The war between Apple and Samsung on the patent front seems to be never ending, and it’s about to get worse. Cupertino-based Apple filed a motion late Friday afternoon against South Korean-based Samsung, asking for another $707 million in damages, on-top of the $1.05 billion it was awarded in late August. Apple says it wants “$400 million damage award for design infringement by Samsung; $135 million for willful infringement of its utility patents; $121 million in supplemental damages based on Samsung’s product sales not covered in the jury’s deliberation; and $50 million of prejudgment interest on damages through December 31,” reports Reuters.
Not going to give-up without a fight, Samsung has asked for a separate trial, where if found guilty could not only face damages, but key devices like the Galaxy S III taken off the market per Apple’s request. The last U.S. trial focused on older Samsung devices like the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab 10.1, but Samsung’s newer devices look to be moving in focus this time around. Looks like we’ll be doing this all over again.
Έχουμε ακούσει και στο παρελθόν ότι τα smartphones μπορεί μελλοντικά να χρησιμοποιούνται για τη διάγνωση παθήσεων (βλ. διάγνωση ΣΜΝ, ανάλυση σάλιου), αλλά αυτή τη φορά θα δούμε την εφαρμογή SpiroSmart που ανέπτυξαν ερευνητές του University of Washington για να αντικαταστήσουν τα σπειρόμετρα, τις συσκευές που χρησιμοποιούν οι πνευμονολόγοι για τη διάγνωση αναπνευστικών παθήσεων.
Οι ερευνητές έφτιαξαν μια προσομοίωση της ανθρώπινης τραχείας και της φωνητικής οδού, καθώς και έναν αλγόριθμο για την ανάλυση του ήχου που αντηχεί μέσα στους πνεύμονες του χρήστη όταν αυτός αναπνέει. Ο ήχος και ο συντονισμός του στο εσωτερικό των πνευμόνων μεταβάλλεται στην περίπτωση που υπάρχει πρόβλημα στην αναπνευστική οδό, και οι μεταβολές αυτές είναι αρκετές για έναν πνευμονολόγο ώστε να κάνει τη διάγνωση.
Η εφαρμογή SpiroSmart φυσικά κοστίζει απείρως λιγότερο (θεωρητικά μπορεί να διατίθεται δωρεάν) από τα σπειρόμετρα και παρέχει ακριβώς τις ίδιες πληροφορίες, με τον χρήστη απλά να φυσά στο μικρόφωνο του smartphone του!
Οι μυημένοι στα “μυστικά” του Photoshop γνωρίζουν εδώ και χρόνια ότι οι εντυπωσιακές φωτογραφίες που βλέπουν στα περιοδικά και στις αφίσες είναι προϊόν επεξεργασίας, ενώ εσχάτως προέκυψε τεράστιο θέμα και στα δελτία ειδήσεων σχετικά με το τι είναι αληθινό και τι όχι.
Πάντως, για να είστε σίγουροι ότι η φωτογραφία που βλέπετε η πραγματική, καλό θα είναι να στρέψετε λίγο την προσοχή σας στο λογισμικό που ετοιμάζει η Fourandsix Technologies, με ονομασία FourMatch, το οποίο αναλύει τα meta data μιας φωτογραφίας και αυτόματα αναγνωρίζει αν έχει υποστεί επεξεργασία.
Η εταιρεία ιδρύθηκε από ένα πρώην επικεφαλή του Adobe Photoshop και ειδικό στην ψηφιακή εγκληματολογία, ο οποίος υπόσχεται ότι με αυτόν τον τρόπο θα βοηθήσει τις αρχές που επεξεργάζονται φωτογραφίες για αποδεικτικά στοιχεία.
Το FourMatch βασίζεται σε μια βάση δεδομένων με περισσότερες από 70.000 “υπογραφές” που αφήνουν τα διάφορα προγράμματα επεξεργασίας ή hardware επάνω σε ένα αρχείο μετά την επεξεργασία, καθώς όταν γίνει η επεξεργασία και το αρχείο επαναποθηκευτεί από ένα λογισμικό, τότε αφήνεται ένα “αποτύπωμα” για να ταιριάζει στο συγκεκριμένο λογισμικό, παρά στη συσκευή από όπου έγινε η λήψη αρχικά.
Προς το παρόν, το FourMatch δεν μπορεί να υποδείξει τα σημεία στα οποία έγινε η παραποίηση επειδή αναλύει το αρχείο και όχι αυτή καθαυτή την εικόνα, ενώ και η τιμή του ($890) αποδεικνύει ότι τουλάχιστον για την ώρα θα απευθύνεται σε ειδικά τμήματα νομικών ερευνών (αστυνομία, εγκληματολογικά εργαστήρια, δικηγόρους κλπ.).
