The Google Android operating system is going big with the upcoming launch of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. According to initial speculations, the new touch screen tablet will be sporting the new Android 2.2 Froyo operating system and the device will be supporting voice call functionality effectively making it one large mobile phone –which is probably why Samsung still includes the device in the Galaxy line up.
In any case, the Korean phone maker has yet to reveal other details about this upcoming gadget.
Speaking of upcoming, Apple has an interesting little patent that was put into focus by the tech website Patently Apple. The new technology being developed (on paper at least) is a way to combine the microphone with the audio jack.
The innovation will help mobile phones by adding in a secondary audio source and could be used to help filter out noise much like a dual speaker system would be capable of doing.
This technology seems to have been in the Apple patent cupboards for quite some time and it is actually quite a shame that they did not implement the technology on the recently released iPhone 4. Hopefully, other upcoming devices for Apple would be able to integrate the feature or some derivation of it.
Last on our news updates is a quick update from Nokia. Apparently, a Bulgarian operator accidentally placed the image of the Nokia C6-01 on an ad that was meant for the C6-00. The issue was quickly rectified and the image of the C6-01 is now associated with the right name.
While initial concepts for the Nokia C6-01 where showcasing a physical slide out QWERTY keyboard, the final product loses this add-on for a sleeker form factor. Since the older C6-00 already sports a keyboard, it is nice to see a small degree of variation when it comes to choosing a handset from the entire Nokia C-series.
Archive for the ‘Apple Phones’ Category
Apple’s New Patent, Nokia C6-01 and Samsung’s G-Tab
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010This Week in Mobile: Samsung Tablet, Apple’s Anti Jailbreak
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
Apple is about to take some very important steps in their war against jail breakers.
Anyone familiar with the smart phone industry would realize that apps are where the money is at these days. In fact, it has been reported that the general value of downloaded apps are slowly surpassing the profit generated by voice call technology. This has led to a deeper and stronger focus of many companies on the development of apps and related technology.
Jail breaking is a serious issue for Apple as it undermines the very structure of the iTunes store. Sure, not everyone wants to pay for certain apps, but being able to protect their developers is a prerogative that the company should take. On the other hand, the public announcement of the kill switch has led to plenty of concern from all iPhone users as it renders their device vulnerable.
In other mobile news, it seems that the Samsung Galaxy Tab device is finally in the testing phase as a recently uploaded video shows a man who was spotted as carrying the device around. While the video was shot on a train and was not as clear as we had hoped, the output remains the same: the Galaxy Tab is officially confirmed.
The device will sport a massive 7 inch capacitive touch screen display (no word yet if this will be using super AMOLED technology like the Galaxy S) and according to the initial spec sheet, it should be able to handle incoming and outgoing voice calls as well –making it the first tablet phone hybrid device.
Samsung’s Galaxy series of devices all use the Android operating system so expect to see Google’s mobile platform to fully support all the new features that are to be included in the tablet device. In terms of size, the Galaxy Tab is small but many believe that the 7 inch size is perfect in terms of ergonomics.
A Week of Mobile News Highlights
Thursday, August 19th, 2010
This is a very busy week for the mobile phone industry with one new announcement after another. Here is a quick list of all the big headlines for the past couple of days.
First off, Samsung has confirmed that they are going to be releasing a white version of the GT i9000 Galaxy S Android smart phone. No word yet on exactly when this phone will be on stock, but it will be coming. Many believe that Samsung is directly competing with the iPhone 4 (which has a white version that has been terribly delayed).
O2 and the UK police have teamed up to bring down nine individuals that have conspired to steal millions from network providers. The arrest was just made recently and is a major step in helping out the local phone operators from potentially losing millions in a major scam.
Orange Mobile UK has confirmed that the iPhone 4 is now available for free on certain plans and tariffs. The big offer can still be availed off –especially now that the demand for the smart phone has died down considerably. Just be certain to avail of the free iPhone 4 Bumper through the downloadable iTunes app.
It has been confirmed that the Android operating system is now one of the largest mobile platforms available with over 55 million units distributed in this year alone. This volume is almost six times more than the amount of Android shipped out last year. Currently, Google’s Android is second place only to the Symbian OS.
Sony has taken the first step in a marketing campaign that pits the PSP against casual titles on the mobile phone industry. Many, however, believe that this is just a prologue to the upcoming PSP2 smart phone-gaming handheld which is supposedly an Android device. Google is indeed with Talks with Sony and it is possible that there is more to this rumor than meets the eye.
Apple Takes on NFC for iPhone 5
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
Smart phones can be used for a lot of things and according to Apple, it is time that the technology starts playing a more integral part in our lives on a more physical level.
