Trigger Finger - Apple fires biometrics into the mainstream

Trigger Finger - Apple fires biometrics into the mainstream

Although Apple's executives said at Tuesday's launch that its Touch ID technology embedded into the iPhone 5S' home button would only provide fingerprint access to the phone and its own online stores, analysts said Apple's embrace of such technology, called biometrics, would be key to wider adoption.

"It really propels biometrics into the mainstream," said specialist Alan Goode, the UK-based managing director of research consultancy Goode Intelligence.

Jonathan Ive, Apple's senior vice president of design, hinted of its future in a video presentation at the launch.

"Touch ID defines the next step of how you use your iPhone," he said, "making something as important as security so effortless and so simple."

Passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs) have long been the mainstay of access to devices, bank accounts and online services, despite their poor record. Many passwords can easily be guessed, while others can be hacked by brute-force attacks - essentially a computer program running through all possible permutations.

They also involve one too many steps for lots of users: Apple said that half of smartphone users don't bother to password-protect their devices.

Hence the appeal of biometrics, which take something unique to the individual - a fingerprint, an iris, voice or facial features - as authentication.

COMFORT FOR COMMERCE

Apple's move may not have an immediate impact beyond improving the way users unlock their devices and interact with Apple services like iTunes and its App Store.

But that is itself a significant step. Apple has more than 500 million iTunes accounts. Anything that increases security and removes steps in the payment process is bound to boost online purchases.

It will also raise the comfort levels of companies supplying the content to a mobile commerce sector expected to reach $40 billion next year in the United States alone, according to Euromonitor estimates.

Users afraid of using their mobile device to make purchases online or in the real world because they fear it will be stolen or their password seen may feel liberated using a fingerprint, said Michael Chasen, CEO of SocialRadar, which is building location-based mobile applications for social networking.

For mobile commerce, he said, that could "be the missing piece".

Beyond the web, Apple could combine the Touch ID with its existing "Passbook" app that stores coupons, tickets to events and boarding passes on an iPhone and allow event organizers and airline companies to validate those documents, said Sebastien Taveau, chief technology officer at California-based Validity Sensors, which makes sensors for other manufacturers.

"Apple wants to make deals with music and entertainment companies with very strong opinions on digital rights management," Taveau said. The fingerprint scanner, when used in transactions with these companies, could "reassure all these industries".

Biometric security should also appeal to enterprises nervous about allowing the personal devices of employees on the office network, analysts and industry insiders said.

"If this has been implemented right, every enterprise that enforces a password or PIN lock on the device will begin using the fingerprint sensor instead," said Song Chuang, Singapore-based research director at Gartner.

Apple is not the first to try to make biometrics work for the consumer.

Fingerprint scanners have already found their way into laptops, external hard-drives and electronic wallets. Companies like Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc, Fujitsu Ltd and Pantech Co Ltd have incorporated fingerprint scanners into their mobile phones.

But none has really taken off.

Partly, that's because of cost and partly because there's been little in the way of an ecosystem to build support for the products.

"Biometrics have been historically viewed as a more expensive 'nice to have' component, rather than a 'must have'," said Bill Morelli, an analyst at IHS.

Also, fingerprint scanners have tended to make things harder rather than easier for users.

Chuang at Gartner said it could take users up to six swipes for a sensor to 'learn' a user's fingerprint. "This is not a great user experience," he said.

All things, say some, that Apple was put on this earth to fix. Ben Thompson, a Taipei-based industry observer who writes a blog at stratechery.com, said Apple was focusing on the apparently trivial problem of entering a password - but one that irked users dozens of times a day.

"It's classic Apple to expend tremendous energy on simplifying a small irritation, even if it's not a classic feature list item."

BADLY KEPT SECRET BOOSTS INDUSTRY

The badly kept secret of Apple's biometric plans had already given the industry a boost long before Tuesday. The company has been filing patents on biometric security since at least 2009.

"Apple has been working on it for more than two years and they have extremely competent engineers," said Validity's Taveau.

Apple reached out two to three years ago to Microlatch, an Australian company, to license and test its peripheral fingerprint sensors. Apple asked it to build a Bluetooth connection to the phone and accompanying software, Microlatch managing director and founder Chris Burke said, so Apple could gauge user reactions and habits, particularly in e-commerce strongholds like China.

"In their roadmap it was clear there would be fingerprint scans, so they'd plot their course, rather than just trying something," Burke said in a phone interview.

Last year Apple also paid about $350 million for AuthenTec, a key player in fingerprint sensors and until its purchase a supplier to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Co, Dell Inc, Lenovo Group Ltd and Fujitsu.

Apple's moves have reawakened interest in the space.

Swedish biometric component maker Fingerprint Cards AB, for example, has seen its share price rise 1,400 percent in the past year. The company predicts the industry will ship up to 100 million consumer electronic devices embedded with fingerprint scanners this year, rising to more than 1 billion in 2015 as biometrics finds its way into TV remotes, gaming consoles and cameras.