Ωστόσο, στόχος της Fourandsix Technologies είναι να δημιουργήσει στο μέλλον ειδικές εκδόσεις για πιο ευρεία χρήση, όπως για τα μέσα ενημέρωσης, για τράπεζες, φωτογράφους κ.ά.
Apple's iPhone 5 is "fastest smartphone in the land"
After performing a series of web and raw computing benchmarks, Apple's iPhone 5 was declared the world's fastest smartphone.
A report by PC Mag pitted iPhone 5 against previous iPhone models, then against top Android models from Samsung (Galaxy S III, released in June) and Google (Motorola Droid RAZR M, released last week).
Apple's latest iPhone 5 easily beat previous years' iPhone models, often by a factor of two. In browser tests, it scored nearly twice as fast as iPhone 4S in Browsermark, where it was more than three times as fast as iPhone 4, even with all phones upgraded to iOS 6 (which improves browser speeds).
In general purpose benchmarks, PC Mag said iPhone 5 was more than 2.5 times as fast as iPhone 4S, and over 4.2 times as fast as iPhone 4. Apple continues to sell all three models.
In graphics tests, iPhone 5 scored 2.2 times as high as iPhone 4S and more than 8 times as fast as iPhone 4. The scores for all iPhone models are detailed at PC Mag.
Taking on the fastest Android phones
PC Mag noted that last year's iPhone 4S running iOS 6 on its dual core, 800MHz A5, "is about on par with leading Android 4.0 phones like the Samsung Galaxy S III and the Motorola Droid RAZR M, both of which are using 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processors," adding that "obviously, the difference is that Safari is a faster browser than the Android browser."
The new iPhone 5 "takes things to the next level," the site wrote, stating that "its Browsermark score is 80 percent higher, and it shows much quicker Sunspider times."
In general purpose Geekbench scores, iPhone 5 won overall by a narrower margin, but as the site noted, "the 'memory' and 'stream' scores, both of which test loading data in and out of RAM, come out much better on the Apple device."
In a graphics-specific processing test, iPhone 5 beat the S III and RAZR M by more than a factor of three.
"Based on these benchmarks, the iPhone 5 lives up to the promise of being twice as fast as the iPhone 4S. It's also, for now, the fastest handheld computer sold in the US," the report concluded.
Apple's custom A6 achieves its speed advantage through what TechInsights called "a very unique processor design," which appears to use three graphics cores and an entirely new ARM dual core GPU designed by Apple (pictured above).
Apple, publishers agree to settle EU e-book price-fixing inquiry
Apple and four major publishing houses agree to kill off an e-book price-setting system in the European Union in hopes of ending an antitrust investigation over the matter. The European Commission said on Wednesday that it is willing to drop its probe into an alleged price-fixing scheme by Apple, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette Livre and Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck, after the companies agreed to let online retailer Amazon sell the same e-books at discounted prices for a period of two years. The agreement is currently undergoing peer review, reports The New York Times.
First launched in December 2011, the Commission's inquiry is in related to Apple's so-called "agency model," which allows book publishers to set the prices for e-books sold in the iBookstore under a most favored nations clause, meaning the houses couldn't sell their product elsewhere for a lower price. If the investigation were to have found the companies in violation of European antitrust laws, each faced penalties equaling up to 10 percent of revenue from global sales.
With the settlement, the companies agree to dismantle the most favored nations clause. If the peer review is in favor of the agreement, the Commission said it might work to make the plan legally binding, and in doing so would end the antitrust case without an admission of guilt from the parties.
While Apple and the four publishing houses agreed to the settlement terms, Penguin Group is holding out and remains under investigation.
Wednesday's announcement is similar to the counterpart price-fixing case in the U.S. leveled by the Department of Justice in which HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette recently settled for $69 million. Apple, Penguin Group and Macmillan continue to fight the allegations, with both companies asking for a court trial to decide the matter.
Apple looks to automate locking, unlocking iDevices with facial recognition
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday published Apple's patent application for a system that can both lock and unlock an iDevice based on automatic facial analysis.
Source: USPTO
Apple's descriptively titled "Locking and unlocking a mobile device using facial recognition" patent application describes a mobile device that automatically captures and analyzes images of a user's face, or lack thereof, to lock and unlock itself.
