Nokia has taken a page from Microsoft's advertising book and has today launched (via UKMR) a new advertisement comparing the company's Lumia 925 to the iPhone 5.
The ad focuses on the phone's photographic capabilities and is based on Apple's well known "Photos Every Day" commercial, which began running back in April. It uses a similar voice over and style, focusing on Lumia users taking photographs with their devices...
Read the full story here... Source: Mac Rumours
An image posted on Chinese site WeiPhone appears to show plastic retail packaging marked with the name "iPhone 5C". If the packaging is genuine, and it has not yet been confirmed to be, it could be for Apple's long-rumored plastic iPhone.
The "C" designation would presumably refer to the various color options available on the rumored lower-cost device.
The packaging appears to be a white plastic box that would hold the device and associated accessories and documentation. A front cover, unseen in the photo but perhaps clear to show off the various color options for the device itself as seen on Apple's iPod lineups, would appear to rest on a small lip around the interior.
A number of photos showing plastic rear shells alleged to be for Apple's rumored lower-cost iPhone have surfaced in recent weeks, and Apple is rumored to be launching the device alongside the iPhone 5S later this year.
The WeiPhone forums are a fairly frequent source of Apple rumors, although the site itself does not frequently report on them, making it difficult to determine a steady track record as posting in the site's forums come from a variety of different posters. Still, the alleged plastic packaging and official look of the "iPhone 5C" moniker appear to have some legitimacy, and would increasingly make sense as Apple may be gearing up for a launch of the low-cost iPhone this Fall.
Source: Mac Rumours
Marketing research firm Harris Interactive has awarded Apple the title of “Brand of the Year” in the categories of smartphones, tablets, and computers, as first reported byVentureBeat. The distinction comes after a poll asking 38,500+ Americans about the perceptions of their favorite brands, in which Apple was placed above other competitors such as Hewlett-Packard, Amazon, Samsung, and HTC.
"Americans continue to give Apple brands strong ratings," says Manny Flores, Senior Vice President at Harris Interactive. "And while their Consumer Connection scores are strong within their respective categories, what really stands out is that in all three of the categories Apple brands are measured - Computer, Tablet and Mobile Phone - its Brand Momentum scores are in the top 30 of all 1,500 brands evaluated in the study, showing that consumers see this as a brand of the future.
These awards come after BBC reported about a survey done by marketing group Added Value (AV), who claimed that Apple’s brand has become “less inspiring” among consumers.
Source: Mac Rumours
Korean site ETNews.com is reporting [Google translation] that Apple will be discontinuing production of the iPhone 5 in the fall, instead putting all of its efforts towards the iPhone 5S and the rumored entry-level plastic iPhone.
Apple has been presumed to be discontinuing the iPhone 4 and 4S in order to make way for an all-Lightning iPhone lineup, allowing Apple to standardize around its latest connection standard and phase out the older 30-pin connector standard with the possible exception of the iPod classic, which has not been updated in a number of years. The fate of the current iPhone 5 has, however, not been the subject of much discussion as it has remained unclear whether the new lineup of iPhone 5S and plastic iPhone would leave room for Apple to continue offering an iPhone 5 model.
Today's report claims that the in-cell technology used on the iPhone 5’s touchscreen is "not suitable for low-volume production", contributing to Apple's decision to stop production on the phone and focus all of its efforts toward producing parts for newer products. The iPhone 5 and 5S are, however, expected to share nearly identical display technology although leaked photos have a shown a change to the orientation of the flex cable connectors on the display assemblies.
The iPhone 5S is reportedly scheduled to begin production later this month, with both that device and the lower cost iPhone rumored for launch in the September-October timeframe.
Source: Mac Rumours
An iPhone application that allows users to record their screens, including screen activity while using third-party apps on your phone, has managed to sneak onto the App Store.
xRec, which was published on Saturday and costs $1.99 on (iTunes), can record screen activity in its entirety. The software requires an active Internet connection to work and, according to tech site Giga (Google Translate), uses code from jailbreak app RecordMyScreen, which offers a similar feature set and user interface.
The app shows a red, pulsing bar at the top of the screen when it's recording, something that cannot be removed. Users also can record audio at various quality levels with the app. You can save the captured data to your camera roll or send it to other installed apps.
Screen recording is not something Apple provides to developers to add to their apps, let alone something that can record activity in other software.
The software, which Apple likely will remove, requires iOS 5. Its developer says it will not work with iOS 7, Apple's upcoming mobile operating system update.
This is not the first screen recording app to hit the App Store, but the capability to record activity from other applications is unique. iOS app UX Recorder also records on-screen activity, but it's limited to the front-facing camera and the Web browser built into the app.
