iPhone, News/Rumors

Patent: Invisiable button for iPhone

Apple has been granted a new patent titled-”Disappearing button or slider” by USPTO. According to the patent, Apple can produce devices with invisible buttons and slider controls. That means, that iPhone can be provided with buttons and controls which are responsible for their invisibility.

As the Patent states: “an input device includes a deflection based capacitive sensing input. Deflection of a metal fame of the input device causes a change in capacitance that is used to control a function of an electrical device.”

A button is supposed to be made of the same material as the housing of the phone, so it would be coherent whole. Its location could be pointed thanks to the backlit through small holes. The user could also activate it by tapping the button. Basically, it would respond to any motion of a finger and even sound.

According to the Patent report: “Apple’s visible controls may be a contextual control, meaning that the function of control is dependent upon an operating state of the device such as when iTunes is active so as to control iTunes functions. In other implementations, invisible contextual controls (not shown) can be used to deactivate a camera, eject a disk or USB stick, or to illuminate the keyboard depending on the state of the MacBook. Even the entire keyboard of the MacBook can be replaced with an array of invisible buttons. In fact, all of the conventional keys, buttons, track pads, etc. on a MacBook or other electronic device can be replaced by invisible inputs according to the present invention.»apple-patent

Hopefully the patent isn’t just to be, this will open new horizons and provide Apple’s devices with new features.

 

 

iPhone, News/Rumors

T-Mobile: 500K iPhone sales in less than one month

According to the financial report for the first quarter of 2013 published on Tuesday, T-Mobile’s earnings dipped from the year ago period.
Thus, T-Mobile announced a 7.1 percent year-over-year decline in its revenues for the first quarter of 2013. T-Mobile started selling the iPhone only one month ago, so Apple’s device debuted on April 12, on the “Un-Carrier’s” network, where it is sold for a $99 upfront fee, offering later payment during the following 20 months.
And as T-Mobile’s President & CEO, John Legere said: “Our first quarter operating metrics and financial results are showing positive impact from the changes we began making in the fourth quarter” . “We ended the quarter with strong operational momentum, which is continuing into the second quarter, driven by the successful launch of our Un-carrier “Simple Choice” service plan and the introduction of the iPhone into our device line-up.”

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As a result, branded customer net additions stood at 3,000 customers at the end of quarter one, with the sector producing good growth since 2009. The fact is that the improvement in postpaid net losses were of 61 percent from 2012 and about 202,000 customers were hit by the prepaid net additions. The result is 34 million customers in the first quarter, that is more from the end of the fourth quarter 2012.
It should be mentioned that The Un-Carrier was the last of the big-four U.S. telecoms to deal with Apple to provide the customers with the iPhone. By the way, quarter-on-quarter figures were up, while there was a year-to-year financial dip. Well, I suppose, that’s a promising sign for the company.

News/Rumors

Foxconn looks beyond Apple

Why is Foxconn looking beyond Apple, its largest partner? What will the company do? These are two topical issues.

The New York Times reported this week that Foxconn and its chairman, Terry Gou, are “contemplating life far, far beyond Apple.” The matter is that the company intends to lessen its reliance on Apple.

Foxconn is expected to start developing products of its own, and has also got results in designing and manufacturing high-definition television sets. Besides the company has already bought a stake in panel maker. There were rumors of a possible Apple television set, and Foxconn’s interest in Sharp has helped to inspire them.

Foxconn’s first-quarter revenue was down 19.2 percent to the previous year. The matter is that Apple suffered from large declination of orders of the iPhone and iPad. In 2013, Apple hasn’t produced any products, but it’s only the beginning. Thus, CEO Tim Cook said that major new products will be released this fall and in 2014. No reason to deny, that Apple’s customer gor accustomed to innovations and the lack of something new causes fewer purchases and orders.

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Previously, iPhone and iPad launches were presented throughout the year, that allowed Apple to maintain public mindshare through its two most popular product versions.

Accessories, News/Rumors

The Krome CargoCase for iPhone lightens your pocket

Living in our fast-paced society, it’s necessary to simplify everything you can. So, when we are looking for a case for our device, we want something of pint size. That’s why Krome has developed the perfect case to consolidate your daily belongings. Now, its owners have no to carry too much in their pockets. The Krome CargoCase has a polycarbonate shell with an aircraft aluminum hinge to protect your iPhone. Besides, it allows to keep all valuables in a safe location. The new case adds to the iPhone only 1/8th” of width, thus staying almost unnoticeable for its user. He feels like carrying just his iPhone. The  Krome CargoCase let you keep  various tools, slim USB drives, business cards, or many other daily things. The Krome is also available for the iPhone 4 or 4S.

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Here are some of the key features of the Krome CargoCase:

  • Wallet: Lay up in store up to 12 business cards, 5 ID or credit cards, up to 10 bills, card sized USB drives. Keep your iPhone and your wallet in one convenient space
  • Mirror: Krome cases offers a clear mirror so it can help its owner prepare for meetings, interviews or nights. So leave your compact at home and travel light.
  • Swiss Army Phone: Have pocket-sized travel accessories, micro tools, USB drives and be ready even if you are in the office, abroad or just out-of-town. The Krome CargoCase  has a perfect design convinient to carry all necessary items you need.

The Krome  CargoCase is a nice decision for those who hate full pockets and constantly dropping out them items.

iPhone, News/Rumors

U.S. teens adore iPhone

According to the latest study by analyst Piper Jaffray, who’s just finished his 25th bi-annual teen survey, 48 percent of teens own a version of the smartphone, while 62 percent said they planned to make the Apple handset their next phone. 