DOWNSIDE OF NICE, NOT NECESSARY

There are downsides to fingerprint technology. It is not as accurate as companies touting its benefits make it sound, and PINs and passwords can be reset or changed if someone steals them.

"Fingerprint recognition is not perfect," said Geppy Parziale, biometrics expert and CEO of Invasivecode, a firm that develops applications for Apple's mobile devices. Then there's the problem of the fingerprints themselves: acquiring a large enough set of them to test the accuracy of such devices is complicated by privacy and legal issues, Parziale said.

But if anyone can bring this technology into the mainstream, experts say, it's Apple. It has, for example, embedded the scanner into the iPhone's home button, while other mobile devices usually have it on the back, making it awkward for the user and increasing the number of failed attempts.

Samsung and fellow South Korean electronics manufacturer LG Electronics Inc have had problems incorporating the technology into finished products.

LG's head of domestic marketing, Ma Chang-Min, last month said the company had abandoned efforts to include a fingerprint sensor to the back cover of its flagship G2 smartphone "as we need more work to improve reliability and usability".

That gives Apple a headstart. It can also build the sensing and security deep into its operating system and the A7 mobile chip which Apple itself designed, putting it ahead of rivals such like Google, which develops the Android mobile OS and licenses it to manufacturers like Samsung, said Taipei-based KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

But its edge may not last.

Microsoft Corp, for one, is building fingerprint recognition into the latest update of its Windows operating system and, said Taveau of Validity Sensors, "it is fair to assume that the Android community won't be long to react".


Source: http://www.reuters.com

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (T311) review: Battery impresses, not the price

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (T311) review: Battery impresses, not the price


The arrival of Apple's 7.9-inch iPad mini last year added another size to the ongoing tablet wards. As expected Samsung came in with its similarly sized competitor. The South Korean tech giant, which was quite active in the 7-inch and 10-inch tablet markets, came up with an answer to Apple's smaller iPad with the launch of its first 8-inch tablet, Galaxy Note 8.0 (Note 510 in India), in February this year.

Riding on the success of its Galaxy tablets and to get a respectable place in the 8-inch tablet market, Samsung added new 8-inch tablets to its portfolio under the name Galaxy Tab 3. We got the high-end variant of the Galaxy Tab 3 (SM-T311) to review.

Compared to Samsung's 7-inch devices, the Galaxy Tab 3 has a slightly bigger display, slimmer profile and an improved form factor, but it looks a little similar to other members of the already highly populated Galaxy family. Taking design cues from the Galaxy S4 smartphone, the tablet has an aluminium band which runs along the edges of the device and gives it a premium look. Made of polycarbonate, the tablet is slim at 7.4mm and is also light in weight.

The rounded edges make it easier to hold the tablet with both hands, but if you are holding this 8-inch tablet with a single hand stretching across the back from one end to the other, it becomes a pain after a while. It was certainly not comfortable reading an ebook on this tablet. We usually hold smartphones with a single hand, but reading an ebook on this 8-inch tablet while holding it with a single hand was quite uncomfortable that I switched back to my smartphone within 10 minutes and continued reading on my phone. And reading ebooks holding a device with both hands, isn't how ebooks are meant to be read. This is where an 8-inch tablet takes away the comfort and is trumped by a 7-inch tablet.

The Galaxy Tab 3 has a non-removable back. Therefore, the microSD card and SIM card slots are located on the left side of the device. The rear of the device has a dotted pattern underneath the glossy coating, which adds to aesthetics and makes the rear of the device look refined. Also the back is not prone to scratches. I used the device for almost two weeks, but the tablet did not catch even a single scratch during the period.

I think it's time when Samsung did away with the physical home button flanked by two capacitive buttons on the front. The full touch experience seems so much better.

The Galaxy Tab 3 has an 8-inch (1280 x 800) display, which produces rich colours, but the white on the tablet is not snow white; it has a slight yellowish tint. While the text on the screen is readable but it is not very crisp. Like other Samsung tablets, the touchscreen is responsive and it is smooth to swipe across the screen.

It was quite comfortable to view content on the screen from any angle. The screen is reflective, but I could still comfortably read content under sunlight.

The tablet runs Android 4.2.2 with Samsung's Touchwiz layer atop. The tablet has the same old UI and includes gimmicky apps like Story album and Group Play. I created an album using the Story Album feature, but was not impressed with the final result. At times while performing certain tasks, I felt the need of a stylus; may be Samsung should have included a stylus.

The multi-window feature on the device, which lets you view two apps at once is a good feature, but it is not something that we have not seen on other devices.

