Saturday, November 10, 2012

iOS 5 vs iOS 6 benchmark, ο Safari έγινε πολύ πιο γρήγορος και εξυπνότερος




iOS 6 benchmark, ο Safari έγινε πολύ πιο γρήγορος και εξυπνότερος
Το iOS 6 έχει πολλά νέα χαρακτηριστικά αλλά ένα από αυτά περνάει σχεδόν απαρατήρητο. Ο νέος Safari browser όχι μόνο έχει βελτιωθεί αλλά έχει γίνει ταχύτερος και εξυπνότερος, λύνοντας τα χέρια στην καθημερινή περιήγηση στο web.

ΤΟ ΙΔΙΟ IPAD ΜΕ IOS 6 ΕΙΝΑΙ ΠΙΟ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΟ, ΠΙΟ ΕΞΥΠΝΟ, ΠΙΟ ΛΕΙΤΟΥΡΓΙΚΟ

Στο προηγούμενο benchmark με το Google Octane, ο Safari στο iPad 3 συγκέντρωσε 588 πόντους χωρίς να ολοκληρώσει όλα τα τεστ. Ο λόγος ήταν πολύ απλός, το iOS 5 δεν υποστήριζε όλα τα χαρακτηριστικά του Octane αφαιρώντας πόντους από τον Safari και φυσικά από την λειτουργικότητα σε καθημερινή βάση.
Με το iOS 6 o Safari στο ίδιο iPad 3 συγκεντρώνει 935 πόντους προσφέροντας λειτουργικότητα και επιδόσεις σε όλες τις δοκιμές του Google Octane benchmark. Αναλυτικα τα αποτελέσματα έχουν ως εξής:
Safari: iOS 5 vs iOS 6 (μεγαλύτερο σημαίνει καλύτερο)
Richards: 488 vs 1154
Deltablue: 373 vs 711
Crypto: 559 vs 1629
Raytrace: 577 vs 996
EarleyBoyer: 617 vs 915
Regexp: 197 vs 330
Splay: 535 vs 675
NavierStokes: 612 vs 681
pdf.js: Unsupported vs 454
Mandreel: Unsupported vs 693
GB Emulator: 616 vs 1114
CodeLoad: 2591 vs 4012
Box2DWeb: 776 vs 1602

ΤΙ ΣΗΜΑΙΝΟΥΝ ΤΑ ΝΟΥΜΕΡΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΟ IPAD ΚΑΙ ΤΗΝ ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ ΧΡΗΣΗ

Η δοκιμή επιβεβαιώνει κάτι πολύ απλό. Το ίδιο hardware, iPad 3, γίνεται πιο γρήγορο με νέα έκδοση λογισμικού. Όχι μόνο τα sites φορτώνουν ταχύτερα στο iPad 3 αλλά και πολύπλοκες λειτουργίες που χρησιμοποιούν JavaScript εκτελούνται ταχύτερα. Το Facebook και το Gmail τρέχουν ταχύτερα, σχεδόν όπως και στο desktop / laptop υπολογιστή.
Αν δεν έχετε αναβαθμίσει το iPad στο iOS 6 έχετε κάθε λόγο να το κάνετε. Τα sites θα φορτώνουν 2 φορές ταχύτερα, ο Safari θα υποστηρίζει iCloud tabs για να βλέπετε τα tabs που έχετε ανοιχτά σε iPhone και Mac, η ασφάλεια και η σταθερότητα του browser έχουν βελτιωθεί.
iOS 6 benchmark, ο Safari έγινε πολύ πιο γρήγορος και εξυπνότερος
Οι δοκιμές έγιναν με iPad 3 και iOS 6.0.1
http://www.pestaola.gr/ios-6-safari-benchmark/
.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Νέες διευθύνσεις e-mail στο @icloud.com



icloud
H Apple ξεκίνησε την αποστολή ενημερωτικών e-mail σε όλους τους χρήστες του iCloud ενημερώνοντάς τους για τις καινούργιες διευθύνσεις @icloud.com. Είχαμε αναφερθεί και στο παρελθόν στην ύπαρξη αυτών των διευθύνσεων και αν είσαστε νέος χρήστης του iCloud (μετά τις 19 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012) θα έχετε λάβει ήδη το αντίστοιχο e-mail στο @icloud.com.
Εάν, ωστόσο, χρησιμοποιείτε ήδη κάποια διεύθυνση @mac.com ή @me.com πρέπει να γνωρίζετε ότι έχει δεσμευτεί για σας και η αντίστοιχη διεύθυνση στο @icloud.com. Αν θέλετε να έχετε ως προεπιλογή την νέα αυτή διεύθυνση κατά την αποστολή e-mail από τις iOS ή OS X συσκευές σας ακολουθήστε τις πολύ απλές αυτές οδηγίες.
Οι προηγούμενες διευθύνσεις σας δεν διαγράφονται αλλά μπορείτε να συνεχίσετε να τις χρησιμοποιείτε κανονικά.