The wide-ranging survey, which includes metrics on everything from dining preferences to fashion, polled 1,600 teens from high-income and 3,600 teens from average-income families in classroom visits and electronic surveys.
It turned out that Apple is the most desired tech brand by teens, but Google has made some improvement compared to last year. Yet while analysts are still busy predicting the demise of Apple, 48% of teens in the survey say they own an iPhone, and 62% say they plan to buy one next.
Besides, the survey had a few other key finds as well:
91% of teens say they plan to buy a smartphone for their next high-tech device, up from 86% last spring and 90% last fall
59% of teens say they are likely to buy an iOS device (unchanged from fall) and 21% are likely to buy an Android device (was 20%)
Among high-income families, the iOS preference rises to 70%
48% of teens already own an iPhone, compared with 40% last fall
62% of teens plan on making an iPhone their next mobile device (flat vs. fall 2012)
23% expect to buy an Android phone, up from 22% last fall
51% already own a tablet, up from 44% last fall
Among teens who own tablets, 68% own iPads, down from 72%
17% of teens plan on buying a tablet in the next 6 months (vs. 20% Fall 2012)
68% plan to buy an iPad (54% full size/14% Mini)

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As for tablets, 51 percent of respondents said they already own one, up from 44 percent last fall. Apple’s iPad saw a decrease in marketshare, dropping from 72 percent to 68 percent, though 68 percent of teens said they plan to buy the device.

 

Apps Lists, News/Rumors

Google releases Quickoffice available for iPhone

Google has released a new version of its Quickoffice app that is now available for iPhone in the latest update. It made it possible for Apps for Business users to contact with colleagues. They can already edit Microsoft Office files on an iPad, and now they can do the same on iPhone devices. The free update also runs on Android devices.

“You can make quick edits at the airport or from the back of a taxi and save and share everything in Google Drive…iPad and iPhone users can open and edit Office files directly from the Drive app. Just open Drive and select the file, make edits using Quickoffice and save it back to Drive.”

Google noted the updated apps also present new features including better chart rendering. You can sign with Google Shared With Me and your Drive folders view wil include Shared With Me, Starred and any subfolders.

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Quickoffice apps for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for $14,99 on iPhone and $19,99 in iPad.

iPhone, News/Rumors

iPhone: the greatest hacker victim

According to the latest data security experts, iOS has a significant number of vulnerabilities in comparison with other operating systems, and it is primarily due to the popularity of iPhone. Besides, the protected nature of Apple and the company’s tendency to control  the App Store apps cause the hackers’ sense of excitement and a desire to find new loopholes.

Experts from SourceFire found out, that since the inception of iPhone it revealed 210 vulnerabilities, that is 81 percent of the whole number of vulnerabilities in mobile platforms. This means that Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry received only 19 percent.

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Despite the fact, that Android is a market share leader, Apple’s smartphones are still more popular and attractive to cybercriminals. Nevertheless,  that doesn’t mean that iOS is the least protected. The fact is that the Android platform is so open to malicious programs that hackers do not even need to look for holes for making users to download their software.

As for Windows Phone, hackers show no attention to this platform due to its small market share. However, as the history shows, with a growing share of the Microsoft  platform, we can expect  its  immunity verification under the threat of hacker attacks.

News/Rumors

Apple protects freefall devices!

Now, the most fragile parts of iPhone, such as glass screen, for example, can be protected from the damages. A special system detects when the device is falling and controls its landing by moving its center of mass. According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple’s protective system looks to ease some damages when a device is suddenly dropped. It can be used in a tablet and a laptop and is perfect for those, who can’t leave it for a minute.

This special mechanism has a sensor, which controls orientation of a device. And a coupled to the sensor processor can determine the speed of falling, the distance form the ground and even the time to fall. This data is stored on the system memory and helps processor to make a decision in a short time.

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Finally, the system has to reorient the device while falling and, thus, protect its most fragile components. Basically, the sensor sends signals to the processor to find out if the device is in the freefall state. And if the device does, the protective mechanism activates and change its position. For example, the protective mechanism can shift the device so, that it falls on the back and thus safes the glass screen.

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Accessories, iPhone

CubeSensors: can make sense

 

CubeSensors-sensitive little cubes that measure practically everything and report to your idevice about it. The cubes are internet-connected, so you can get their information anywhere, any time.

The CubeSensors can detect temperature, humidity, noise, light, air quality and barometric pressure – that is, they can tell you everything about a room except for how it smells and tastes.

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As for the companion app , it can give notifications triggered by any of the above conditions, or you can just check in to keep an eye on the ambience of a room over time.
Two cubes will cost you $250 (four cubes will be $350), which is pricy for the home expert, but nothing compared to fitting the place out with environmental sensors.

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You can pre-order the cubes now with a mere $10 deposit.

Apple, iPhone, News/Rumors

A new killer software feature for iPhone 5S

A killer software feature is a new idea of Apple for the next iPhone. May be it’s time for excitement about future of smartphones again! Everyone, except HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 are ready for this excitment.

Apple is planing to prove that smartphones are not becoming a commodity product like so many soybeans sold on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Let’s pay attention to big smartphone releases for the past year and a half. Well, now you see, that the game-changing innovations are still the same, nevertheless each new iPhone, Android flagship, and even the Lumia and BlackBerry is more powerful and nicer that the last one.

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In fact, we were all excited with a new phone feature Siri for the iPhone 4S, which was introduced a year and a half ago. But even Siri didn’t end up bursing into flame.

Maybe smartphone hardware is becoming more like those soybeans, that don’t excite as we want. Katy Huberty, a frequent Apple watcher is sure that the smartphone revival isn’t over.

That sounds great, but soon we’ll check it! And what killer feature would you like to see in the next iPhone?