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iPhone 5 tops 2 million pre-orders in 24 hours

Despite a slightly muted response to the latest smartphone from the Apple stable, the iPhone 5 is already performing where it arguably counts most; at the cash register. The iPhone 5 has managed to break all previous records by toting up two million pre-orders within just 24 hours.

Compare that to the iPhone 4S, which managed just one million in a day, and Apple clearly have another winner on their hands.

"The customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

"iPhone 5 is the most beautiful product we've ever made, and we hope customers love it as much as we do."

The numbers will certainly go someway towards silencing critics who felt that the lack of NFC and only slight spec upgrades made it not worth a purchase.

In order to meet demand swiftly, Apple are shipping the iPhones direct to consumers from the Chinese factories where they were made, but have warned that unprecedented demand may mean that some Apple fans will not receive the handset in time for the phone's September 21 street date.

Via: Tech Digest

Posted by Gerald Lynch on September 19, 2012 12:05 PM in Latest iPhone news| iPhone 5
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Apple iPhone 5: Everything You Need To Know

Apple have lifted the covers off the iPhone 5, revealing the official specs, features, pricing and release date of 2012's most hotly-anticipated phone. Our friends over at Tech Digest here offer an in-depth look at what's on offer.

Staying at the same price as the iPhone 4S, the iPhone costs $199 for the 16GB version, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB. Pre-orders start on Friday 14th, with the phone shipping on September 21st in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. 20 more countries will follow next month.

Rising out of the ground of the Apple event stage like an Indiana Jones treasure, it's the most feature-rich iOS device to date. Made entirely of glass and aluminium, it is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, measuring 7.6mm thick and weighing 112 grams, making it 20% lighter than the iPhone 4S. As per usual, it'll be available in two colours too, either black or white, though the rear panels will be different on each. The white version has a raw aluminium back plate, while the black version has an anodised black finish on its rear.
A Retina display with 326ppi again features, in a 4-inch screen of the usual width, but taller than previous iPhones. Resolution of the display sits at 1136 x 640. Closer to a 16:9 ratio than before, the iPhone 5 is now better for viewing films on, with 44% better colour saturation, with touch integrated into the display to reduce glare in sunlight.

Everything now runs off the new A6 chip, which Apple claim is 2 times faster than the A5 for both CPU and GPU processing. 22% smaller and more energy efficient than the previous chip, apps can now load as much as 2x faster. Console-quality graphics will be possible, according to EA's Rob Murray, who demoed the Real Racing 3 app game on the new iPhone 5.

iOS 6 is the onboard operating system, which adds another row of apps on each homescreen, thanks to the longer screen, making for five app rows, plus the app dock on the bottom.It also introduces Apple's own Maps app to the iPhone as a native, first party app for the first time. It uses Yelp data for local amenities, and includes Siri integration for voice control, and includes 3D imagery and satellite imagery too. The Safari browser gets an update too, allowing for a fullscreen view and shared tabs from iPad and Mac versions of the browser through the iCloud service. Passbook, letting you use your iPhone as a ticketing system, including airline flights, was also demoed. iTunes too gets a major revamp, with more ways to buy and streamlined track viewing and playback options.
All first party apps have been optimised for the new longer display to show more information too. Calendar, for instance, now shows a full five-day working week. Old apps, however, run in letterbox view with black borders either side of the display, rather than stretched to fit. This keeps everything pinsharp at a natural resolution, but may frustrate some users. Hopefully app developers will put the time in to offer iPhone 5 optimised versions too.

Camera capabilities are also improved. It's still an 8MP backside illuminated sensor as with the iPhone 4S, but now with a dynamic low-light mode for better night time shooting to add to the 5-element lens and f/2.4 aperture. There's also a panorama shooting mode natively built into the camera app for the first time, with a 360-degree shot resulting in a giant 28 megapixel image. The A6 chip allows for faster photo capture too, as well as a smart filter for better colour matching and reduced noise. Share Photo Streams allow you to share photos with pals, and receive messages on your snaps too.

Video capture remains at 1080p, with improved video stabilisation and facial recognition added. The front facing camera also jumps to 720p, which makes for sharper FaceTime calls, which can now be made over cellular networks too, as well as Wi-Fi.
Calls themselves should be slightly clearer too, thanks to three mice situated on the front, bottom and back of the device. These should all help with noise cancellation and voice recognition with apps like Siri.