Kaspersky: 1 στους 4 χρήστες χρησιμοποιούν παρωχημένη έκδοση web browser


Νέα έρευνα από τη γνωστή εταιρεία ασφαλείας Kaspersky Labs έρχεται να αποδείξει ότι σχεδόν το 25% των χρηστών του Internet χρησιμοποιεί ξεπερασμένες εκδόσεις των web browsers με αποτέλεσμα να είναι εκτεθειμένοι σε κενά ασφαλείας και πιθανές επιθέσεις malware, χωρίς καν να το γνωρίζουν.


Web Browsers
Σύμφωνα με την έρευνα, την πρωτιά σε χρήση ξεπερασμένης έκδοσης κατέχουν οι χρήστες Mozilla Firefoxμε 66%, ενώ φαίνεται ότι πιάνει τόπο η προσπάθεια ενημέρωσης της Microsoft με τους χρήστες Internet Explorer να χρησιμοποιούν ως επί το πλείστον την τελευταία έκδοση (το 80.2%).
Αυτό θα μπορούσε να αποδοθεί και στο γεγονός ότι οι Firefox και Chrome αναβαθμίζονται πάρα πολύ συχνά και πολλές φορές ο χρήστης δεν αντιλαμβάνεται ότι κυκλοφορεί νέα έκδοση. Βέβαια, με τα αυτόματα updates που εισήγαγαν οι τελευταίες εκδόσεις τους, το πιθανότερο είναι ότι ο χρήστης θα έχει στη διάθεση του την τελευταία έκδοση χωρίς καν να μπαίνει στον κόπο να παρακολουθήσει τι γίνεται.
Εξάλλου, από την έρευνα της Kaspersky Labs προέκυψαν και στατιστικά στοιχεία για τη χρήση των web browsers, με την πρώτη θέση στις προτιμήσεις των χρηστών να πηγαίνει στον Internet Explorer με 37.8%, ενώ ακολουθούν οι Google Chrome με 36.5%, Mozilla Firefox με 19.5% και Opera με 6%
.
http://www.techgear.gr/23-per-cent-of-web-users-use-outdated-web-browser-56541/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=23-per-cent-of-web-users-use-outdated-web-browser

MICROSOFT MAY HAVE MESSED UP THE SURFACE’S TOUCH COVER KEYBOARD DESIGN








Microsoft Surface Touch Cover Keyboard Flaw 


As solid as the build quality for Microsoft’s (MSFT)Surface tablet is, the same can’t be said for its magnetic Touch Cover keyboard. Users are reporting on various outlets and forums that the $119 keyboard cover accessory is literally bursting at its seams, exposing the wiring where it attaches to the Surface tablet, according to The Guardian. It’s too early to say Microsoft has a serious Touch Cover problem on its hands, but as The Guardian points out, the issue has popped up in many instances in the United States and the United Kingdom, which leaves it to believe the problem is not an isolated case. For what it’s worth, users have also reported success in getting immediate replacements at Microsoft Stores, which speaks to the company’s ambitions of emulating Apple (AAPL) and its hundreds of retail stores. A few photos of the bursting Touch Covers follow below.
From Tom Warren/The Verge:
From Matthew Baxter-Reynolds:
http://bgr.com/2012/11/09/microsoft-surface-touch-cover-keyboard-flaw/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Android Gingerbread, ICS most vulnerable to malware




Over the past couple of years, the Android platform has amassed a lot of popularity, and most of the best smartphones in the world are running on it. However, since its growth in popularity, the platform has also been notorious for attracting malware. A recent study by Kaspersky Labs has found that the most popular targets for cyber criminals were Android devices running version 2.3.6, commonly referred to as Gingerbread, and Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich.

According to the report, Analysis of mobile malware for Android OS by Kaspersky Lab experts in Q3 2012 revealed that the most popular targets among cyber criminals were the aforementioned Android versions.
Cover
Gingerbread and ICS most vulnerable to malware


The report stated that the rapid growth in the number of new mobile malicious programs for Android continued in the third quarter, prompting the specialists at Kaspersky Lab to identify the platform versions most frequently targeted by cyber criminals. Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread accounted for 28 percent of all blocked attempts to install malware, while the second most commonly attacked version was the new 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, which accounted for 22 percent of attempts.

