iPhone, News/Rumors

Patent: ‘social camera flash’ connects multiple devices to light a scene

A new Apple patent describes a system which allows an iOS device remotely controls multiple secondary devices. The patent called as an “Illumination system” allows Apple’s mobile products to function as remotely-controlled lights for a primary camera. It should be noted that such a primary unit can be either a dedicated camera or a handset with image capture capabilities, while the secondary device can be any other device. The principle it works is the following: the primary unit sets up a connection with the one or more secondary devices. After taking a test image to determine the illumination requirements of a scene, it provides the secondary devices with a signal.

“As one example, a display associated with (or incorporated into) a secondary device may display text instructing a person holding that device to move in a particular direction, for a particular distance, to angle or move the device in a certain manner, and so forth,»-the patent stated.

That means that the primary unit can send instructions remorely to the person holding the secondary device. By the way, with a graphical interface a user can preview a test shot and offer control over the secondary devices acting as slave flashes. It’s also possible for the primary device to display scene options which automatically change slave units’ flash fire intensity or send instructions for repositioning.

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It was not the one person who’s responsible for the idea connecting multiple iOS devices, so the patent can be supposed to be “social camera flash” system. It also should be mentioned that Apple’s remote flash patent application was first filed in November 2011.

News/Rumors

Apple hits 50 billion apps

On Wednesday, Apple announce the total number of downloads, which  passed 50 billion. The person who was the 50th in app downloading will receive a $10,000 App Store gift card. Moreover, the next 50 people who downloaded apps will claim a $500 gift card. The name of  the “winner” wasn’t sounded as well as the name of the downloaded app. Apple announced its plans for the contest at the beginning of the month and added counting timers in iTunes and later on its Web site. It should be noted that Apple receives 30% of the revenue from app customers, meaning the company has made around $3.86 billion from the app store.

The last big contest came in March 2012, when Chinese resident downloaded the 25 billionth app. That time, Chunli Fu was gifted a $10,000 card and a trip to one of Apple’s stores to use it. Not so far this year, Apple paid out a 10,000 Euro iTunes gift card for the 25th billion song sold on iTunes.

Meanwhile, Apple wasn’t the first to introduce an App Store-Nokia did. Currently, there are about 800,000 apps to choose from on both Apple’s and Google’s store. Variety of the sizes is an important weapon in the smartphone wars between the largest electronic companies, such as Apple, Google, Microsoft and BlackBerry. While Apple and Google compete for the largest and most profitable stores, Microsoft’s Windows Phone and BlackBerry are still in need of key apps such as the Instagram and Snapchat.

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The App Store has done much for Apple, being a huge moneymaker for the company, which receives 30 percent of the revenue from its app store, which comes to about $3.86 billion since 2008.

 

iPhone, News/Rumors

Apple iPhone could cause 2011 incident

A 2011 incident is just one of the occasions where operating electronics is supposed to be the reason for the airplane system problems.

There are still debates over use of electronic devices during takeoff and landing. Meanwhile, iPhone is suspected to be responsible for a 2011 incident, as it may have caused interference with the flight equipment on a regional airliner. One of the pilots suspected the iPhone caused interference with the plane’s systems. The matter is that the time of the iPhone turning off and stabilization of the navigational issues coincided.

According to the Bloomberg’s report, there were problems with compasses on the flight, but the system was stabilized after a passenger was asked to turn off the iPhone. In spite of the incident there are some carriers, which still support the relaxing of rules on use of electronic devices under 10,000 feet. Already existing rules prohibit the use of most electronic devices — Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPods — while the plane is at such height.

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Being under the pressure of passengers, who require to relax the rules, the Federal Aviation Administration had to assure that rule changes would be announced soon. The problem connects with different understanding of the term “airplane mode”, which originally featured to turn off all of the wireless radios. But today variety of devices complicates the way of adopting one standard for all units.