While some manufacturers have developed facial recognition technologies to unlock a mobile device, Apple's idea of automating the process to initiate both locking and unlocking an iPhone or iPod is somewhat unique.
The application explains that while many devices have a lock mode, current technological limitations may prompt users to forego password usage because the process can be time consuming and cumbersome. For example, a user may turn off password protection because they frequently forget their passcode, or may be tired of having to re-enter said code each time the device locks. This can be especially aggravating when performing a relatively idle task like reading an e-book.
To solve the issue of having to lock or unlock a device manually, Apple proposes that a product can be configured to lock itself if the user's face is no longer present in images captured by the front-facing camera, and unlock itself when the user's face reappears. In order to automate the process, Apple relies on device triggers, such as motion, time thresholds and positioning.
From the application:
For instance, consider that the device is initially unlocked. In that state, a built-in camera captures one or more images, and the images are then analyzed to determine whether a user's face is present therein. If a user's face is not present in the images captured over a predetermined amount of time, the device automatically locks. Thus, the device is automatically locked when it determines that no user is currently using the device without having to wait for an idle timer to expire or a manual switch off by the user.
Time-based facial recognition flowchart.
Similarly, the device can be configured to automatically unlock itself when moved. If the unit's sensors, an accelerometer for example, detect movement, the camera captures an image and the device determines whether it has moved since being locked. A subsequent image is taken and if the user's face is detected, the unit is unlocked.
Flowchart of facial recognition based on movement and position.
The system differs from other facial recognition solutions as it doesn't require manual input from the user, as each step is automated. In other words, instead of simply replacing the password with face detection, Apple has created an integrated locking and unlocking solution that negates the need for direct human interaction.
News of Apple's application comes a little over two weeks after Google was granted a patent for a similar invention, however that system relies on manually initiating the facial recognition process. Interestingly, Apple filed for its patent in March 2011, some six months before Google.
Apple 'shake to charge' technology may one day power iPhones, iPods
A new Apple patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday illustrates the company's take on powering portable electronic devices with an electromagnetic induction system, or "shake to charge."
Source: USPTO
Electromagnetic induction, or the production of electric current in a conductive element as it moves through a magnetic field, has been leveraged to generate power for a number of so-called "shake to charge" or "batteryless" consumer products.
Technology based on the phenomenon has been used for years to power small, power efficient devices such as flashlights and radios. To produce enough electric current, these systems usually use a thick coil of copper wire as the conductor, adding to the product's size.
Apple's invention proposes the use of printed coils with one or more moveable magnets, a reversal of the traditional configuration in which the heavy copper coil moves across a stationary magnet. The magnets in Apple's system move alongside a circuit board holding printed coils to create an "electromotive force," or voltage, across said coils which can be used to generate power.
Key to the system's functionality is the creation of the printed coils, which Apple claims can be formed using any technique for printing modern circuit boards. As an example, printed coils can be formed by "depositing copper on a substrate to form traces in the shape of coils" or "selectively etching copper from a substrate" to achieve the same effect.
In order to achieve required power levels, the circuit board can contain multiple layers onto which the printed coils are formed. The multitude of layers are then coupled together using vias, or electrical connectors, to create a coil array. Apple notes that in one embodiment the coil array can be formed from stacks of circuit boards.
A magnet or set of magnets are allowed to move freely alongside the circuit boards to generate an electromotive force across the coils. In one embodiment, the invention calls for a housing to guide the magnets, in which a lubricant is introduced to facilitate free movement.
As the magnets move across the printed coils, either by a user shaking the device or simply by moving it through normal use, electric current is produced. After moving through power conditioning circuitry, the generated electric current is stored in either a large capacitor or battery that is connected to a control circuit.
The entire unit can be mounted in a portable device, with the application's language specifically noting Apple's iPod and iPhone as two possible candidates. At this point, the two products' energy requirements are likely too great for an electromagnet induction system, meaning they will continue to source their power from wall outlets and computers. The electronic components inside Apple's iDevices are becoming more efficient, however, and might one day reach a point where such a system can provide enough energy for daily use.
While It is unclear whether Apple will choose to use the technology in power future products, the invention serves as an indicator that the company is actively looking for ways to make its electronic devices truly wireless.
Crysis 3: Νέο trailer και screenshots από το Hunter multiplayer mode
Η EA κυκλοφόρησε το νέο trailer του Crysis 3 για να μας υπενθυμίσει ότι θα είναι ο κυρίαρχος των fps games την επόμενη χρονιά και παράλληλα μοίρασε νέα screenshots από το Hunter multiplayer mode του παιχνιδιού.