It is a 3G + WiFi device which means you can not only have access to the Internet via WiFi, but you can also access the Web from anywhere, any time. The tablet also lets you make calls, but even then it is a weird idea to make such a bulky device a replacement for your phone. A full-fledged communication device today needs to be portable and easy to carry, which a tablet can never be. An 8-inch, or in fact a 7-inch tablet, can never replace your smartphone. Thus, calling on the tablet is not something you should get attracted to.

Talking about its camera, both the 5-megapixel back camera and 1.3-megapixel rear camera can capture quality pictures under good lighting conditions, but in low light areas, both cameras fails to impress. Having a great rear camera on a tablet does not make much difference as the size of the tablet doesn't make it a comfortable device to snap pictures. The tablet can record 720p videos, but it can play 1080p videos.

Powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor coupled with 1.5GB RAM, the tablet did not linger while performing tasks, but there was a slight lag while switching between different apps. Its battery life is truly impressive. On a single charge, the tablet has enough juice to survive for over a day. In our continuous video playback test, its 4450 mAh battery lasted for around 9 hours and I could easily watch four full-length feature films back to back. And on normal usage, this full charged Tab 3 easily lasted for over a day. The stereo speakers located on the bottom of the tablet are loud and produce clear results. The Galaxy Tab 3 311 has an internal storage of 16GB and it lets you expand memory and supports a microSD card up to 64GB.

While the ergonomically designed sleek tablet has a lot to offer, but there is nothing to drool over. At Rs 25,500 the tablet is marginally overpriced. It makes to our recommendations list, but there are other options available that we would like you to take a look at while buying a new tablet.

Pros

Ergonomically designed

Great battery life

Good display

Cons

Slight lag during multitasking

Average cameras

Slightly overpriced

Rating: 3/5

Key specs

Display: 8-inch (1280 x 800) (189 ppi)

Camera: 5MP rear, 1.3MP front

OS: Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)

Processor: 1.5 GHz dual-core processor

Dimension(HxWxD): 209.8 x 123.8 x 7.4mm

Weight: 316 gms

Internal memory: 16GB

External memory slot: MicroSD (up to 64GB)

Standard Battery: 4,450mAh

RAM: 1.5GB


Source: http://ibnlive.in.com

In Beijing, the New IPhone Gets a Resounding 'Meh'

In Beijing, the New IPhone Gets a Resounding 'Meh'

On the day Apple released its new iPhone 5C simultaneously in the U.S. and China, I tromped around Beijing asking yuppies, restaurant workers, and migrant street sweepers what kind of phones they use—and why. It’s hardly a scientific survey, but if the mood at the Yonghegong Costa Coffee shop is any indication, Apple’s marketing people have some work to do.

Costa Coffee, near Beijing’s Lama Temple, is the kind of place that attracts the type of latte-sipping young professionals who flocked to buy new iPhones two years ago. In fact, a fair number of its customers are still using older iPhones, but they expressed mixed feelings about whether they’ll stick with Apple (AAPL) in the future—or opt instead for the larger Android-powered Samsung (005930:KS) Galaxy smartphone, which is fast gaining popularity here. The iPhone 5C is routinely mocked as “not attractive.”

Slumped in a brown sofa, Susan Li, a prim, middle-aged teacher, toggles between the iPhone 4S she bought in 2011 and her work-issued IBM (IBM) ThinkPad. Both are “good enough,” she says, without enthusiasm; she’ll wait until her phone dies before replacing it. Zhang Ao, another iPhone 4S-user and a young cameraman for Beijing Television (BTV), looks up from the meal he brought in from a nearby KFC (YUM). He says the “wow factor” of owning an Apple product wore off long ago. He dismissed the new, brightly colored iPhone 5C as looking “like a cartoon.” He’s not sure what kind of phone he’ll buy next.


Source: http://www.businessweek.com

Apple’s New iPhone Deals a Blow to NFC

Apple’s New iPhone Deals a Blow to NFC

Apple's announcement Tuesday of fingerprint-scanning technology in its high-end iPhone may usher in a new era of mobile payments.

But is it hurting an older one?

Missing from Apple’s iPhone 5S smartphone is a technology known as near-field communication, or NFC, which enables payments and other actions by simply waving a phone in front of a reader. Merchants, payments companies and public transportation authorities have long hoped NFC would catch on to speed transactions.

With 40% of the U.S. smartphone market, Apple commands a large lead over other handset makers, according to Nielsen data. Its mobile operating system and app store are influential among application developers.

“It’s definitely troublesome for any developer looking to support NFC that it is not in the iPhone,” said Jordan McKee, an analyst with researcher Yankee Group. “It’s not going to reach massive scale without Apple adopting NFC.”

Though nearly every other major smartphone maker has models with NFC capability, a recent Yankee Group survey found that just 18% of U.S. consumers have such handsets, said McKee.

