new logo and will be faster, smoother and more reliable. C3 technologies has shown some amazing examples of how their 3D maps will look like and function. The report also says that there would be a new 3D Mode in the Maps application, which will provide realistic 3D models of locations. The mockup of the Maps app shown above could be how the new 3D Mode looks like. Check out an example of what the 3D Mode by C3 Technologies looks like below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlelVaxctI0

There’s still a few weeks remaining for Apple’s WWDC 2012 event, and we are really looking forward to it. There’s going to be a lot of new things to lookout for, specially iOS 6 and the new features. If this report turns out to be accurate, then iOS users would have the best Navigation and Maps app around. What do you think of 3D maps?

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Adobe releases two new Touch apps for iPad, Proto and Collage

Photoshop maker today released two new iPad apps on the App Store, Adobe Proto and Adobe Collage. If you’re fond of prototyping apps or programs that let you sketch ideas, and are a user of Adobe’s CS suit of desktop applications, you may wanna consider these programs.

Both Proto and Collage tie nicely with Creative Cloud, Adobe’s new subscription-based cloud service which syncs your content between tablet and desktop, letting you access files from the web and easily share with others…

According to a press release, Creative Cloud is now available for a monthly fee of $29.99 for all CS3 or later users, or priced at $49.99 a month with a one year contract ($74.99 a month without contractual obligation).

The service syncs your content in enabled desktop and mobile apps across platforms. If you’re using one of the Touch Apps on your iOS device, you get a free 30-day Creative Cloud subscription with 2GB of cloud storage.

In addition to integration with Touch Apps, Adobe Cloud also gives you access to download and install all CS6 applications and provides new HTML5 desktop products, Adobe Muse and Adobe Edge preview.

The Photoshop maker also released two new Touch apps, Proto and Collage. Both apps saw over 700,000 downloads during a beta program.

Adobe Proto is an interesting app for website prototyping. It lets you design interactive wireframes of websites and mobile apps using simple finger strokes and tapping CSS grid systems.

You can drag components such as menus, tabs and accordions, preview your work using WebKit, sync your wireframe to Adobe Creative Cloud for easy import in Dreamweaver CS6 and more.

Here, another screenshot…

Adobe Collage aims to help you assemble creative moodboards combining images, drawings, video and text. You can import PDF, PSD and AI files or search for and import images and video from Google, Flickr and YouTube.

Supported formatting options include multiple pen types, fonts and more.

Here’s how it looks.

And another one.

Adobe Proto and Adobe Collage are ten bucks a pop each, right from the App Store.

The Photoshop Touch app, another $10 download, was also updated this morning with bug fixes, four new effects (Watercolor Paint, HDR Look, Soft Light and Soft Skin), new PSD and PNG export options and Creative Cloud support.

Your canvas can now measure 2048-by-2048 pixels, an improvement over the previous setting of 1600-by-1600 pixels. Sadly, Photoshop Touch 1.2 still doesn’t support the new iPad’s Retina display.

Adobe Ideas (a $9.99 download) also received an update, bringing Retina display support and the ability to open .colz files saved from Adobe Collage.

For first-hand impressions on Adobe Proto and Collage, head over to MacStories.

Are you excited about the new Proto and Collage apps?

They look quite nice, don’t they?

 

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Rumor: iOS 6 code-named Sundance, could bring third-party Siri support

Rumors regarding the next major version of Apple’s mobile operating system have really picked up over the past few days. And considering that WWDC is now less than a month away, that’s really not surprising.

You see, Apple is expected to show off iOS 6 (or at least a preview of it) during its Developer Conference next month. And everyone in the tech world is trying to guess what new features it will bring…

As most of you probably know by now, a redesigned Maps application certainly seems to be on the menu. 9to5Mac broke the news yesterday morning, and AllThingsD was able to later confirm it.

Then late last night, TechCrunch‘s MG Siegler added to the report. And not only was he too able to verify with a source that a revamped Maps app was on the way, but he’s also learned a few other details:

“First of all, iOS 6, which is expected to be shown off in developer preview form at WWDC in June, is internally codenamed “Sundance.”

We have no reason to believe this is incorrect given that one, it falls in line with previous iOS code-names, and two, MG has a fairly accurate track record with Apple information. He continues:

…there have been whispers backing up Gruber’s assertion that Siri APIs are another possibility [for iOS 6]. There have also been whispers about Siri for iPad finally coming. Specifically, I’ve been lead to believe it’s more of a UI issue than anything else.”