“Although Gingerbread was released back in September 2011, due to the segmentation of the Android device market it still remains one of the most popular versions, which, in turn, attracts increased interest from cybercriminals,” commented Yuri Namestnikov, Senior Malware Analyst at Kaspersky Lab. “The popularity of the most recent version of the Android OS – Ice Cream Sandwich – among virus writers can be explained by the fact that the devices running the latest versions of the OS are more suitable for online activities. Unfortunately, users actively surfing the web often end up on malicious sites.”

The research note states that more than one half of all malware detected on user smartphones turned out to be SMS Trojans, i.e., malicious programs that steal money from victims’ mobile accounts by sending SMS messages to premium rate numbers.

The OpFake family has become the most widespread (38.3 percent of all the malicious programs detected for Android) among all the mobile malware families. All the programs in this family disguise themselves as OperaMini. A fifth of the malicious programs detected (20 percent) on user devices are versatile Trojans, most of which belong to the Plangton family. After being installed on a device, these Trojans collect service data on the mobile phone, send it to the command server, and wait for the cyber criminals’ commands. Specifically, malicious programs in this family can stealthily change bookmarks and the home page. Third place in the ranking was taken by the FakeInst family, whose members pretend to be installers for popular programs (17 percent). These two types of malware are mostly distributed via so-called alternative app stores created by cyber criminals.

The report ends by stating that mobile threats of this kind can be neutralised with the help of dedicated mobile applications such as Kaspersky Mobile Security and Kaspersky Tablet Security

With the popularity of the Android, the number of hackers and malware targeting it has grown too. 


http://tech2.in.com/news/android/android-gingerbread-ics-most-vulnerable-to-malware/569372

Pinterest: Νέα λειτουργία ‘Secret Boards’ για ιδιωτικές δημοσιεύσεις


Επειδή κανείς δε θέλει να μοιράζεται τα πάντα με τους πάντες, το Pinterest εισήγαγε μια νέα λειτουργία με την οποία οι χρήστες μπορούν να ρυθμίζουν σε ποιους ακριβώς είναι ορατά αυτά που “καρφιτσώνουν”.
Με την ενεργοποίηση των λεγόμενων Secret Boards μπορείτε να επιλέγετε αν οι δημοσιεύσεις σας θα είναι ορατές σε όλους, σε συγκεκριμένους χρήστες της επιλογής σας ή μόνο σε εσάς. Μοναδικό μειονέκτημα είναι ότι δε μπορείτε να μετατρέψετε σε ιδιωτικά τα ήδη δημοσιευμένα σας boards διότι οι άλλοι μπορεί να τα έχουν κάνει ήδη repin.
Για να δημιουργήσετε ένα ‘Secret Board’ θα πρέπει να επισκεφτείτε τη σελίδα του προφίλ σας, να κάνετε scroll μέχρι κάτω και να επιλέξετε ‘Create a Secret Board.’ Εναλλακτικά επιλέγετε add από την πάνω δεξιά γωνία του Pinterest και θέτετε το διακόπτη ‘Secret’ στο On.

Skype in the workspace: Η νέα πλατφόρμα δικτύωσης μικρομεσαίων επιχειρήσεων μέσα από το Skype!


Μετά την ενσωμάτωση του Windows Messenger στο Skype, η Microsoft φέρνει και την πλατφόρμα SITW (Skype in the workspace) σε όλο τον κόσμο (μέχρι σήμερα ήταν σε έκδοση beta), η οποία απευθύνεται σε μικρές επιχειρήσεις για να παρέχει άμεση και δωρεάν επικοινωνία με πελάτες και συνεργάτες σε όλο τον κόσμο.
SITW
Ουσιαστικά, μέσα από το Skype η κάθε επιχείρηση μπορεί να δημιουργήσει το δικό της δίκτυο συνεργατών, καθώς και να αποστέλλει προσκλήσεις σε πιθανούς ενδιαφερόμενους για να δουν παρουσιάσεις προϊόντων, επαγγελματικές συνεργασίες κλπ., έχοντας έτσι την ευκαιρία να επεκτείνει τις δραστηριότητες της.
“Με περισσότερους από 280 εκατ. ενεργούς χρήστες, το Skype προσφέρει ένα τεράστιο κοινό που δραστηριοποιείται σε μικρομεσαίες επιχειρήσεις. Στόχος μας είναι να συνδέσουμε αυτές τις επιχειρήσεις στην πλατφόρμα SITW, ενώ αυτές θα έχουν την ευκαιρία να παρουσιάσουν τη δουλειά τους και να επεκταθούν σε νέες αγορές, ανεξάρτητα από το που βρίσκονται. Οι προοπτικές είναι άπειρες!”
Για να χρησιμοποιήσετε την πλατφόρμα SITW αρκεί να συνδεθείτε με το κανονικό account που χρησιμοποιείτε στο Skype και στη συνέχεια επιλέξτε το “Create an Opportunity” στην ιστοσελίδα workspace.skype.com για να δημιουργήσετε προφίλ στο SITW.