NFC has been slow to catch on in part because it isn’t any easier than a credit-card swipe, and because not enough stores accept the technology. According to Gartner analyst Mark Hung, fewer than 100,000 NFC-enabled readers are in use in the U.S., which compares with near-ubiquity for traditional credit-card readers.

Meanwhile, early NFC adopters like BlackBerry and Nokia have seen their handset sales decline. An effort by Google to create a digital wallet linked to NFC chips in some Sprint phones has slowed as other carriers favor their own NFC joint venture called Isis, which is only available in two U.S. cities.

NFC also is facing competition from a growing number of startups and established players that are looking for a piece of the mobile-commerce prize: control over data and the fees generated. A slew of mobile apps and different payment options are either available now or in the offing.

Apple and eBay’s PayPal are working on technology that can detect a smartphone’s presence in a store through Bluetooth and send coupons or enable payments wirelessly. That’s more flexible than NFC, which works through frequencies transmitted from a phone that is in close proximity to a reading device.

Though Apple has said little about its technology, called iBeacon, beyond a mention in a slideshow at a June event, specifications provided to developers show it will be a part of iOS 7 mobile OS. PayPal announced its version, called Beacon, earlier this week and said it will begin selling the transmission devices to merchants later this year.

Square is among a group of companies that hope to make mobile commerce automatic through Bluetooth technology that can accept payments wirelessly after a user has checked in on their device. Others are developing hardware for store registers that can accept credit cards or read barcodes on a phone’s screen known as quick response, or QR, codes.

“There is a realization that NFC has to be more than just payments,” said John Devlin, an ABI Research analyst. “There is, as they say, no killer app for it yet.”

Devlin said NFC use is more common in Asia, where countries like Japan and South Korea have readers in subway turnstiles, an application still nascent in the U.S. The technology can also be used in other ways, such as unlocking hotel room doors, logging into computers, syncing smartphones to automobiles and downloading coupons from posters. Some museums are starting to install NFC readers for visitors to download information about artwork.

Apple uses barcodes in its passbook software that stores airline tickets, coupons and membership and loyalty cards. Charles Golvin, a Forrester Research analyst, said Apple’s decision to exclude NFC may have to do with the cost of the chips or how much space they occupy in a phone’s guts. An Apple spokeswoman didn’t reply to a request for comment.

Still, it is the promise of NFC, rather than the actual usage, that may explain why an increasing number of devices are being manufactured with the capability. For 2013, Devlin forecasts 320 million devices will be shipped with NFC capability. That’s up from 147 million just last year.

Apple may ultimately regret its decision not to include NFC in the iPhone 5, Gartner’s Hung said. “If they don’t put NFC in an iPhone soon, they risk being a technology laggard,” he said.

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com

Android Ladoo or Lassi? A page out of Sundar Pichai's diary

Android Ladoo or Lassi? A page out of Sundar Pichai's diary

Dear diary, our announcement that Android 4.4 will be called KitKat hasn’t gone down too well with people. Especially, people in India are mighty disappointed that I didn’t name Android ‘Kaju Katli’.

But what was I to do, no matter how big the company, it is after all a business and I have to keep Larry happy. But I’ve decided, no matter what people say the next Android will be Indian flavored. But there again lies another problem; I’m having a hard time deciding between ‘Lassi’ and ‘Ladoo’.

September 11: Dear diary, yesterday a huge consignment of boxes of ladoos and pitchers of lassis arrived at the campus from India. I won’t lie; it does remind me of home! I called in a meeting with other execs and asked them all to try the delicacies and help me decide which suits the Android brand better. I loved the ladoos and am glad that the guys (who also campaigned for Kaju Katli) were thoughtful enough to send us all the types to taste.

I personally loved the Rava ladoo, but I have to admit the orange boondi ladoos do look more aesthetic and could make a nice logo. Our Android logo with a half bitten ladoo could also be symbolic as many might look at it as an Android holding an ‘Apple’.

Once the designers make me a logo, I could ask our sales team to partner with one of the shops in India to generate more revenue (should keep Larry happy!). Haldiram would be the best bet, considering it is available not only in India but anywhere there is an Indian community (they want to inhabit Mars next, I hear).

Who knows, I could also get them to sign a lifetime supply of ladoos as a part of our deal.

But things are never as easy as it seems. The decision was divided and some guys also want to consider lassi as the next nomenclature.

They really enjoyed the drink and remarked how it helped them digest their heavy lunch. Not many here have heard of the liquid dessert, but the IIT, Kharagpur students did put up a strong case for lassi in their letter to me and seeing its growing popularity, I’m willing to consider it.

My main concern is if it will look good with our Android logo though. I fear an Android holding a pitcher might give wrong ideas to people and especially parents. They wouldn’t want a drunk bot to go anywhere near their children, no matter how cute it is.

With Nokia already mocking us and Apple on Twitter, I don’t want to voluntarily give any more ammunition to those Finns. Then again, by choosing lassi I would be breaking away from the tradition of naming Android builds on solid desserts and it could show how forward thinking I am.