Source: CNET
After launching an investigation into the anti-theft practices of smartphone manufacturers like Apple, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón will today test how Apple’s Activation Lock feature holds up against determined thieves, reports CNET.
First introduced at WWDC, Activation Lock is designed to prevent Find My iPhone from being deactivated, which keeps stolen iPhones from being wiped and reactivated. The feature is included in iOS 7, which is expected to be released to consumers this fall.
Gascón and Schneiderman are planning to bring in security experts from the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center to attempt to bypass Activation Lock in order to gain access to an iPhone. The security team will also test the Lojack for Android software on a Samsung Galaxy S4.
"While we are appreciative of the efforts made by Apple and Samsung to improve security of the devices they sell, we are not going to take them at their word," Schneiderman and Gascón said in a joint statement. "Today we will assess the solutions they are proposing and see if they stand up to the tactics commonly employed by thieves."
The two officials have pushed for greater anti-theft measures from cell phone manufacturers after a spike in mobile device thefts. While carriers agreed last year to develop a centralized database to track stolen phones, it has proven to be largely ineffectual. Both Gascón and Schneiderman have stated that they believe Activation Lock is an inadequate theft deterrent and Gascón has urged Apple to implement a "kill switch" that would permanently disable stolen iOS devices.
The results of the Activation Lock investigation are expected to be released later today.
Source: Mac Rumours
According to AllThingsD, a production ramp up of the next generation iPhone should begin around the end of this month, confirming a recent report from Jefferies' Peter Misek.
Misek believes that Apple started small batch production of the iPhone 5S last month, but with the company now gearing up for mass production, it appears to be making final preparations for a launch later this year.
A report from earlier today suggested that iPhone 5S supplies will be constrained at launch, as it is with many new Apple product releases, perhaps because of low yields on a new fingerprint sensor that is expected in the device.
Some iPhone 5S prototypes have previously leaked, showcasing features such as a dual-LED flash and a slightly larger battery, as well as an A7 chip. Misek, for his part, believes that the 5S production ramp is in addition to one that's in progress for the rumored lower-cost iPhone. From AllThingsD:
Interestingly, Misek says that iPhone production ramp up will follow one that’s already under way for Apple’s long-rumored lower-cost iPhone, a device he figures the company will price somewhere between $300 and $400 — without a subsidy. He estimates production plans at 25 million to 30 million units, split pretty much evenly across the 5s and its new lower-cost sibling. And he says the new entry probably won’t be competitive with the truly low-end handsets popular in emerging markets.
Last year, at roughly this same point in the July, we saw similar reports of increased production ahead of the release of the iPhone 5.
Source: Mac Rumours
Code hidden inside iOS 7 suggests that the next generation iPhone could include a new "Mogul" camera mode, offering video recording at a rate of 120 frames-per-second, reports 9to5Mac.
According to our analysis and testing of the code, "Mogul" is a feature in development that allows the iPhone to capture video at an exceptionally fast and precise rate. Specifically, our testing indicates that the feature can allow the iPhone to record video at a rate of 120 frames-per-second (FPS). The resolution at which this 120FPS video could be recorded at, however, is currently unclear.
Capturing video at 120FPS would allow iPhone users to create slow motion films. Slow motion video requires frames to be captured at a fast rate, which then appear to be slowed down when replayed at a standard speed.
Many action cameras, such as the GoPro Hero3, include slow motion recording capabilities. Samsung's popular flagship phone, the Galaxy S4, also includes a slow motion mode. While the code does not suggest a resolution for Apple's Mogul mode, recording at 120FPS often requires a lower resolution. The video below demonstrates 120FPS video shot with the Samsung Galaxy Camera...
Read the full story here. Source: Mac Rumours
Apple is said to be plotting new incentives and schemes to persuade shoppers to buy the iPhone in-store.
Head honcho Tim Cook imparted some of the new measures -- which could include more price-matching and trade-in options -- at a chinwag with Apple's retail chiefs, 9to5Mac reports, citing "multiple people familiar with the internal event".
The move apparently comes in a bid to fight competition from Android smart phones. While Cook is supposedly happy with sales figures for Mac and iPad devices, he wants more customers to buy iPhones from inside Apple shops, so that they get a gander at the other glossy gadgets Apple offers.
The move could have some positive consequences for shoppers. The possibility of a previously rumoured trade-in scheme is mentioned once more, for example. This retail ploy would likely see you getting a discount on your next iPhone when you trade in an older model.
The program could also let you upgrade a damaged, older iPhone to a refurbished iPhone 5, the report says, with price-matching programs for international stores also tipped.
Source: CNET
While Apple has been rumored for some time to be planning to launch a lower-cost iPhone available in multiple colors with a plastic shell, reports have been picking up steam in recent weeks, led in part by a claim that Apple will be adopting the bright colors it used for its iPhone 4/4S bumpers. That report was followed by leaked design drawingsfrom a case maker showing the expected measurements and physical features of the device.