Hands-on demo and speed tests of new Apple Mac Fusion Drive (video)


TLDToday put together a neat hands-on demo video of Apple’s new Mac Fusion Drive in a new Mac mini. The video walks through how the Fusion Drive is seen as a single volume in OS X. The drive’s speed is also compared to a 5400 RPM hard drive, and the speed tests do seem to live up to the benchmarks that Apple reports for the drive.

The Fusion Drive is currently available for the Mac mini announced in October and will also be available for the new iMacs coming in November and December. We recently noted that adeveloped enabled the functionality on an older Mac. The drive is a combination of both Flash and a traditional hard drive, providing the main OS and your most used files with the fast, efficient Flash experience, while also providing users with either 1 or 3 terabytes of hard drive storage for other data.

http://9to5mac.com/2012/11/08/hands-on-demo-and-speed-tests-of-new-apple-mac-fusion-drive-video/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Apple Explores Internal Fans For Mobile Devices, Headphones That Are Also Speakers





apple-earpods
Apple had a couple of new patent applications published by the USPTO today (spotted by AppleInsider), including one detailing howinternal fans could be made to fit mobile devices to help dissipate heat, and another forheadphones that become speakers for when listening goes from private to shared scenarios, which even describes how in-ear models could work that way.
The patent for internal fans includes a design that combines device physical feedback along with cooling powers to save space compared to when those components are separate. In one permutation, there’s also a design for taking air in through existing holes like a headphone or connector port, and expelling excess heat through the same mechanism. That would also help with space-saving efforts.
In terms of its likelihood for actual use, I’d guess that it probably won’t be employed in a shipping product, but instead represents one line of Apple’s thinking about how to cool mobile devices, but not the one they ended up spending much time on. The more logical path seems to have been to work on processor efficiency, which Apple is clearly committed to with its in-house processor design and engineering efforts.
Headphones that do double duty as external speakers is a much more practical and likely invention, looking at Apple’s product release history. It describes methods for turning both external on-ear type headphones into speakers with rotating ear cups, and ways to make even in-ear headphones like Apple’s own EarPods into speakers powerful enough for multiple people to enjoy. The headphones in all cases can detect their orientation, and even their proximity to a user’s ear to determine in which mode they should be operating.
Apple is clearly still interested in evolving its headphone design, since in introduced the new EarPods alongside the iPhone 5. And external speakers for iOS devices are consistently strong performers in terms of accessory categories. The main concern would be quality: making drivers small enough but powerful enough to sound good at any decent volume would be a significant engineering challenge.

Apple takes a cue from users, invents packaging that doubles as iPhone/iPad dock




A number of Apple patents and applications have been published today, one of which details an interesting new design for the packaging of iOS devices that would also double as a stand or dock of sorts. The patent application was originally filed in May 2011, but published today by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and detailed by PatentlyApple. The image above is pretty self-explanatory, showing iPod nano-like packaging with a removable lid and base that transform into a dock or stand for the device. It appears the dock would act as a permanent solution, with the image above showing room to accommodate a charging cable as well as small parts to hold the device snugly in place.

This is actually something we’ve seen before. Although many iPhone and iPad users have no problem dropping a decent amount of money on a dock, there are no shortage of users who have come up with innovative ways to turn the current iPhone and iPad packaging into a dock and or stand for free.

http://9to5mac.com/2012/11/08/apple-takes-a-cue-from-users-invents-packaging-that-doubles-as-iphoneipad-dock/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Microsoft Office for iOS tipped for March, Android due later