Before, losing a mobile phone was an issue because it contained phone lists, messages and of course, it costs money. These days, losing a phone becomes a bigger issue as it often contains passwords, account information, map details, schedules, and many other private data. Apple is just about to up that ante of losing a phone by adding the keys to the rest of the house and possibly the car as well into the mobile phone.
Enter the concept of NFC technology. This is the same tech that allows for those impressive identification cards that are detected by sheer proximity as opposed to being analyzed visually by ocular scans. While the signals and frequencies used may vary, the idea is the same –a portable item becomes a wireless, non-contact trigger for something else. And that something else is usually a lock to a room, house or, as stated above, a vehicle.
While it is just as easy to lose physical keys as it is to lose a mobile phone, the technology is still not all that safe. Being able to duplicate a key without actually having it on hand is nearly impossible, and short of a wax impression, scanning a key from all angles is the best thing that one can do and even that is hard to pull off with little chance of success.
Wireless technology on the other hand, may make use of encrypted signal technology, but there are far easier ways of circumventing that. This is most probably what Apple is currently working on before they are able to make NFC technology a part of their next iPhone.
Apple’s iAds: Successful and Slow
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
According to Nissan, the click through rates for the iAds content for their products are quite impressive, despite the marginally steep price that Apple demands for the service, the car manufacturer is certainly seeing a good return for its advertising based investment.
Other companies however, are seeing something to worry about: a very long production lead time. The fact is that Apple takes at least two months to create iAds content and sometimes, that value goes all the way up to 10 weeks. It is a hard call to make for some companies –while some that sell the same product or service for years would have not issue, those with regularly updated content would need something more dynamic.
In any case, it is surprising that the issue about iAds is not with consumers. Consumers are usually the first to go up in arms when it comes to advertisements being loaded into apps and games. Ironically, more people seem to prefer iAds on their iPhones over the conventional advertisements and this is a testament to the vision of the folks at Cupertino who saw the potential of such an ad platform.
Right now, Apple is still able to sell the ad system because it actually attracts more users. But with the Google ad service about to be implemented on the Android, the iOS needs to get the iAds system working faster.
Companies are still unsure about having Apple as part of the production process when it comes to ads -after all, marketing conceptualization is rarely something that companies would openly team up with Apple.
The system is about to be released in the UK later this year and we will finally get to see how practical the new ad system will be and whether local companies will adapt to the Apple advertising platform as well.
Apple Could Learn a Thing or Two from Vodafone UK
Monday, August 16th, 2010
Companies and manufacturers are not perfect, the institutions and corporations are run by the same flawed humans just like everyone else, and like everyone else, they make mistakes. The big issue about mistakes it that when someone makes it, fixing the problem becomes a whole lot harder when there are more people involved. With mobile phone manufacturers, every single person owning a specific handset can become victims.
Apple has shown that it is unable to take care of its consumers; if anything, they have proven that the real focus of Apple is expansion and not the well being of their users. This is what happened with the recent antenna issue and how Apple kept denying that there was any real problem at all. Despite the announcement that they would be giving away free iPhone 4 bumper cases, the fact remains that the antenna on the handset does not function properly.
Vodafone could have taken a similar route; in fact, they had more of a right to do so. A couple of weeks ago, a misleading interpretation of a Vodafone announcement led many HTC Desire owners to believe that an update for their handset’s OS would be available. However, upon downloading the update, users realized that this was not an Android 2.2 OS that they received, but an implementation of Vodafone 360 features.
The operator never said that the update was for the Android OS specifically, but they still took responsibility for the issue. Vodafone has announced that the real 2.2 Froyo update is going to be available shortly and that the update will not just bring in the new OS, but will also remove the 360 software installed from the previous patch.
Apple ought to realize that companies need to make sacrifices too, and even if they stand to lose by offering a repair program or a recall of all iPhone 4 stocks, it is pretty much an ethical principle that they need to uphold.
Apple Takes Decisive Action on Jailbreaking
Monday, August 16th, 2010Jailbreaking iPhones is a practice that has been around since the earliest versions of the Apple smart phone. While not officially allowed by Apple, it is something that is pretty common among users of the device, as it allows users to download content that is otherwise not sanctioned by Apple’s iTunes store or for using paid apps without having to pay the cost.
Both a tool for homebrew development and software piracy, the act of jailbreaking is often looked down upon by those who stick with the iTunes store offerings and of course, by developers who lose income due to their apps being downloaded for free. While Apple’s operating system already has security features in place to deter hackers, those who develop jailbreak software have shown grit and tenacity in their quest to break into Apple’s tough outer shell.
With the iPhone, that shell was cracked pretty early, with the jailbreak software officially confirmed working within the first week of launch and spreading across the internet by the second week.
However, the success of the jailbreak software is a double edged sword for many: it exposes a major vulnerability in the iOS 4. This vulnerability is being used by the jailbreak software to access the OS, but at the same time, other malicious content could do the same.