And just this past weekend, several new images were posted to Chinese forum site WeiPhone showing what may be rear shells from the lower-cost iPhone in yellow, red, and green.
Based on all of this recent information, we once again commissioned Ciccarese Design to produce some high-quality mockups intended to capture the lower-cost iPhone's size, shape, and texture given that it will mark a departure from the nearly all metal and glass bodies of recent iPhone models.
The renderings show a slightly thicker device than the iPhone 5, measuring at 8.5 mm thick compared to 7.6 mm for the iPhone 5. The lower-cost iPhone is also slightly taller and wider than the iPhone 5 to account for the thicker plastic shell.
Physical features are very similar to those of the iPhone 5, although the volume buttons appear to be shifting from the round design seen on recent iPhone models to pill-shaped, and the speaker and microphone holes along the bottom edge will also see a simpler design compared to the iPhone 5.
Apple is expected to launch its iPhone 5S flagship device later this year, most likely around the same September-October timeframe seen the past two years. The company's lower-cost iPhone is likely to make its debut at around the same time, offering an updated more affordable option for consumers, particularly in markets where carrier subsidies are uncommon.
Source: Mac Rumours
This afternoon, a tipster who spoke to 9to5Mac pointed out a new feature in iOS 7's Accessibility menu, which allows iPhone users to control their devices using head movements.
The option can be found in the Switch Control area of the Accessibility menu, which is designed for users who need assistance with physical and motor movements.
Switch Control allows you to use your iPhone by sequentially highlighting items on the screen that can be activated through an adaptive accessory.
With the feature activated, specific movements can be used to correspond with actions. For example, the setting can be programmed to allow a left head movement to activate a tap, while a right head movement can be programmed to perform to another function.9to5Mac went hands-on with the feature:
We've tested this ourselves and found it to be quite accurate, but it's quite tedious to control your device this way since it cycles through all of the options on the screen and you move your head when it is bordering around the option you want.
You can also make the left or right head movement act as a home button, start Siri, open Notification Center, open the App Switcher, decrease volume, increase volume, or simply tap.
It is important to note that Switch Control head movements are a beta function and should be used with caution, as the setting disables touch input.
Apple has always had a heavy focus on accessibility, and over the years has worked to provide accessibility options for vision, hearing, motor skills, and learning, turning the iPad and the iPhone into fully featured assistive devices. iOS 7 promises to bring even more accessibility options, further increasing the utility of Apple's devices.
Source: Mac Rumours
Wahoo Fitness, the leader in iPhone powered cycling, running and fitness, launches the Wahoo Fitness KICKR Power Trainer in the UK. The KICKR Power Trainer is the world’s first iPhone powered bike trainer, allowing cyclist and triathletes to set resistance, accurately measure power and complete App based workouts, all from their iPhone or iPad. Available now from wahoofitness.com/eukickr.
Using Bluetooth 4.0 (Smart) and ANT+ technology, the KICKR Power Trainer connects to the iPhone or iPad, allowing full resistance control during a training session. While pedaling, users can increase or decrease resistance, structure interval workouts or even simulate real world bike courses all from their iPhone or iPad. Resistance adjustments are instant, making it easy to replicate everything from a flat or rolling hill course, to the coast down a hill after a hard climb.
With a ‘wheel off’ design and super flywheel, the iPhone connected bike trainer is engineered to produce an ultra-realistic road feel. A direct power measurement at the hub provides consistent and accurate power readings for every grueling mile.
Wahoo Fitness KICKR Power Trainer features include:
"Cyclist and triathletes will be blown away by the feel of the KICKR,” says Chip Hawkins, CEO of Wahoo Fitness. “We spent lots of time engineering the feel and fine tuning it for the most realistic ride we’ve ever experienced on an indoor bike trainer. With the wheel off design, there is no need for calibration; the power is consistent and accurate every single time. The electronic resistance is driven by your iPhone or tablet during a ride, you can go from hammering up a 15% grade to coasting downhill, instantaneously.”
Wahoo Fitness has fully integrated the iPhone into all aspects of cycling fitness. With Wahoo’s Blue SC Speed and Cadence sensor for iPhone, the Blue HR Heart Rate Monitor for iPhone and the KICKR bike trainer, Wahoo users can now track and power their cycling with their iPhone on the road, the trail and the trainer. Wahoo Fitness’ iPhone cycling system allows users to monitor all the vitals including power, speed, cadence, heart rate, pace, distance, location, course and more.
Pricing and availability
The Wahoo Fitness KICKR Power Trainer is priced at £999.99 and is available now from wahoofitness.com/eukickr. The KICKR will also be available from www.apple.com in early August.