Viewing and editing Microsoft Office documents on a smart phone is every child's dream, and now it looks like that dream may have a release date. The much-anticipated Office apps for iOS and Android have been tipped to land in the first few months of 2013 -- although it seems Android fans may be kept waiting a little longer.
The Verge cites "several sources close to Microsoft's plans", who reckon the software will arrive for iOS devices in late February or early March, while the Android edition is scheduled for May -- two months later.
That could prove a frustrating delay for fans of Google's green robot, but developers have been known to take longer to get Android apps out the door.
The BBC, for example, blames device fragmentation, among other factors, but you'd hope Microsoft would have the clout to release apps simultaneously across platforms. We'll just have to wait and see.
The upcoming Office apps will reportedly let you ogle Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents, though to do so you'll need to sign in using a Microsoft account. Even then there's no editing allowed unless you purchase an Office 365 subscription.
Office 365 subscriptions come in several different flavours, but the 'small business' edition that gives you web-based document viewing and editing costs £4.25 per month, so it's possible that's how much you'll be asked to fork out to use these new apps.
It's reckoned you'll be able to buy a subscription from within the app, so at least Microsoft would be making it convenient to deprive you of your hard-won cash in exchange for tinkering with files from your phone. It's not expected that editing will be as fully featured as the regular ol' desktop version of Office.
It's hardly the most exotic software on the horizon, but for the millions of people out there who use Android or Apple gadgets and rely on Office for work, this could be a life-saver -- even if Microsoft's charging you or your company for the privilege.

What’s the Worst U.S. City for Smartphone Theft? [INFOGRAPHIC]


Around 113 smartphones are stolen or lost each minute in the U.S., but there’s one city in which they are pilfered more than any other: Philadelphia.
According to data highlighted in an infographic by gadget-insurance company Protect Your Bubble, smartphone theft is most likely to occur in Philly, followed by Seattle and Oakland, respectively. Rounding out the top ten are (in order of placement) are: Long Beach, Calif., Newark, N.J., Detroit, Cleveland, Baltimore, New York and Boston.
Meanwhile, the top places to lose a phone are at fast-food restaurants, drug stores, grocery stores, coffee shops and the office, respectively.
The infographic also reveals more about smartphone theft in various city. For example, phone thefts make up 40% of all robberies in New York City, and iPhones account for 70% of cell phones stolen on public transportation, such as subways and buses.
For a full look at how smartphones are stolen and lost nationwide, check out the infographic below.
Lost Phones Infographic

http://mashable.com/2012/11/08/smartphone-theft-city/

MasterCard Display Card, η πιστωτική και χρεωστική κάρτα με LCD και πληκτρολόγιο

MasterCard Display Card, η πιστωτική και χρεωστική κάρτα με LCD και πληκτρολόγιο
Είστε έτοιμοι για την νέα εποχή τραπεζικών συναλλαγών και την MasterCard Display Card; Μεγαλύτερη ασφάλεια, ευκολία και όλα σε μια κάρτα τόσο μικρή και λεπτή όσο η συνηθισμένη πιστωτική και χρεωστική που έχετε συνηθίσει.

ΑΝ ΘΑ ΔΟΥΜΕ ΤΗΝ MASTERCARD DISPLAY CARD ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΕΞΑΡΤΑΤΑΙ ΑΠΟ ΤΙΣ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΕΣ

Η ιδέα είναι απλή και η υλοποίηση ενδιαφέρουσα. Η νέα MasterCard Display Card ενώνει δύο κόσμους που μέχρι σήμερα ήταν μακρυά ο ένας από τον άλλον. Η πιστωτική και χρεωστική κάρτα γίνεται ένα με το one time password (OTP) token που πρέπει να έχετε πάντα μαζί αν η τράπεζα προσφέρει την υπηρεσία.
Μέχρι σήμερα, αν θέλετε να πραγματοποιήσετε συναλλαγή με την τράπεζα εκτός από το όνομα χρήση και κωδικό χρειάζεται και ένα επιπλέον, extra PIN για την ολοκλήρωση της πιστοποίησης του χρήστη. Το extra PIN δημιουργείται από μια μικρή, ξεχωριστή συσκευή με LCD οθόνη και διαστάσεις USB stick.
Η MasterCard Display Card ενσωματώνει την λειτουργία αυτή στο μέγεθος πιστωτικής και χρεωστικής κάρτας με LCD οθόνη και πληκτρολόγιο παράλληλα με την χρήση smart card στην πιστωτική. Προς το παρόν η οθόνη θα δημιουργεί το extra PIN αλλά στο μέλλον μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί για την προβολή πληροφοριών όπως το υπόλοιπο λογαριασμού.
Πότε και αν θα δούμε στην Ελληνική αγορά τις νέες πιστωτικές κάρτες εξαρτάται από τις τράπεζες και μόνο. Αν κρίνουμε από το πρόσφατο παρελθόν, οι Ελληνικές και Ευρωπαϊκές τράπεζες κινούνται ταχύτερα σε ό,τι αφορά την ασφάλεια και ενσωματώνουν νέες τεχνολογίες πολύ γρήγορα. Χαρακτηριστικά παραδείγματα η χρήση smart card, tokens με one time password κλπ.