Το Crysis 3 θα κυκλοφορήσει τον Φεβρουάριο 2013 για Xbox 360, PS3 και PC.
Οι κάτοχοι συσκευών Android που κάνουν χρήση του Google+ θα έχουν υπόψιν τους την επιλογή για αυτόματο upload φωτογραφιών (μετά τη λήψη και της τελευταίας) στο κοινωνικό δίκτυο μέσω της cloud υπηρεσίας Dropbox.
Κάτι αντίστοιχο φαίνεται πως δοκιμάζει τώρα και η Facebook σε περιορισμένο -ως είθισται- αριθμό χρηστών. Οι χρήστες θα τραβούν αρχικά τις φωτογραφίες τους από τις Android συσκευές τους και στη συνέχεια αυτές θα αναρτώνται σε ένα ιδιωτικό album στο λογαριασμό τους. Από εκεί θα μπορούν να επιλέγουν αν και σε ποιούς θέλουν να είναι ορατές, να τις αποστέλουν μέσω προσωπικών μηνυμάτων και πολλά άλλα.
Apple Inc. (AAPL) Gets ‘iTravel’ Smartphone App Patent
Apple Inc. (AAPL) has been forward-thinking for several years, it turns out. The technology is moving toward replacing credit and debit cards with scanning a smartphone for purchases. There are some airlines who are using smartphone apps to book flights and pay for the fares, as well as produce boarding passes. But what about taking things to the next level – where passengers can not only use their phones as boarding passes, but can also check in their baggage, and even go through security without a physical ID?
The “empty pockets” concept is becoming more possible, not just the “empty wallet.” Especially now that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has recently achieved a patent for its “iTravel” smartphone app, which apparently would do some of the things mentioned above – a user could flash an image of a driver’s license or passport photo as well as a digital boarding pass through security, eliminating the need for extra cards or papers in passengers’ pockets. The phone, with the app, could also be used to check in and claim baggage, and have flight information, boarding passes and itineraries contained in the msartphone for easy access. This patent application was submitted in 2008, and approval from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was secured in July of this year.
Could it be possible that an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) smartphone could enable a user to rent a car, rent a hotel room, or even be used as a hotel room key? What about an electronic house key when you get home?
While the idea of this kind of freedom is encouraging, there are risks, say some security experts. Having so much information contained on a smartphone would be such a treasure trove for an experience hacker to want to access – so would there be just one password for the phone and separate ones for each of the pieces of information. And how hard or easy would it be to produce counterfeit digital documents for people to use to go through security or customs? Those may clearly be issues to be resolved before the “iTravel” app is in full use on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhones.
Still, the idea is interesting, and one that investors in Apple stock – like hedge-fund manager David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital – will likely keep tabs on as future iPhone models come to realization.
HTC’s first Windows Phone 8 smartphones are officially out and HTC has released two YouTube videos dedicated to their highlight features and the story behind the design of the duo.
The videos are 50s and 2m long, respectively, and waiting for your after the break.
The HTC Windows Phone 8X is the higher-end offering and comes with a 4.3″ 720p display, a dual-core Qualcomm S4 processor with two Krait cores, clocked at 1.5 GHz each and an 8 MP backside-illuminated camera sensor. There’s also Beats Audio, marking its first arrival on Windows Phone.
The Windows Phone 8S comes with a WVGA screen, Beats Audio and a lower-res 5 MP snapper.
iOS 6 Is Now Available: Here’s What Features Your iDevice Gets
Apple has pushed iOS 6 live, meaning you can update now, either by visiting Settings > General > Software Update on your iPhone 3GS or later, iPod touch 4th gen or later, or iPad, or by plugging into iTunes and checking for updates. iOS 6 offers a long list of new features, including some highlights like system-wide Facebook integration, Apple’s new Passbook app, a much more generally useful Siri, and many more besides.
But while iOS 6 offers a lot of new stuff, not everyone will get it. There are certain device-specific features, so we’ve prepared this handy chart with some of the key features of the new mobile OS to help you navigate what is and isn’t available from iOS 6, depending on what kind of device you happen to have (or have on the way, in the case of the iPhone 5 or 5th gen iPod touch). Be patient if you aren’t seeing it yet, we’re hearing that Apple’s servers may be slammed but that it is indeed live.