As expected, the connector for the phone changes for the first time in the iPhone's history, dropping the nine-year old connector that first shipped with the iPod. A new "Lightning" connector is now introduced, that's 80% smaller, helping to keep the overall design smaller, as well as offering faster data transfers, and is "reversible", meaning it can be plugged in when either facing the front or back. Accessories for connecting to devices with the old-style dock connector will also be available.

"Ultrafast Wireless" connectivity means that LTE 4G speeds are available to the new iPhone 5, while EDGE, HSPA, HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA are all also compatible. LTE carriers include the newly announced EE 4G network in the UK, and Sprint, AT&T and Verizon in the USA. Wi-Fi connectivity comes courtesy of 802.11a/b/g/n, dual channel to 150mbps.
Even with LTE connectivity, 225 hours of battery life on standby are quoted, with 8 hours 3G or LTE talk time, and 10 hours Wi-Fi usage.

So, does it live up to expectations? Have Apple again laid the smartphone smack down on their competitors, or do Android handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and HTC One X offer more bang for the buck? Let us know your thoughts in the comments area below!

For more iPhone 5 launch news, click here

Posted by Gerald Lynch on September 19, 2012 12:01 PM in Latest iPhone news| iPhone 5
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Apps and cloud software - the future of business accounting?

Intuit have just released the MyBizTracker App for the iPhone which promises to keep you in touch with your business accounts whilst on the go. It is always welcome to see a useful app, especially one that is free and does not rely on any pre-purchased software, but what exactly does this app do and how does it represent the developments being made in the world of business?

MyBizTracker from Intuit

MyBizTracker is pretty much what the name suggests; an app which allows you to track your business accounts whilst you are away from the office. It records all your incoming and outgoing expenses in real time as well as recording any expenses you incur on business trips (such as meals and taxis).

The app is certainly very good at doing everything it claims to do through its intuitive and simple navigation. The beauty of it is that as long as you have an internet connection (and where doesn't these days?) it is almost as good as being at the office.

The app has a simple display showing your business' finances and whether you are in the red or the black in real time. This means that your financial information is always kept up-to-date and you don't have to worry about what is happening to your cash whilst away from the office.

What does the app say about the world of business?

Intuit's app is a very simple idea but very effective and can be seen as a logical extension to their existing QuickBooks Online accounting software. This employs cloud computing technology for business use, enhancing various aspects of basic financial operations.

Cloud software has been positioned as a prime area of growth for businesses over recent years with an increasing number of services transferring their software to this virtual realm. There are numerous benefits to this and with such strong popularity, similar approaches towards other areas of business are expected to characterise the future of company dealings.

What does the app offer?

As with any app, it is never enough to simply do what it claims and MyBizTrack is as user friendly and functional as it is effective. It is set out in line with HMRC requirements so you can be confident that it is going to be reliable and do more than simply display basic information.

If you have a business and find yourself away from the office wondering exactly what is going on whilst you are away this really is worth trying out. It is absolutely free and is a completely stand-alone piece of software. Intuit have a record of making some of the best accounting software available inside the office and with this app they have proved their ability to transfer these skills outside of the office too.

4G "EE" service from Everything Everywhere revealed

Everything Everywhere.JPG Everything Everywhere have revealed details of the UK's first consumer 4G service, called EE.

With Everything Everywhere now changing their name to EE, the EE 4G service will use network infrastructure from Everything Everywhere's two formative parties, Orange and T-Mobile, to deliver the super-fast mobile speeds. Using the 1800MHz spectrum, EE will also begin offering a fixed-line fiber optic broadband service, with a 4G Wi-Fi dongle likely soon to follow.

Orange and T-Mobile will continue to work as individual networks too, with Orange aiming to appeal to premium customers, and T-Mobile appealing to those looking for value-for-money contracts.

"London will be the first major European city to be covered by 4G," said EE CEO Olaf Swantee.

"We plan to have 4G services available to 20 million in the UK. The EE network will cover 70 per cent by 2013, 90 per cent of UK by 2014."

It's been a long old wait for 4G networking in the UK, but the wheels finally got in motion after Everything Everywhere gained approval to move on with their 4G plans from regulator Ofcom in the last few weeks.