DC Puts All Its Comics on the iBookstore



Today, DC Comics announced that its entire lineup of comics are coming to the iBookstore. Previously, only DC's graphic novels were available on the store.

NewImage
DC Entertainment, the #1 comic book publisher in the U.S., announced today its entire line of periodical comic books are now available for download from the top three e-bookstores including Kindle Store, iBookstore and NOOK Store. The precedent setting new digital availability brings bestselling DC Comics and Vertigo periodical titles, including JUSTICE LEAGUE, BATMAN, SUPERMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS, ACTION COMICS, BATGIRL, WONDER WOMAN, GREEN LANTERN, FABLES and AMERICAN VAMPIRE, among many others, to an even broader audience of digital readers.
DC will continue to deliver comics through its DC Comics and Vertigo apps, as well as the comiXology platform. The inclusion of the comics on the iBookstore is intended to make it easier for comic readers to purchase via their preferred digital outlet.

Apple updates Apple Store iOS app with Passbook-compatible gift cards, searching with Siri (update: new details)




Today, Apple has updated its Apple Store application for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with gift card support and Siri integration. The gift card support allows users to purchase Apple Store gift cards for friends and family. As we first reported, these gift cards will work in physical retail stores by way of the iOS 6 Passbook application. Additionally, the new app update features Siri integration. Users will be able to use Siri (on compatible devices) to find pricing and details about Apple’s products.

What’s New in Version 2.4

- Buy new gift cards and email them to friends and family right from the app. These gift cards are easily integrated with the new Passbook app (U.S. only, iOS 6 required).
- Ask Siri to help you find prices and shop for Apple products. (Siri-enabled device required.)
EasyPay is also now available in Canada, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and France.
Thanks, Matthew!
Update: We’re currently not seeing the Passbook functionality listed in Apple’s release notes in the update itself. Additionally, the apparently new Siri-integration is functional on the old version of the app. That may be because it is only new server-side.
Update 2: Tipsters have provided a number of new details about the app’s new Passbook functionality.



You can now purchase Passbook-compatible gift cards via the Apple Online Store on a computer. Anew portal is now live to do this. These will then be sent to a recipient of your choosing via email. They can click a button in the email and it will open in Passbook.

The functionality is currently hidden in the app itself. We’ve located the new gift cards by going to Products, then iPhone, scrolling all the way down, and clicking view all accessories, than scrolling all the way down again.
Apple Stores have begun being receiving a new version of their point-of-sale system with a usable camera in order to capture gift card information via Passbook. Stores stuck on the old sleds can type in information manually.
Passbook Apple gift cards are not compatible with iTunes purchases or EasyPay for customers.

http://9to5mac.com/2012/11/07/apple-updates-apple-store-ios-app-with-passbook-compatible-gift-cards-searching-with-siri/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Sony Alpha NEX-5R review

Sony NEX-5R angled


Verdict

The Sony NEX-5R is a beautifully built camera that you'll have great fun using. The articulated screen puts it one step ahead of its competitors, and the innovative downloadable apps will expand its feature set over time. All in all, a great buy if you can afford it, but the reasons to upgrade from the NEX-5N aren't entirely convincing.



Good

  • Build quality
  • Low-light performance
  • Articulated screen
  • Touch controls
  • Wi-Fi
  • Choice of lenses

Bad

  • Wind noise on movies
  • Some fall off in corners
  • Price








This time last year, Sony debuted the Alpha NEX-5N, and earned itself close to full marks in its  Keen to repeat the performance, it's followed up with the NEX-5R, which retains the 5N's headline specs, with E-mount lenses, an articulated screen and the same 16.1-megapixel resolution.
This time around though, it also boasts Wi-Fi for easy image uploads, phone-based remote control and even downloadable camera apps.