Apple releases iOS 6 to the masses, now available over-the-air to iOS 5 users
We’re sure many of you are anxiously waiting for the iPhone 5 to hit your doorstep in the coming days (or weeks—depending on when you ordered). In the mean time, the folks at Apple have something to calm your nerves: as anticipated, the hard-working men and women of Cupertino have pushed out iOS 6. If you own an iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, fourth- or fifth-generation iPod touch, iPad 2, or the new iPad, you can check out Apple’s latest offering for free right now. Apple is making iOS 6 available in an over-the-air update to those on iOS 5. However, as the company’s servers start being slammed by the hoard of users looking to get going, delays are expected. If you would rather install the update the old-fashioned way (by connecting it to iTunes), you will need to install Apple’s latest iTunes 10.7 offering.
Announced at WWDC 2012, Apple said iOS 6 brings “over 200 new features” to the table. A version of the software has been available to developers a part of Apple’s Developer Program for those willing to iron out the wrinkles before Apple shipped it to the masses. Apple’s Senior Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall called iOS 6 a “rapid pace of innovation.” So, what exactly does this innovation encompass? We got the full details below:
What some call the highlight of iOS 6 is Apple’s new Maps solution. It is built from the ground-up by a select team at Apple, and it ditches the company’s reliance on Google for a mapping solution. I had the ability to test Maps for the better part of three months and have to say it got me out of a couple situations where, let’s just say, I was lost. With the soft touch of Siri’s voice, Apple Map’s turn-by-turn navigation feature allows users to get real-time directions as they are driving. Furthermore, Maps’ real-time traffic solution can definitely save you some time if traffic gets finicky. The big part of Maps is the way it is built. Apple made it vector-based in the hopes of smoother loading—especially with its “realistic” 3D views. But, as we have seen, Apple’s Maps app does have some issues.
First launched in iOS 5 last fall, Apple has further added quite a few features to its beloved voice-assistant Siri, which is available on the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and now the new iPad thanks to iOS 6. Benefiting its users across the globe, Apple has added language support for Spanish, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, and Cantonese, which make for 15 countries where Siri is currently supported. Furthermore, Siri has been given the ability to allow users to post a status update to Facebook (more on that later), make restaurant reservations, see the latest sport scores, and the ability to launch apps. Apple partnered with Yelp and integrated OpenTable functionality for better restaurant related results as well as Rotten Tomatoes to get information on movie-related content like reviews. Lastly, Siri now includes a new “Eyes Free” mode that allows users to interact with their iPhone just by voice. Apple said it is working with many car manufacturers in an attempt to integrate a hardware button into steering wheels that can activate Siri sometime over the next 12 months.
Here is where iOS devices get more social: adding to Twitter integration first introduced with iOS 5, Apple and Facebook in iOS 6 have formed a partnership to integrate the world’s top social network into Apple’s platform. Like Twitter, Facebook integration is system-wide. It allows users to keep their friends’ details synced through Contacts and Calendar, post to their Facebook wall directly from Notification Center, and post a status update by voice through Siri and Facebook-enabled apps including Safari, Maps and Photos.
Adding to its iCloud offering introduced in iOS 6, Apple included ways to keep photos synced across devices. Using Shared Photo Streams, users can share select photos to other iOS devices or iPhoto and Aperture on the Mac. People you’ve shared photos with can also comment and like them.
Speaking of photos: another notable camera-related iOS 6 feature is the new Panorama mode. It essentially lets users “capture everything from a family reunion group photo to a jaw-dropping shot of the Grand Canyon” with one motion. Folks can shoot a whopping 240-degree, 28-megapixel image by just using the iPhone 5′s gyroscope, A6 chip and Camera app.
The last highlight of Apple’s iOS 6 announcement is Passbook, which is a new organizational app pre-loaded on iOS 6. Users can manage various entities of their life like boarding passes, movie tickets, store cards, and other passes that have QR codes, barcodes or visual, scannable codes. Many thought Apple would release NFC on the iPhone 5 to compliment Passbook, but the company chose to opt-out. The offering does not offer any payment solutions, such as MasterCard, Visa, or PayPal, as Google does with its Wallet offering. Phil Schiller expressed NFC is not currently a great solution and further stated, “Passbook does the kinds of things customers need today.”
Perhaps the greatest addition to Passbook is its location awareness. Say you have a gift card to Starbucks…your card will appear on the Lock Screen so it can be quickly scanned to complete your purchase. Passbook also has alert abilities to let you know of a flight change, for instance, which could save you from getting to the airport extremely early.
Some of the smaller iOS 6 enhancements include changes to Safari, such as: iCloud tabs (synced between desktop and iOS), offline reading lists and full screen view. Also on iOS 6: when getting an incoming call, you can decline the calls and give the unwanted caller a quick message. Better yet, Apple also included a new Do Not Disturb option that puts your phone in a setting so you’re not interrupted.