 

iPhone, News/Rumors

Faulty iPhone 4 power button caused new class action lawsuit

According to the U.S. Disctrict Court for the Northern District of California, the suit claims Apple’s iPhone 4 has a defective power button. The matter is that the device’s power button fails shortly after the one year warranty expires. Moreover, thousands of iPhone 4 users have suffered from the issue that Apple knew about the failing component before manufacturing and selling the device. The lawsuit claims that a defective flex cable is usually  the reason for the on/off switch to fail soon after the device’s one year warranty has ended, rendering much of the iPhone 4 useless. Thus, the defect in the power button prevented users from restarting the phone or being able to turn it on and off. The fact is that If the problem came up after the 1-year warranty ended, users had to pay a $149.99 replacement fee.

The complaint cites said that “hundreds” of customers complained of the problem. Though the issue hasn’t been previously covered in media,  it was noted that there were over 800K views on Apple’s website since first appearing in January 2011. Of course, Apple doesn’t stop selling the iPhone 4 through a number of its carrier partners.

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Debra Hilton filed the lawsuit in San Jose, Calif., is seeking $5 million in damages for iPhone 4 owner who bought the devices from Apple or AT&T and stop sales of the defective unites.

The class action suit is filed under the RICO statute, which is a federal racketeering law.

iPad, News/Rumors

Square Stand: new hardware turns iPad into a register

Square announced a new product called Square Stand, which is designed for vendors using Square Register for iPad to process payments.

Square Stand features built-in credit card reader that allows to ease payment processing, which is so popular among smartphone and tablet owners. With the Square Stand, it’s possible to track of sales data. The new accessory seems to be able to replace traditional POS cash registers. The Square Stand can connects to Square’s Business in a Box  system, which is capable to store cash.

Square can already replace your cash register with its Square Register app, but revealed on Tuesday new hardware accessory for Apple’s iPad offers a more professional appearance while easing the payment process. It supports the iPad 2 and 3 at the time of launch, but a Lightning version is expected to appear later this year.

Moreover, Square is also planning to start cooperation with Starbucks for using Stand in the coffee chain’s locations.

Currently, the Square Stand is available for pre-order for $299.

 

iPhone, News/Rumors

Rumor:iPhone 5S to feature sapphire crystal touch home button

The iPhone 5S is rumored to appear with a capacitive touch-sensitive button covered by scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass that incorporates a new fingerprint sensor. The news came from Taiwan’s Technews.tw. That means that Apple’ll do away with the traditional physical home button and utilize crystal glass because of its compatibility with optic sensors. By using sapphire crystal, which is only less harder than diamond, will protect the button from getting scratched and ruining the fingerprint sensor. It should be noted Appel has already used sapphire crystal in an iPhone 5′s camera. The report noted that Apple is going to chose the same material for the iPhone 5S’s home button, as the physical home button on early iPhone models has been problematic.

Accordint to the rumors the company isn’t planing to offer a physical button like existing iOS devices, it would probably eliminate one of the most unreliable components in an iOS device. By using sapphire crystal glass, Apple plans to prevent scratches on the surface, which could ruin the fingerprint sensing capabilities expected to appear in the “iPhone 5S.”

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For many months there were rumors that Apple will use fingerprint technology in the iPhone 5S, so it may come not only with a capacitive touch button, but a fingerprint sensor as well?

News/Rumors

New York authorities ask Apple, Microsoft to stop smartphone thefts

According to Bloomberg, New York authorities need help of the largest companies to stop smartphone thefts. Thus, the Attorney General Eric Schneiderman send Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung a letter, where he asks them to develop technologies to cut down on theft.

Schneiderman wrote: “I seek to understand why companies that can develop sophisticated handheld electronics, such as the products manufactured by Apple, cannot also create technology to render stolen devices inoperable and thereby eliminate the expanding black market on which they are sold.”

It should be noted that San Francisco district attorney George Gascón had already met with Apple’s representatives to offer them to start developing of antitheft technology, but Apple said they weren’t much interested in creating such technology.