Specs and Build

Outwardly, little has changed. The body looks like it's fallen out of the same mould, and the kit lens still sports the close to de-facto 18-55mm range, equivalent to 27-82.5mm on a regular 35mm camera.
Maximum aperture at wide angle is F/3.5, and at full telephoto it's F/5.6, with minimum aperture ranging from F/22 to F/32 depending on the level of zoom -- a very decent range. Zooming is fully manual, although there's a powered lens if you prefer, and you can take focus in hand, too, with a manual focus ring at the front of the barrel.
Sony Alpha NEX-5R test photo
The NEX-5R looks very similar to its predecessor, which is a very good thing indeed.
It's not all about the hardware, though. The on-screen menus are colourful and inviting, and easy to find your way around. There are five display options ranging from the bare minimum of shooting data to a boggling array that includes pretty much every configurable setting you might want to know about. Mixed in among them is a built-in level, which shows not only when you're tilting the body up or down but left to right, too.
The 5R's bragging point is its built-in Wi-Fi, which allows you to play back your photos on an iPhone or Android device.
Sony Alpha NEX-5R test photo
The NEX-5R can act as a password-protected wireless hotspot to which you can connect an Android or iOS device to download your images directly.
More interestingly, it also lets you download new features direct to the camera from the Sony PlayMemories site. These include several free options like the smart remote for taking photos from your phone -- which are then saved both in their full resolution to the camera's media card and in cut-down form to your phone's memory -- and a direct upload tool for sharing photos over the Internet.
The two most compelling features however -- Bracket Pro and Multi Frame Noise Reduction -- each cost £3.99. Bracket Pro lets you bracket photos by shutter speed, aperture, focus or flash, and Multi Frame Noise Reduction, which features on the high-end Alpha SLT cameras, lets you shoot several images in low light which are then combined to create a high sensitivity equivalent image with low noise.
Sony Alpha NEX-5R test photo
Use your smart phone to control the camera remotely.
Downloading a free application to the camera from the PlayMemories site lets you use your smart phone -- here, an iPhone -- to control the camera remotely. Sadly, you don't see any of the camera's shooting information replicated on the smart phone display.
Installing an app is easy, so long as you have a PlayMemories account, and it's done straight from the camera's LCD. I found connecting to a wireless hub to be more tricky though. I have three networks running at home and it took 10 minutes of entering passwords and trying different access points until I could get the NEX-5R to fix on any one of them. Once it had done so, however, things went smoothly and it maintained a steady fix on the signal.

Stills performance

I performed my tests using a mixture of intelligent auto and aperture priority modes and set the NEX-5R to record raw files with JPEG sidecars. I used the raw files for analysis after converting them to digital negatives using Adobe Lightroom's default import settings.
Even before downloading them, it was obvious from the LCD that the 5R produces punchy, impressive colours. Blue skies and green grass were very attractive and particularly enticing.
Differentiation between similar tones was clear, and the finished images were, on the whole, full of detail and texture.
Sony Alpha NEX-5R test photo
Colours were consistently punchy and enticing throughout my tests (click image to enlarge).
In those frames where there was less detail to be brought out of the image, the 5R ably gradated similar tones for a smooth result. Take a look at the image below for an example of this. The largely featureless walls are smoothly graduated and it's easy to make out where the corner sits even without reference to the skirting.
Sony Alpha NEX-5R test photo
The NEX-5R has done a good job of rendering the smooth transitions in the tone of this largely featureless room (click image to enlarge).
It takes extreme contrasts easily in its stride, and shooting in raw meant I was able to recover a lot of detail in post-production that appeared at first sight to have been lost. For example, in the image below, the point of focus was the window at the centre of the frame. Because the camera metered for the light at this point the surrounding areas are far darker. Lifting the shadows in post-production however, without touching the highlights reveals the full detail of the walls and woodwork.
Sony Alpha NEX-5R test photo
Shooting raw files allowed me to recover a lot of detail that initially appeared to have been lost in the shadows without degrading the rest of the image.
When examining the corners of the frame though, there was some falloff in the level of focus in comparison to that seen in the very centre. This is not unusual, and is caused by the degree to which the light must be bent to meet the sensor when entering the lens at that point.
Sony Alpha NEX-5R test photo
As with most cameras there is a small degree of focal fall off towards the corners when using the 18-55mm kit lens (click image to enlarge).
In choosing to stick with a fairly conservative resolution on a generously proportioned sensor, Sony has ensured that the NEX-5R performs well in low light. The image below was shot with minimal overhead lighting, causing the camera to increase its sensitivity to ISO 3,200.
As you can see from the image, there is grain across the frame, but it is even and light and doesn't greatly disturb the underlying textures in the picture, so the bricks in the wall and the cabling running across the ceiling of the tunnel remain clear and true to the originals.
Sony Alpha NEX-5R test photo
There's a level of grain in the frame, but it's light and even, and doesn't greatly impact the clarity of the retained detail (click image to enlarge).
Maximum sensitivity stands at an impressive ISO 25,600, with compensation of +/-3.0EV in 0.3 stop steps. You can set compensation either by turning the thumbwheel or dragging a scale on the screen.