EE are yet to announce which tablets or handsets will be compatible with their 4G service, nor any pricing details, but we expect to get these details soon. With the iPhone 5 widely expected to be 4G enabled, you'd expect a data plan for Apple's new smartphone to be among the first announced for the EE service. Devices from Nokia, Samsung and Huawei are also expected to feature in EE's 4G plans.

EE are planning a full consumer launch for the 4G service before Christmas, covering 16 cities including London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Bristol.

More on the EE 4G service as details trickle in, so keep checking back for more info.

Via: Tech Digest

Posted by Gerald Lynch on September 19, 2012 11:56 AM in Latest iPhone news
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Samsung ramp up production of A5 processors: iPhone 5 launch draws ever closer

Looks like the good ship iPhone is ready to take to the high seas again, with reports coming in from South Korea that manufacturing of the smartphone's A5 processor chips has gone into overdrive.

Sources are saying that chip makers and suppliers Samsung are set to "quadruple monthly shipments of [processors] to Apple", with factories pulling long hours to meet the expected demand. So much so infact that 50% of Samsung's production capacity is now dedicated to churning out the Apple hardware.

Though on the face of things Samsung, with their Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S hardware, are direct rivals to Apple, the partnership means massive business for Sammy. Even now they are said to be looking into building a $3.6 billion dollar plant in Austin, Texas, to ensure shipping to Cupertino goes ahead without a hitch.

Via: Apple Insider

Posted by Gerald Lynch on January 31, 2011 3:47 PM in Latest iPhone news| iPhone 5
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APP OF THE DAY: The Andy Gray & Richard Keys iPhone app

What a week for Andy Gray and Richard Keys! First the Sky Sports pundits get the boot from their long-time posts for repeated acts of sexist behaviour, and now they're the stars of their own iPhone app!

The Andy Gray & Richard Keys iPhone app sees the disgraced duo "discuss the most outrageous, funny, stupid and unbelievable quotations from footballers, managers and commentators alike" according to developers Quapps, though their own recent howlers are interestingly absent.

"We are fully aware of the limelight surrounding Andy and Richard at the moment and would like to stress that this application has absolutely nothing to do with what has happened this past week or so," said the Quapps team. Yeah, sure Quapps, sure, *cough*inappropriate-cash-in*cough*.

Still, Andy Gray fans (that'll be all four of you reading this post then) can use the app to set his "classic" phrases as ringtones, though any smartphone with this installed runs the risk of having me come round and "smash it", to use a turn of phrase favoured by Mr Keys...

Grab the app by clicking here, priced at £1.19.

Via: Electric Pig / Mobile Entertainment

Posted by Gerald Lynch on January 31, 2011 3:45 PM in Latest iPhone news| Top iPhone apps| iPhone Apps Store
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iPhone 5 to get massive graphics improvement thanks to multi-core processors?

With the smartphone tide turning in favour of dual-core chips, rumours are hotting up that the next wave of iPhones will jump onto the multi-core bandwagon. AppleInsider are now reporting that the aging 3GS graphics cores that are also present in the iPhone 4 will be replaced by super powerful next-gen ones in the next Jesus phone, with the iPad following suit.

That supports news of higher pixel density across both new devices, and also paves the way for improved gaming apps and video output. With whispers that Apple are hoping to include the new SGX543 graphics core, it could potentially lead to 1080p recording and output across HDMI in both devices too.

Using numerous SGX543 chips in tandem would lead to an improved battery efficiency too, something sure to please the iPhone faithful who charge their phones at least once a day.

All will be revealed come June, we suspect.

Posted by Gerald Lynch on January 18, 2011 2:00 PM in Latest iPhone news
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Spring 2011 launch for White iPhone 4

It's been a hell of a long time coming, but it looks as though the elusive White iPhone 4 will finally be hitting shops in Spring of next year.

In an uncharacteristically careless information slip (of course not including leaving the prototype iPhone 4 in a bar to begin with!), Apple retail documents have revealed that 'The white iPhone 4 will be available Spring 2011', as can be seen in the above snap.

Months of delays were said to have occurred due to manufacturing issues and material shortages.

If you can't wait till Spring 2011, I've got a bucket full of white Dulux paint here. It'll give your Jesus phone "the look" at an extremely competitive price.

Via: 9 to 5 Mac

Posted by Gerald Lynch on December 6, 2010 1:34 PM in Latest iPhone news
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