Nothing too crazy here. Jailbreakers have been integrating Siri into apps and tweaks for several months now. And the new iPad already has Dictation. But Siegler doesn’t stop with iOS 6 intel.

“There is also some chatter about iTunes 11. It has been a not-so-well-kept secret that Apple has been trying to completely re-write the software for a long time. There have been several false starts and scrapping of projects. It’s believed (but far from confirmed) that Apple may be zeroing in on the major revamp they’re after. And a part of that may be both Apple and the labels warming to a full-on Spotify competitor…”

We’ve been hearing iTunes 11 talk for almost a year now, so we’ll believe it when we see it. But the Spotify aspect does sound intriguing, especially since it jives with our report from last summer regarding the software.

It looks like, however, that iOS will be the star of WWDC 2012. And after adding more than 200 features last year, it’ll certainly be interesting to see what Apple has cooked up for its mobile platform this time around.

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iPhone 5 not yet finalized but still set for October release

With the iPhone 5, next iPhone or whatever moniker Apple decides to give the next generation smartphone set to be released later this year, much of the discussion of late has centered around what that release will see brought to the table.

To date, for example, all iPhones have featured a 3.5-inch display while the Android-powered competition has seen huge variation in display sizes and technology over the last 48 months. Could the iPhone 5 see a new form factor, complete with new screen size? While possible, the suggestion now is that the intricacies of the iPhone 5 have yet to be finalized at Apple with less than six months to go until the handset is expected to begin shipping.

The latest claims come from iMore, whose sources appear to be confident that October is still the month we will be lining up outside our local Apple Stores, even if Apple itself doesn’t quite know what the thing we are buying will look like…

According to iMore, the one thing that we can take for granted is indeed that October release date, with a new, smaller dock connector also likely to feature according to the web site. The much-rumored screen size change and new aspect ratio, though, have apparently yet to be finalized by Apple’s engineers although that does not mean the iPhone 5 will not see both changes find their way into the final design.

If there is one thing that we can take away from these latest claims, it is that nobody really knows what is going on at Apple just yet. Yes, some may claim to have sources and yes, some may be more accurate than others. At this point though, and with the expected shipping date drawing ever closer, nobody really knows what is going on inside 1 Infinite Loop.

Which means we’ve got another five months of rumors to go.

 

[WAQAS119]

iPhone Plus, The Real Evolution of the iPhone Concept

ADR Studio never ceases to amaze us with incredible Apple concepts and now Antonio De Rosa has done it again. Meet the iPhone Plus design, a branding that Apple might actually apply to the iPhone 5. They already did that with the Macintosh Plus, so why not here as well?

The iPhone Plus uses a Liquidmetal body (thermoformed on a single plane, without junctions) and the screen has a double alkali-aluminosilicate sheet glass. We’re dealing here with a device that has a 4.3 inch Retina Display, the Apple A6 quad core processor, a 10 megapixel rear camera with f/2.4, 1080p video capture at 30 fps and a 2 megapixel front camera. There’s even a top pico projector, used to beam photos and videos to surfaces. As you can see, we have here an edge to edge display and there’s also a slim dock connector in here.

The Home button is fully capacitive and the handset also comes with a rear motion sensor. I wonder how the battery will behave, considering we have here a projector, a big display with big resolution and a potent camera. It also looks stunning and I’m sure it has LTE on board as well. I guess it should be around 7 or 8 mm in thickness, if you ask me.

If this concept and specifications turn out to be true, crime rate will automatically go up.
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As more people will start robbing to manage funds for this beast.

 

[p(-)0ENiX]

If this concept and specifications turn out to be true, crime rate will automatically go up.
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As more people will start robbing to manage funds for this beast.

Haha , why not just steal the device from the Apple store itself?

That's why I always visit the Apple website for product information & avoid going to Apple stores unless I am sure I am going to buy something. (I am joking)

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Anyway, here is another off topic post on the Nokia PureView 808:

Nokia PureView 808 Hands-On - YouTube

Watch the video, they show some funny pictures towards the end.

As for the phone itself, I don't understand why Nokia used the Symbian OS on this device. They should have gone with Windows Phone 7.