This doesn’t look like an easy year for me. It’s going to be a pain choosing one among the two. Though it will make crores of Indians happy, I hope other countries don’t feel lost because they might not have heard of the dessert. I guess it is good in a way, they will hit Google to search about the name and we will get more hits. Haa, it looks like a win-win situation!


Source: http://www.dnaindia.com

Sony Xperia Z Ultra arrives a day earlier in the UK

Sony Xperia Z Ultra arrives a day earlier in the UK

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra screen measures 6.4-inches in diagonal, which makes it borderline tablet, if you ask us, but below 7 inches, it still technically qualifies as a phablet.
Categorization aside, our UK readers will be glad to know, that online store Clove has just announced they already have both the white and black version of the Xperia Z Ultra in stock after having fulfilled all their pre-orders.
The handset retails for £612, bundled with the Sony SBH20 stereo Bluetooth headset and for a limited time only, a free Sony SmartWatch 2.

The phablet was supposed to launch on September 13 in the UK, so it seems it's a day early.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra found it to be an excellent piece of kit, save for the below average loudspeaker performance and the lack of a camera flash. Other than that, it's got a razor-thin 6.5mm profile, an impressive screen (much better quality than the one on the Xperia Z), great talk times, a nice camera, an awesome preforming 2.2Ghz Snapdragon 800 chipset with 2 gigs of RAM and a solid audio output quality. And of course, its IP58 certification means it's one of the few portable devices to be truly water tight - good even for swimming.


Source: http://www.gsmarena.com

HTC One Google Play edition receiving Nexus JWR66Y security update

HTC One Google Play edition receiving Nexus JWR66Y security update

One of the advantages of a Nexus device, aside from being free of carrier and manufacturer bloatware, is faster and more frequent updates. That benefit has trickled down to “Google Play editions” of smartphones, as we now see with the HTC One, which is now receiving a small update previously available on Nexus devices only.

Last month, an update with the build number JWR66Y rolled out first to T-Mobile’s Nexus 4. It was later reported to also be arriving on other Nexus devices such as the Galaxy Nexus, the 2012 Nexus 7, and the Nexus 10. Google later made available for download factory images that have been rebuilt containing that latest update. Now that update is arriving on the Google Play HTC One.

In itself, the update contains nothing impressive. It is only 1.8 MB in size and, according to T-Mobile’s update notes, only contains various security improvements. The update does nothing to bump the Android version number on the HTC One as it has already been updated to the latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean early last month.

Still, the release of the update shows the commitment to steadily supply fixes and improvements for these pure Android devices. There is no news yet if the Galaxy S 4 Google Play edition is also getting the update today.


Source: http://androidcommunity.com

iPhone 5S and Samsung Galaxy Note 3: Who's better

iPhone 5S and Samsung Galaxy Note 3: Who's better

Apple Inc unveiled two standout smartphones in the form of iPhone 5C and 5S on Tuesday. Since comparisons with the nearest rival are a must, we provide here grist for the wagging tongues by providing top specs of both the iPhone 5S and Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Let the gadget wars begin:

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 boasts of a larger screen and a 'much more enhanced' S Pen and Apple Inc. iPhone 5S banks on its much improved A7 chip with 64-bit architecture, M7 motion coprocessor and Fingerprint identity sensor.

iPhone 5S is purposefully imagined. Meticulously considered. Precision crafted. It’s not just a product of what’s technologically possible. But what’s technologically useful. It’s not just what’s next. But what should be next.

On the other hand, the new Samsung Galaxy Note 3 adds delight to daily tasks and infuses innovative features that help consumers tell the story of their lives. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 delivers a larger and better screen for the best viewing experience and more powerful multitasking, and introduces significant S Pen improvements that make everyday life easier and faster.

iPhone 5S

* 4-inch (diagonal) Retina display, 1136-by-640 resolution, 326 ppi

* Camera: 8 megapixels with 1.5µ pixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture ,Sapphire crystal lens cover, True Tone flash, Backside illumination sensor, Five-element lens, Hybrid IR filter, Autofocus, Tap to focus ,Face detection, panorama, Burst mode, Photo geotagging

* Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter, Talk time: Up to 10 hours on 3G, Standby time: Up to 250 hours, Internet use: Up to 8 hours on 3G, up to 10 hours on LTE, up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi ,Video playback: Up to 10 hours,Audio playback: Up to 40 hours.

Touch ID: Fingerprint identity sensor

The very first iPhone introduced the world to the idea of touch as the most natural way to interact with a smartphone. Touch to hear a song. Touch to browse the web. Touch to take a picture. All of it began with something perfectly simple: your finger. And now we’ve taken touch to the next logical place with Touch ID, the fingerprint identity sensor. Your fingerprint is the perfect password. You always have it with you. And no one can ever guess what it is. But beyond that, it just made sense to us that your phone should recognize you. It should learn you. Not require you to memorize and enter passwords in order to use it. We also knew the right place to locate the sensor was where you naturally touch your iPhone — on the Home button. But how could we fit all the technology that sensors require in such a small space?