Apple is now encouraging users to update to version 4.0.2 of the iOS in order to remove the security issue. Of course, this latest version of the OS is also immune to the jailbreak software as well. This is because the same PDF issue that the jailbreak software uses is no longer present.
It will definitely be a while before the next form of the jailbreaking software gets released. In the meanwhile, Apple, and many developers, can celebrate the major step towards pushing out those who download paid content for free.
Apple Stops Jailbreaking Temporarily
Friday, August 13th, 2010The hacking game for Apple’s latest smart phone has officially begun. While it technically started with the very first version of an iPhone 4 jailbreak hack, the real game only being with Apple’s first act of defense: the new update for the iPhone 4 which seals up the security issue that originally allowed hackers to gain access to the system.
The world of hacking, homebrew app development and software piracy are all linked together in a bizarre chain that has left some rather inventive and impressive developers and programmers labeled in a bad light.
Technically speaking, jailbreaking itself is not as bad as it sounds –it simply allows the iPhone user to bypass the iTunes requirements for installing content on the Apple device. This is actually a great tool for anyone with custom made applications (such as homebrew) as it actually runs on the device. Otherwise, only iTunes downloaded applications can be installed on the phone.
Sadly jailbreaking has also been used to run not only homebrew content –but also official apps that have been unofficially distributed. Software piracy is one of the biggest issues affecting app developers and this has become more blatant with the introduction of jailbreaks.
A new update from Apple now prevents the most currently used method of jailbreaking the Apple iPhone by removing a security vulnerability that allowed users to make use of the PDF format to gain access to the system. It will be a while before hackers are able to come out with a new jailbreak tool.
The update not only fixes jailbreak access, but as Apple has announced it also seals up a much larger security hole. The issue originally allowed attackers access to the inner workings of the Apple iOS (which is how the jailbreak worked essentially) and that the weakness could also be exploited for other, more malicious intentions other than jail breaking.
Apple iPhone 4 Now on Pay as You Go
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010Mobile network operator Vodafone UK has confirmed that they are offering Apple’s latest handset on pay as you go deals. The prices are pretty reasonable too. At £480, buyers will be able to get hold of the 16GB version while the 32GB version is up for £570. Reasonable, as long as the buyer does not mind buying a mobile phone with a badly designed antenna that loses signal and drops calls every now and then.
Yes, for those who might not have heard, the antenna issue is quite true. Apple even had an emergency press conference several weeks ago to discuss the matter (or rather, make excuses about the whole thing and simply hand out free iPhone 4 bumper cases for free). The issue with the phone is a hardware related problem, making a solution through software patches impossible. To truly fix this, Apple would need to start a recall of all devices and even set up a special repair program on all of their stores –quite an unlikely scenario since such a solution would cost the company plenty of money.
Instead, Apple has set up a special app at the iTunes store that users can download for free. Once the app is linked to the user’s iTunes account, they may sign up for the free bumper case (or get a refund if they have already bought one).
This however, does not fix the issue. Apple’s iPhone 4 loses signal when a portion of the lower left edge comes into contact with human touch. The casing only prevents direct contact with the area, but it will not resolve the issue. There are some improvised solutions available –a wide variety of items that can be used to block the exposed area, though owners are advised to follow more conventional solutions.
Apple Needs a New Senior Executive
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
And by senior executive, we all mean the same position held by the man who invented the Apple iPod. We all know that Tony Fadell left the company about two years ago for reasons that are still pretty much difficult to pinpoint –though publicly, Fadell announced that his decision was personal (he wanted to spend more time with his wife and also wanted to focus on the things he wanted to do).
Anyway, when Fadell left, Apple had a long list of potential replacements, and among them, one stood out, Mark Papermaster. While hardly the man on top of the list, Papermaster was the ultimate go to guy when it came to the several of Apple’s biggest moves. However, the fact that he had to take on the post of the iPod maker meant that expectations would always be a lot higher than he could achieve.
For various reasons, it has been announced that Mark Papermaster will be taking a bow and exiting on stage right as he resigns from his position at the Cupertino based company. The announcement just came out a while back and is considered to be linked to the antenna gate issue.
In light of the recent situation with the Apple iPhone 4 antenna, one could easily assume that Papermasters’ resignation was caused by it. And with the hardware issue being permanently unresolved –unless Apple is willing to lose money on it for recalls and repairs, this little blunder will leave a permanent mark on Papermaster’s career.
As for Steve Jobs and the rest of Apple, the company is still in denial about the whole issue –insisting that the antenna problem is an issue for the entire mobile industry and not just Apple. It will be a while before Apple is able to find a good replacement for the position; though we might to see the post being filled up before the end of the month.