 

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Apple to Introduce Siri API and Siri for iPad With iOS 6, Says Report

The introduction of iOS 6 won’t just mark Apple’s breakaway from Google Maps, it’ll also see Siri possibly leave beta and develop into the voice-assistant fans have been waiting for. To do that, the Cupertino company is reportedly preparing to unveil the Siri API, which would open up a whole realm of new possibilities for app developers. Even better, Apple has finally decided to bestow Siri upon the millions of iPad owners around the world.

According to TechCrunch, iOS 6 — which is being referred to as Sundance behind closed doors — will give app developers access to Siri’s functionality, marking a departure from what Apple’s service currently offers. Think of being able to update your Twitter status just through Siri, no typing required.

Meanwhile, Siri for iPad seemed like a matter of time, especially with the introduction of voice dictation on Apple’s latest iPad. Apparently, Apple’s struggled more with Siri’s UI than actual functionality on the iPad, which is why it has taken the company so long.

Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference is about a month away, so expect to hear more about Siri’s coming-of-age when the week-long event kicks off.

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iPhone 5 Design Created by [FUSE]Chicken Has Quad Speakers

We’ve seen our share of iPhone 5 concepts, with some recent models being really stunning, but here’s a fresh one, created by [FUSE]Chicken. This iPhone 5 vision involves an elongated Home button and a rectangular design, plus a 4 inch display, a widescreen one actually.

This iPhone 5 measures 7mm in thickness and has a 10 megapixel iSight camera at the back, plus a 5MP one at the front. The interesting aspect here is the inclusion of quad speakers for stereo in landscape and portrait. The headphone jack was also placed in a central position. I like the metallic edges of this model, but I’m not such a big fan of the volume buttons, that look like those on a toy phone, to be honest. The way the metal area around the device is slightly sloped makes it look like a precious item, a very nice feat.

On a side note, the metallic wire thing that props up the phone in some pictures is also very interesting and elegant. An iPhone like this would be a luxury item, that’s for sure, but will it appeal to real Apple fans? What do you say?

 

[p(-)0ENiX]

iPhone 5 Dual Core Edge to Edge Design Looks Hot

And here’s yet another iPhone 5 design, this one based on the long time rumored edge to edge display. This time the screen feels as if it’s actually a piece of glass fit between two metal parts, because of the lack of side bezel. Also, looking at the phone from its profile reveals a sort of a mini display, as shown here. The concept was created by Sira Design.

This iPhone 5 concept features a dual core Apple A6 processor, a 9 megapixel iSight camera and iOS 6. iCloud is also in the mix and New Siri as well. The screen diagonal is 4 inches and we’ve got a bunch of new icons to work with. What’s interesting is that in the screen diagonal area it says “4.0 + 0.5″. Is that 0.5 actually the side screen I was talking about or is this a 4.5 inch iPhone? Anyway I love this design and it’s so simple and lacks any unnecessary complications.

Hopefully with so much glass used on it, there’s still room for a decent battery. I remind you that the iPhone 5 is rumored to launch this fall and we could see its OS, iOS 6.0 being previewed next month at WWDC 2012. Excited about that? On the Sira Design page it actually says that I was right and the sides of the device are actually smaller screens, so the device is even cooler!

 

[Hyde]

iPhone 5 Dual Core Edge to Edge Design Looks Hot

This is probably the only iPhone concept I didn't like... Edges tak nahi honi chahiye screen... thora gap hona chahiye warna fingers touch karain gi screen pe aur masla ho ga use karne main

 

[p(-)0ENiX]

This is probably the only iPhone concept I didn't like... Edges tak nahi honi chahiye screen... thora gap hona chahiye warna fingers touch karain gi screen pe aur masla ho ga use karne main

Mujhay khud yeh concept ithna pasand nahi aya. It's ugly to look at, the placement of the volume control buttons looks dysfunctional. The design mainly focuses on turning the iPhone in to a game controller with the screen on the edges functioning as left & right keys. Apple will never adopt this design.

The iPhone is going to become more fragile if such a design ever was adopted; if the phone drops on the side, the screen is more likely to get damaged.

 

[p(-)0ENiX]

Here is another off topic post; a comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S III & the HTC One X!

Click on the picture below.

 

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New iPhone 5 “leaked” Parts Emerge

Lately we listen a lot of rumors regarding iPhone 5 & really its very interesting reading such rumors, even if it turns out to be false.

We get some news that SW-Box - a site that deals in internal smartphone components – is selling what it claims to be a headset jack and earpiece for the next iPhone, for $7.71.