That required a team of biometric experts and hardware engineers to rethink how sensor technology works and redesign the iconic Home button. Made from laser-cut sapphire crystal, the surface of the button directs the image of your finger to a capacitive touch sensor, which reads beneath the outer layers of your skin to get a detailed print. Surrounding the button is a stainless steel ring that detects your finger, wakes the sensor, and improves the signal-to-noise ratio. Software then reads the ridges of your print and finds the match to unlock your phone. It’s all highly advanced technology that simply disappears as you use it. So you don’t notice anything. Except how unlocking your iPhone is suddenly so effortless.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 comes with a wider (5.7inch) full HD Super AMOLED display, yet slimmer (8.3mm) and lighter (168g) hardware design, and more powerful and longer lasting (3,200mAh) battery. Also, equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera with Smart Stabilization and high CRI LED flash, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 enables users to crisply capture every visual story in their lives, even in low light and active situations. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 offers the latest LTE technologies – CAT4 Carrier Aggregation and supports the greatest number of multiple frequencies. Incorporating the industry’s largest 3GB RAM, the Galaxy Note 3 also provides faster and more powerful performance. The device will be available in 140 countries from September 25 starting at price tag of $860 and the worldwide availability will be from October.

Balancing Galaxy Note 3’s strength with artistic design

In addition to meaningful technological advancements, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 delivers a new premium look and feel. Expanding on the modern Samsung Galaxy design approach, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 adds a soft and textured-touch back cover and delicate stitching. It also features a serration pattern on the side of the device that evokes a connection to the timeless and enduring strengths of classic notebooks and planners. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be available in Jet Black, Classic White and Blush Pink. In order to encourage its customers to express their personality and taste, Samsung will also offer exchangeable back covers in dozens of additional colors at launch.

iPhone 5S

* Available in silver, gold, and space gray, iPhone 5s features an A7 chip, a Touch ID fingerprint identity sensor, ultrafast LTE wireless, an iSight camera with a larger 8MP sensor, and iOS 7.

* Estimated price 16GB ($199), 32GB ($299), 64GB ($399).

* Dimensions:

Height: 4.87 inches (123.8 mm)

Width: 2.31 inches (58.6 mm)

Depth: 0.30 inch (7.6 mm)

Weight: 3.95 ounces (112 grams)

* Will work on A7 chip with 64-bit architecture, M7 motion coprocessor

* Touch ID - Fingerprint identity sensor is a new feature

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

* Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)

* 5.7inch (144.3mm) Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080)

* 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3mm, 168g

Apple iPhone 5S

* A7 chip with 64-bit architecture, M7 motion coprocessor

* 4-inch Retina display

* Fingerprint identity sensor is a new feature in iPhone 5S

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com

Apple iPhone 5S & iPhone 5C: India price and features

Apple iPhone 5S & iPhone 5C: India price and features

Apple launched the iPhone 5S & the iPhone 5C amidst huge hype and brouhaha over its features and pricing, most of which were already leaked out pretty accurately.

So we bring to you all the information you would need to know about the iPhone 5S & iPhone 5C.

Apple iPhone 5S Features & Pricing in India

Display & Body

The display on the iPhone 5S remains the same at 4.0 inches with a pixel density of 326 ppi. As expected, the design is also the same as the iPhone 5.

64 bit A7 chip and M7 motion co-processor

The iPhone 5S comes with the new A7 chip which Apple claims to be the world’s first 64 bit desktop-class architecture in a smartphone. Apparently Huawei Ascend D Quad launched in Feb 2012 last year also boasted of a 64 bit chipset.

M7 motion coprocessor gathers data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass to offload work from the A7 for improved power efficiency. Apple has allowed developers’ access to the new CoreMotion APIs that take advantage of M7, thus allowing them to create better fitness and activity apps.

Touch ID – Fingerprint Scanner

Built into the home button, Touch ID uses a laser cut sapphire crystal, together with the capacitive touch sensor, to take a high-resolution image at about 550ppi of your fingerprint. Touch ID will allow you to authenticate Appstore purchases and app updates besides providing security lock to the iPhone 5S.

8MP iSight Camera with True Tone Flash

The iPhone 5S boasts of a new 8MP iSight camera, which features a larger f/2.2 aperture and a new, larger sensor with 1.5μ pixels for better sensitivity and low-light performance. The camera has capability to shoot 10 frames-per-second in burst mode, and 120 frames-per-second slow motion video at 720p.

The dual LED Flash, called the True Tone Flash by Apple adjusts colour and intensity for over 1,000 combinations to give better images under dark light conditions.