Still life test

I switched the NEX-5R to auto mode for the still life test so that it could make up its own mind on the best way to shoot a collection of everyday objects.
In each instance, it chose to open the aperture to f/4.0, which resulted in a very shallow depth of field. Objects towards the rear of the scene were thrown out of focus, leaving only those in the mid-frame sharp.
Even this, though, wasn't sufficient to prevent it from hiking the sensitivity under ambient light to ISO 2,000. This introduced the same level of noise as was evident in the dimly lit tunnel above, which meant that there was grain in the image, although not to an extent that it degraded the clarity of the finished shot.
Under studio lights it was able to reduce the sensitivity to ISO 100, thus eliminating the noise for a very clean result. With the flash it set the sensitivity at ISO 400. Again the result was largely free of grain, but the shadows behind the objects in the scene were fairly strong, and some white surfaces, such as the cup in the foreground, were lacking detail.
Sony Alpha NEX-5R test photo
The NEX-5R self-selected a wide aperture of f/4.0 in the still life test, which reduced the depth of field (click image to enlarge).

Video performance

The NEX-5R records AVCHD and MP4 video. Maximum resolution is 1,920x1,080 pixels at 50fps when shooting AVCHD, and 1,440x1,080 pixels at 25fps when shooting MP4. You don't need to switch to a dedicated video mode to use it, either, thanks to the easy access movie button beside the thumbwheel.
I performed my tests on a fairly windy day, and it's fair to say that the NEX-5R had some trouble filtering out the sound of the wind despite the fact that the wind cut feature was active. The soundtrack was therefore compromised in much of my footage. However, beyond the wind it was still able to record accurate background noises.

It responded well to changes in the level of available light, but when shooting in low light it had some trouble finding focus when the position of objects in the frame changed considerably at short notice.

Sony NEX vs Samsung NX

The NEX-5R's most obvious competitor is the Samsung NX210. Both are compact interchangeable lens cameras, and they each have an APS-C-sized sensor and both sport Wi-Fi. Their 18-55mm kit lenses are of broadly similar size, but elsewhere there are several important differences.
The Sony is smaller with a more compact body, and although the grip isn't as scooped as that on the Samsung it feels more sturdy and comfortable to hold.
The Samsung has a higher resolution with 20.3 megapixels to the Sony's 16.1 megapixels, but once you start talking about the mid teens in terms of resolution, anything higher is nice to have but far from essential unless you anticipate performing some harsh crops in post-production.
Turn the cameras around, and the Sony is the clear winner. It has a touch-sensitive screen, which is also articulated to flip up and down to make shooting from unusual angles more convenient. Samsung claws back some points when it comes to easy accessibility of key features though, with a dedicated mode selector on the top, beside a finger wheel for dialling in adjustments.
The Sony has a thumbwheel in place of the finger wheel, which is easier and faster to use. To switch modes though you'll need to step into the menus, which means you can't, for example, switch as quickly between aperture and shutter priority on the Sony as you can on the Samsung. The Samsung also benefits from the company's i-Function lens system that puts the most commonly used functions, such as setting the aperture and shutter speed, scene mode and exposure compensation, on the manual focus ring at the front of the lens barrel.
The two are very closely matched, then, and picking between them will largely come down to a simple choice of aesthetics. While the i-Function lens is a major draw, the Sony's articulated screen is perhaps the stronger proposition, drawing me -- personally -- towards the NEX-5R.

Conclusion

The NEX-5R is one of those cameras that's great fun to use, and really encourages you to head out and take more shots. Build quality is excellent, the built-in features are great and although I'm not convinced by the idea of needing to download add-on camera apps, it's perfectly able without them and ready to go straight from the box.
It does have the edge on the Samsung NX210 -- just -- in terms of human interface and usability, and it boasts a wider range of native lenses, too. By the end of November there will be 11 E-mount lenses to choose from. The Samsung NX system currently comprises six lenses, plus three hoods and adaptors, the latter of which do open up access to Pentax K-mount accessories.
The NEX-5R is considerably more expensive at around £600 to £670, depending on where you shop -- a price that represents a 20 per cent hike on that of an NX210. That difference is significant, and may sway your hand when it comes to making a choice. If you can't run to the price of the Sony, then the Samsung won't disappoint. Take price out of the equation, though, and the NEX-5R just has the edge.