There’s nothing special about any of it. But, when you dig a little deeper, it does get ever so slightly more interesting. The headset jack was mounted on to a circuit board along with the volume and mute buttons in iPhone 4/4S. On this “leaked” part, it is attached to the same board as the WiFi radio and earpiece.

Of course this is not show us what the next iPhone will look like but at least does seem to point towards a new design for the iPhone 5. lately heard that Apple still didn’t decide yet on the form factor of the next generation iOS-powered smartphone, and expected to include a 4? display feature and LTE. That said, it’s all just speculation and expectation until we see Tim Cook gets up on stage to proudly unveil the next killer handset.

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Analysts warn: swirling iPhone 5 rumors will hurt Apple’s second-quarter sales

Remember when Apple announced sales of 17.07 million iPhones during the September quarter of last year? The company was dealing with a rare loss at the time for it had failed to meet analysts’ audacious expectations.

In fact, Tim Cook had gone on the record in a conference call with investor to blame the slowdown on those crazy summertime rumors that had been repeatedly calling for a completely redesigned iPhone for the summer of 2011.

“iPhone sales slowed toward the end of the quarter amid speculation over the debut of a new model”, the CEO said. Well, looks like history could repeat itself.

Some analysts are now concerned that Apple is due for a big come down because swirling iPhone 5 rumors could negatively impact sales of the current-generation iPhone 4S/4 as would-be buyers withhold their planned purchases in anticipation of a new model.

Credit Suisse lowered their expectations yesterday, although they believe Apple will see robust bottom-line growth of 40%/20% in CY12/CY13.

However, in a note issued to clients today, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty warns that Apple’s guidance for the June quarter was weaker than expected. Although Apple’s summer guidance is usually weak due to seasonal refreshes of the iPhone and the Mac lineups, this time around a gap between Apple’s guidance and what analysts had been clamoring for was substantial.

Apple guided for a nine percent lower revenue compared to estimates. Worse, Apple’s earning-per-share projection fell twelve percent below estimates. Typically, Apple guides revenue two percent below estimates and EPS up to ten percent below analyst estimates.

Blame it on those crazy iPhone 5 rumors, says Business Insider:

Apple has only guided this far below expectations once since June 2009, says Huberty, and that was the September quarter of last year when it correctly predicted consumers would buy fewer iPhones as they waited for the next release.

The Cupertino company is scheduled to release calendar 2012 second-quarter results on July 24. As pointed out by Asymco’s Horace Dediu, each new iPhone launch is typically preceded by a quarter where units went down sequentially.

The abundance of rumors pertaining to a sixth-generation iPhone – temporarily referred to by the media as the iPhone 5 – could be a result of Apple not yet finalizing the design and specs of the next iPhone.

If rumor mongers are to be believed, the handset is due for an October release now.

However, the Apple rumor-mill is pretty much unreliable these days.

The ongoing iTV speculation?

Apple buying Loewe to build beautiful television sets?

DigiTimes?

iDB reports on Apple rumors purely for the sake of discussion.

As you know, Apple typically refreshes the iPhone once a year and last time updated the handset on October of last year. Keeping the design intact, Apple opted for incremental hardware tweaks such as a faster A5 chip, an eight-megapixel camera and Siri voice assistant, to name a few.

Some folks are putting their faith in supply chain sources who claimed the iPhone 5 could launch this summer, allegedly at Apple’s annual developers pilgrimage that runs this year in San Francisco between June 11-15.

The common argument is that Apple now needs to refresh the iPhone as soon as possible because its chief rival Samsung just launched the third-generation Galaxy S smartphone.

What’s your call: will the rumor-mill again hurt iPhone sales?

The above Liquidmetal iPhone 5 concept courtesy of French designer Antoine Brieux.

 

[p(-)0ENiX]

Nokia Lumia 900 no longer the “best smartphone ever”

It was a silly story to begin with, but it appears that Apple has changed the answer that Siri responds with when you inquire about the “best smartphone ever”.

Previously, Siri referred you to a Wolfram Alpha result where none other than the Nokia Lumia 900 — a direct iPhone 4S competitor — claimed the top spot.

Needless to say, Apple has now put an end to those shenanigans…

Nokia Lumia 900 No Longer the "Best Smartphone Ever" - YouTube

It’s good to see that Apple has a nice sense of humor about all of this. It’s also nice to see that they updated Siri with more, ahem, accurate responses.

What do you think?