Colours

The new iPhone 5S now comes in three new different colours called Gold, Silver and Space Grey. Apple has also introduced new leather covers for the device with 6 colours to choose from i.e. beige, black, blue, brown, yellow and red.

iOS 7

The iPhone 5S comes with iOS 7, Apple’s latest redesigned UI along with the option to download the iWorks apps Suite for free which includes iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps that are otherwise paid for apps.

Availability and Pricing

The iPhone 5S is priced at $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB on two-year contract in the US, while you can expect it to be priced at around Rs. 50,000 in India for the 16GB version and upwards for the others.

The iPhone 5S will be available starting Sep 20th in the US, while it is expected to be made available in India sometime during mid-November.

Body & Design

The iPhone 5C comes in a new polycarbonate shell design which we feel, resembles the Nokia Lumia 620 a bit. It’s available in five colours viz, blue, green, pink, yellow and white.

Other Features

It sports the same features as the iPhone 5 which includes:

4.0 inch Retina display
8MP iSight Camera
The A6 chip
iOS 7

The iPhone 5C comes with iOS 7, Apple’s latest redesigned UI along with the option to download the iWorks apps suite for free which includes iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps that are otherwise paid for apps.

Pricing & Availability

The iPhone 5C is priced at $99 for 16GB and $199 for the 32 GB version, both on a two year contract in the US. The iPhone 5C is expected to be priced at around Rs. 35,000 in India.

While the iPhone 5C will be made available in the US on the 20th of September, it is expected to arrive in India only by the mid week of November.


Source: http://www.dnaindia.com

Apple iPhone 5C unveiled: Will it succeed in India?

Apple iPhone 5C unveiled: Will it succeed in India?

At over Rs 35,000, will the Apple iPhone 5C make a mark when handsets like Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z Ultra and HTC Butterfly are there?

As speculated earlier, Apple has finally unveiled the iPhone 5C. The good news is that Apple has promised to make the iPhone 5C available in 100 countries including India. But the million dollar question is will it have any takers in India?

Price

First of all, contrary to speculations, the Apple iPhone 5C is not at all even near "affordable" category as its 16 GB version is priced at $549 (Rs 35,000 approximately) while the 32 GB version is to cost $649 (Rs 41, 400 approximately) - at which one could get high end Android devices including the flagship devices of Samsung, HTC and Sony. With Rupee rising against Dollar, the new iPhone 5C may cost more than the aforementioned price in India.
Even at Rs 40,000 and less, one could get handsets like HTC Butterfly, Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One X, LG Optimus G Pro, and the newly announced Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

Design and Display

Apple iPhone 5C has a 4-inch Retina IPS panel display with great viewing angles and supports multi-touch. By default, this display has 1136x640 pixel resolution and offers pixel density of 326 pixels per inch. Apple has offered 800:1 contrast ratio for this display and has used finger-print resistant oleophobic coating on the touchscreen.

Moreover, the iPhone 5C has a unibody design - no joints or part lines. Apple has used hard-coated polycarbonate to construct the glossy chassis of the iPhone 5C back panel. But the notable thing here is that ditching its old practice of offering black and white devices, Apple will offer the iPhone 5C in five different colours - White, Pink, Yellow, Blue and Green.

Now all its competitors come with bigger screens with even better resolution. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy S4 comes with a 5 inch display and that too with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution; while LG Optimus G Pro has 5.5 inch screen with full HD resolution. HTC Butterfly too has a 5 inch LCD 3 display with full HD resolution.

However, though most of the aforementioned Android handsets come with metal body, we cannot really comment on the look of iPhone 5C as we haven't seen it in real.

Processor

Apple has used the Apple A6 System on Chip inside the iPhone 5C but we believe that this smartphone deserves a faster Apple A6X System on Chip used in the current iPad model.

As per a report of CNET, the dual core Apple A6 processor is clocked at 1.3 GHz and has been hailed for its performance. Though not clear right now, we expect the iPhone 5C to have 1 GB RAM as the iPhone 5 because both the phones share the same processor and are not that different in terms of pricing either.

But Samsung Galaxy S4's octa core processor is far ahead of the Apple A6 in terms of performance. All other high end Android phones in discussion also come with quad core processor and 2 GB RAM.

Camera:

At the back, Apple iPhone 5C features an 8 megapixel iSight camera with five-element lens and hybrid IR filter. This camera is accompanied by an LED flash. The 8 megapixel iSight camera module has f/2.4 aperture for wide-angle imaging and it can also shoot panorama images. Apart from that, the camera can flawlessly record full 1080p (full HD) videos at 30 frames per second and can take still photo while recording a video. Apple has added Video Stabilization and Face Detection as add-ons for video recording.