For China users, Apple included improvements like Chinese text input. Just as it did with Facebook and Twitter, Apple also made partnerships to include built-in support for popular Chinese services like Baidu, Sina Weibo, Youku and Tudou.
Lastly, Apple included the ability to make FaceTime calls over cellular networks. AT&T already announced that it will make customers be on a certain data plan to get this feature rolling, while Sprint and Verizon said everyone will have the feature. No more are the days where you had to search for a Wi-Fi network to complete a FaceTime call. Well, maybe no one really did that.
iOS 6 release times estimated by country/city/timezone
iOS 6 lands today, and it is expected to hit around 10 a.m. PST, but we have a list of estimated release times for all countries, cities and time zones above based on release schedules of iOS 5 and iOS 4.
The problem, which affects hundreds of millions of Internet Explorer browser users, is being used by attackers to install the Poison Ivy Trojan, a malware that is used to steal data or take remote control of PCs.
Microsoft moved quickly to address the issue. In a blog post, it said that it was "working to develop a security update", the BBC reports.
According to the report, Microsoft told users to download a free patch, the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit, as a temporary solution while the company continued to work on a long-term fix.
The flaw was first spotted by a Luxembourg-based security expert, Eric Romang, when his PC was infected by Poison Ivy last week, the report said.
Earlier, Security forum, Rapid7 had claimed that Internet Explorer 7, 8 and 9 operating on Windows XP, Vista and Seven contains what is known as a 'zero day exploit', which allows attackers to gain access to their personal data while they browse.
iOS 6, όλα όσα πρέπει να ξέρετε για τη σημερινή αναβάθμιση
Σήμερα θα πραγματοποιηθεί η κυκλοφορία του iOS 6, η νέα μεγάλη αναβάθμιση για iPhone, iPad και iPod touch. Η διάθεση της νέας έκδοσης αναμένεται περίπου στις 20:00 ώρα Ελλάδας εκτός απροόπτου και αυτοί που θα μπορούν να αναβαθμίσουν είναι οι κάτοχοι των iPhone 3GS/iPhone 4/iPhone 4S, iPod touch 4th gen και iPad 2/iPad 3. Ως γνωστόν η αναβάθμιση θα μπορεί να γίνει OTA (over-the-air) αλλά θα έχετε περισσότερη επιτυχία κατεβάζοντας την κατάλληλη έκδοση στον υπολογιστή σας και χρησιμοποιώντας το iTunes εξαιτίας του μεγάλου φόρτου εκείνης της ώρας.
Προτού, όμως, προβείτε στην αναβάθμιση αυτή θα πρέπει να αναρωτηθείτε αν αξίζει. Προφανώς, οι κάτοχοι jailbroken συσκευών θα πρέπει να μείνουν μακριά προς το παρόν από το iOS 6, όπως και αυτοί που δεν μπορούν να ζήσουν χωρίς τους χάρτες της Google αφού έχουν αντικατασταθεί πλέον από αυτούς της Apple. Τέλος, είναι συνετό να περιμένετε μερικές μέρες ώσπου να γίνουν ευρέως γνωστά τα bugs για να μην βρεθείτε προ δυσάρεστων εκπλήξεων. Ας δούμε, όμως, μερικά από τα 200 νέα χαρακτηριστικά του iOS 6.
Siri
Μεγάλη αναβάθμιση με προσθήκη νέων χαρακτηριστικών (Eyes Free λειτουργία για επικοινωνία χωρίς χέρια κατά την οδήγηση, τοπικές αναζητήσεις σε περισσότερες χώρες, κ.α) και υποστήριξη για αρκετές νέες γλώσσες και χώρες: Ιταλία – Ιταλικά, Ισπανία – Ισπανικά, Κινέζικα κτλ. Δυστυχώς, για μια ακόμη φορά δεν υποστηρίζονται τα Ελληνικά.
Facebook
Ενσωμάτωση του Facebook απευθείας στο λειτουργικό της συσκευής, στα πρότυπα του Twitter. Μπορείτε να μοιραστείτε περιεχόμενο από το Photos.app, το Safari.app, το Maps.app, το iTunes Store, το Game Center κτλ ενώ πλέον μπορείτε να κάνετε status update απευθείας από το Notification Center. Ταυτόχρονα, υπάρχει πλήρης συνεργασία του Facebook με τις Επαφές και το Ημερολόγιο του iOS 6, συνεργασία που μπορείτε να διακόψετε ανά πάσα στιγμή μέσα από τις ρυθμίσεις.