Currently, many smartphones are already provided with a number of antitheft technologies. In order to help users to track their stolen devices, Apple offers iCloud-based “Find My iPhone” service. Meanwhile thAT&T’ s system blocks stolen iPhones from accessing its network. Nevertheless, those efforts don’t stop thieves who can easily hack a device to cancel all of its data.
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“Foreign trafficking of stolen devices has proliferated,” wrote Schneiderman , “and an abundance of domestic black market resellers, including right here in New York, means as a practical matter that phones do not, contrary to your website’s assertion, become unusable.”

News/Rumors

Coffee with Tim Cook auction day!

Today is the day of  the auction for a coffee meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook! It’ll end after 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday, and is expected to be currently the group’s second-highest auction ever at $605,000. Coppy Holzman, Charitybuzz CEO and founder said: “We’re truly amazed by the support for the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights through our coffee with Tim Cook online auction.” The top bidder is known to have been posted on April 24 and shot up to $210,000 in first 24 hours. The main aim of the meeting is to raise money for the Robert F. Kennedy Center. Well, such action from the side of lots companies may be considered to be the way to draw attention to their businesses. Thus, one of the bidders was DrBluetooth’s co-founder, Rakesh Kumar, who offered $ 580,000 bid. Currently, the company develops a Bluetooth headset that encrypts voice and can be controlled through gestures, so such kind of meeting is a great opportunity for the company to offer its innovations. PasswordBox.com, USocketUSBOutlet, Clearcrate.com andPovely.com  are also among the bidders.

The top auction was last month for a Lamborghini Aventador model, which was worth $ 500,000, so if the $605,000 bid ends up, it would be the second-highest auction the site’s ever had.

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Accessories, News/Rumors

Powerful Goal Zero Switch 8 Solar Charger

If you’re an eager beaver of traveling, The Goal Zero Switch 8 kit is a great charging solution. It’s an easy-to-carry pack with two panels and zipped mesh beg for battery packaging and USB converter sit. Why The Goal Zero Switch 8? Well, this thing is small, light and easy to use. Its folding design allows you to prop it up like a book, if you have nothing to hang it. The most important component of the system is the Switch 8 recharger, a cylindrical multifunction thing that stores enough power to charge an iPhone 5 to 90 percent. It’s made of lightweight aluminum.

GOAL ZERO has said that it’s planing to release two tips in the coming months, one being an LED flashlight, and another that cleans water using ultraviolet light. When those products releases, the Switch 8 will be more multifeature than most comparable products on the market. Its concept is really easy. Power is sent to a tiny converter, which have the size like DSLR battery and the double zippers allow you to charge even big devices. With USB port it’s possible to plug the battery pack in and loop the cable. Some blue LEDs will inform you about charging status and how much the battery remains. There’s also a key unsunned feature. The end caps allows you to add different modules.

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GOAL ZERO did a great job developing such a compact unit but with maximum functionality!

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News/Rumors

Bill Gates: I wished Jobs sense of design

On Sunday, during the interview with Charlie Rose on “60 Minutes”, the Microsoft chairman Bill Gate spoke about visiting Steve Jobs in his last days. It turned out that during this meeting they’re talking about their experience and skills, their families. According to Bill, their conversation was in a friendly manner and it is now a very emotional memory for Gates. He doesn’t feel it was a visit of enemies or competitors. By the way, Gates admitted that Apple “put the pieces” together on tablets. For Microsoft it was lack.

During the interview Gates said that he wished Job’s sense of design, that everything had to fit a certain aesthetic. “The fact that he, with as little engineering background as he had, it shows that design can lead you in a good direction. And so phenomenal products came out of it.” “He knew about brand — in a very positive sense. He had an intuitive sense for marketing that was amazing,” Gates said.

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The Microsoft chairman also told about his doubts about the iPad, suggesting that iPad users were frustrated. In a sense, as Gates acknowledges in this interview, the Microsoft chairman and Jobs grew up together and could watch success of each other.

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