Apple has also tweaked the Camera app to shoot images in square format and also use the Instant filter features for making those images more interesting. In the front is a 1.2 megapixel FaceTime camera with 720 HD video recording support and capability to hold FaceTime HD video calling. The iPhone 5C will be able to engage in FaceTime over Wi-Fi as well as Cellular network with other FaceTime-enabled device.

In its comparison, the Sony Xperia Z Ultra has 8 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front camera; the Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 13 megapixel rear and 2 megapixel front camera; the LG Optimus G Pro has a 13 megapixel rear and 2.1 megapixel front camera; while the HTC Butterfly too has a 8 megapixel rear and 2.1 megapixel front camera.

Battery

The battery capacity has not been specified but Apple promises 10 hours of web browsing time over LTE networks, 10 hours of talk time and 10 hours of video playback time.

On the other hand, Sony Xperia Z Ultra has a 3050 mAh battery that promises 14 hours of 3G and 16 hours of 2G talktime. The Galaxy S4 comes with a 2600 mAh unit.

LG Optimus G Pro has also a 3140 mAh battery and it too gives a good battery back up; for more information you can refer its review here.

Memory

As stated earlier, the Apple iPhone 5C comes in 16 GB and 32 GB versions. No expandable memory option is available in the handsets.

On the other hand, Sony Xperia Z Ultra has 16 GB of internal memory and 64 GB of expandable storage slot as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG Optimus G Pro. HTC Butterfly too comes with 16 GB internal and 
32 GB of expandable storage slot.

Other features

Apple has added a three-axis gyroscope sensor along with accelerometer, proximity sensor and ambient light sensor. Other features include dual-band WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, Digital Compass and Assisted GPS with GLONASS support. Of course, the new iPhone 5C will come with Siri and other several updates with the iOS 7 software update that will be pre-loaded on this smartphone. Indeed, the iPhone 5C will have the Lightening Connector port.

Apple will offer the iPhone 5C in 4G LTE network supporting GSM model and also CDMA models. Apple will also offer cases costing $30 for the iPhone in the six colours - Black, White, Pink, Yellow, Green and Blue.

Conclusion

The Apple iPhone 5C is definitely a good looking iPhone but it has been priced too steeply for the said features and does not fall in the affordable category at all. On the contrary, there are plenty of handsets that offer much more features than the iPhone 5C at the stated price.
Infact, most high end Android smartphones' price has been reduced in the past to make them attractive in India including the Galaxy S4 which is the fastest smartphone in the world in terms of processing power. Even after the price cut, many device makers have been struggling to sell their flagship products in India. Considering that Apple iPhone 5C seems to have a bleak future as Apple has so far not reduced prices of its models drastically in India. In the past it had only lowered the price of its outgoing iPhone 4.


Source: http://www.themobileindian.com

Apple iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C launch at 10.30pm today: Here's what to expect

Apple iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C launch at 10.30pm today: Here's what to expect

Finally the D day for Apple’s much-awaited event has arrived. Scheduled at 10 am PDT (10.30 pm IST) in Cupertino, California; Apple is set to launch two new iPhones if the consistent rumours and leaks are to be believed.

The two new phones viz, the iPhone 5S an upgraded version of the existing iPhone 5 and the much talked about iPhone 5C, a cheaper iPhone set to compete with Samsung and others in developing yet huge markets like China and India.

Here is what the rumour mills have to say about the features and pricing of the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C:

Apple iPhone 5S Features and Pricing

The Apple iPhone 5S is expected to retain the same design, much like what Apple usually does with their 'S' branded ones with some bump in the internal features of the devices.

New Colors: The iPhone 5S is supposed to be launched in two new colours - champagne gold and a lighter grey version.

Fingerprint Scanner: Called Touch ID, the scanner has been the most talked about feature of the yet to be launched flagship device. A biometric scanner was always on the cards after Apple’s acquisition of AuthenTec. The scanner is believed to be embedded in the home button which will have a convex sapphire glass over it to provide scratch resistance.

Camera: A better camera is the norm and rumours suggest that the pixel count could go up to 13MP on the iPhone 5S with dual LED flash integrated at the back if certain leaked images of the casing are to be believed.

iOS7: How can we forget Apple’s redesigned latest software the iOS 7 which promises to breathe freshness in their 6-year-old UI?  iOS 7 not only gives the iPhone 5S full multi-tasking but also the ability to shoot videos at 60 fps and a much improved Siri (hopefully it’ll understand the Indian accent better).

Improved Internals: We should see a faster CPU (should be called A7) and a better GPU. The display size and resolution are more or less likely to be the same; though there are rumours of Apple using Sharp’s IGZO display technology in their future devices, not this one perhaps.

Better Battery: With the new iOS 7, which offers full multi-tasking there has to be a larger battery on the iPhone 5S.

Pricing: The iPhone 5S will be the new flagship device and considering the fact that the rupee is not doing that well against the dollar, it should be easily priced about Rs. 50,000.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com