Απάντηση με μήνυμα
Δυνατότητα αυτόματης αποστολής μηνύματος κατά την απόρριψη μίας κλήσης π.χ. λόγω μιας συνάντησης.
Μην ενοχλείτε
Λειτουργία “Μην ενοχλείτε” για τις κλήσεις και τις ειδοποιήσεις, για το χρονικό διάστημα που εμείς θα επιλέξουμε. Επιλογή για ενεργοποίηση επαναλαμβανόμενων κλησεων, αν π.χ σας ξανακαλέσουν εντός τριών λεπτών (πιθανώς για κάτι επείγον) θα ειδοποιηθείτε κανονικά! Περισσότερα για τη λειτουργία αυτή μπορείτε να διαβάσετε εδώ.
FaceTime μέσω 3G
Το FaceTime πλέον δεν λειτουργεί αποκλειστικά μέσω Wi-Fi καθώς ενεργοποιείται η δυνατότητα χρήσης του μέσω δικτύου 3G.
Safari
Πολύ χρήσιμες νέες λειτουργίες, όπως iCloud Tabs για συγχρονισμό των ανοιχτών tabs με τον υπολογιστή ή άλλες iOS συσκευές, δυνατότητα ανεβάσματος φωτογραφιών σε ιστοσελίδες, πλήρης οθόνη σε landscape και offline reading list.
Photo Stream
Δυνατότητα κοινοποίησης της Ροής Φωτογραφιών (Photo Stream) στους φίλους σας με λειτουργία σχολίων. Περισσότερα για αυτή τη λειτουργία μπορείτε να διαβάσετε εδώ.
Mail
Μερικές από τις νέες δυνατότητες του Mail στο iOS 6 περιλαμβάνουν νέα θυρίδα ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομίου VIP προσώπων, νέα δυνατότητα επισύναψης φωτό ή βίντεο σε email, λειτουργία Pull to refresh για την ανανέωση των μηνυμάτων και ξεχωριστές υπογραφές ανά λογαριασμό email.
PassBook
Νέα εφαρμογή PassBook για αποθήκευση όλων των εισιτηρίων σας (αεροπορικά, κινηματογράφου, μέσα μαζικής μεταφοράς κτλ) με υποστήριξη geolocation. Αναμένουμε να δούμε στην Ελλάδα ποιες εταιρείες θα υποστηρίξουν το Passbook και σε τι βαθμό.
Maps
Οι νέοι χάρτες περιλαμβάνουν δωρεάν οδηγίες πλοήγησης, συνεργασία με το Siri και τη λειτουργία 3D “Flyover” σε iPhone 4S/iPad 3.
600+ ταινίες και τηλεοπτικές σειρές της 20th Century Fox στα Google Play και YouTube
Μετά από πολύμηνες συζητήσεις και διαπραγματεύσεις, η Google εξασφάλισε μια μεγάλη συμφωνία με την 20th Century Fox η οποία αναμένεται να φέρει περισσότερες από 600 ταινίες και τηλεοπτικές σειρές στα Google Play και YouTube.
Αυτό σημαίνει ότι οι κάτοχοι συσκευών Android και οι χρήστες του YouTube θα μπορούν να νοικιάζουν ή να αγοράζουν ταινίες όπως τα Prometheus, X-Men, Ice Age και Black Swan αλλά και τις αγαπημένες τους σειρές, βλ. Family Guy, Modern Family, Glee, New Girl κ.α. Όλες οι ταίνιες διατίθενται αρκετές εβδομάδες πριν από την κυκλοφορία τους σε DVD, ενώ αρκετές από αυτές υπάρχουν και σε HD.
iPhone 5 beats the field (including Intel) in Sunspider Javascript tests
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The first smartphone to come in under 1000 is not one with an Intel Atom processor. It is the iPhone 5. So, it looks like the Geekbench from last week was legit.
Η μάχη ανάμεσα στα «θηρία» Facebook και Twitter είναι γνωστή. Επίσης γνωστές είναι και οι φιλοδοξίες του Instagram να κατακτήσει τον χώρο των social networks. Καλά όλα αυτά, όμως εδώ και μερικούς μήνες έχει μπει για τα καλά στο παιχνίδι ένα ακόμα δίκτυο, το Pinterest. Μέσα σε λιγότερο από δύο χρόνια, το Pinterest κατάφερε αργά, αλλά σταθερά να στεφθεί ο βασιλιάς (ή καλύτερα η βασίλισσα) των social media. Σκεφτείτε πως μόνο στην Αμερική, οι χρήστες του ξεπερνούν τα 15 εκατομμύρια, συμπεριλαμβανομένου και του Barack Obama. Σας κέντρισε το ενδιαφέρον; Και εμάς. Γι’ αυτό είπαμε να το ψάξουμε λίγο παραπάνω. Τι εστί Pinterest; Καθημερινά στο Internet περνάνε μπροστά από τα μάτια μας εκατοντάδες εικόνες και θέματα. Με το Pinterest μπορείτε να οργανώσετε όλες αυτές τις εικόνες και τα θέματα που βλέπετε κάθε μέρα και να τα «καρφιτσώσετε» (“pin”) στον προσωπικό σας online πίνακα ανακοινώσεων, να τα μοιραστείτε με φίλους κάνοντας «re-pin», να κάνετε like και να παρακολουθήσετε άλλες συλλογές με αντικείμενα ή εικόνες τα οποία σας ενδιαφέρουν (φαγητό, ρούχα, μουσική, σπορ κτλ.).
Οι φωτογραφίες στο Pinterest συνήθως συνοδεύονται από κάποιο κείμενο ή link προς το site προέλευσης, έτσι πέρα του sharing το Pinterest λειτουργεί και ως ένα bookmarking site, το οποίο σας βοηθά να έχετε ταξινομημένα σε κατηγορίες θέματα που σας ενδιαφέρουν και να ανατρέξετε σε αυτά ανά πάσα στιγμή με κάθε σας login. Εν ολίγοις, το Pinterest βασίζεται στην λογική του “follow”. Περιμένατε κάτι πιο πολύπλοκο; Δυστυχώς θα σας απογοητεύσουμε. That’s all folks που θα έλεγε και ο Porky Pig. To Pinterest είναι εξαιρετικά εύκολο στην χρήση και οπτικά κομψό, για αυτό άλλωστε και έχει τόσο μεγάλη απήχηση στους χρήστες του Internet, όντας (προς το παρόν)) στην τρίτη θέση με τα πιο δημοφιλή social networks. Αυτό που θέλουν οι γυναίκες 97%. Αυτό είναι το ποσοστό, σύμφωνα με επίσημα στοιχεία, των χρηστών του Pinterest που είναι γένους θηλυκού. Εξ’ ου και ο χαρακτηρισμός του ως «βασίλισσα» των social networks. Ο λόγος; Το Pinterest τείνει να αντικαταστήσει τα γυναικεία περιοδικά, αυτά στα οποία οι σύγχρονες γυναίκες ψάχνουν μανιωδώς τις σελίδες τους για μοδάτα ρούχα, στιλάτα παπούτσια, συνταγές, συμβουλές ντυσίματος, hot αρσενικά, νέα αρώματα και το ιδανικό σπίτι.
Όλα αυτά δηλαδή που θα ήθελαν να έχουν, έστω και αν η οικονομική τους κατάσταση δεν το επιτρέπει και βαριούνται πλέον να τα ψάξουν στις δεκάδες σελίδες των περιοδικών. Μπορεί το Pinterest να ελκύει περισσότερο το γυναικείο φύλο, όμως σε καμία περίπτωση αυτό δεν σημαίνει πως οι άντρες δεν θα βρουν κανένα απολύτως ενδιαφέρον στα… καρφιτσώματά του. Αντιθέτως, η θεματολογία του αφορά (και) τον σύγχρονο άντρα. Αντρική μόδα; Έχει. Μουσική και ταινίες; Έχει. Νέα και «ψαγμένα» gadget; Έχει. Αθλητικά; Και από αυτά έχει. Ιδέες για δώρα στο έτερον ήμισυ; Χιλιάδες. Do it Yourself οδηγούς; Μπόλικους. Να γραφτώ; Αν θέλετε να βάλετε μια τάξη στα διαδικτυακά σας ενδιαφέροντα με έναν εύκολο και άκρως ελκυστικό τρόπο μακριά από την μονοτονία των bookmarks του browser σας τότε ναι, το Pinterest θα σας διευκολύνει πολύ. Αν όμως δεν είστε και τόσο «κολλημένοι» με την οργάνωση των ενδιαφερόντων σας, τότε το πιο πιθανό είναι το προφίλ σας στο Pinterest να θυμίζει περισσότερο μια παρατημένη στοίβα με περιοδικά ποικίλης ύλης σε άτακτη σειρά. Σε κάθε περίπτωση, δεν χάνετε τίποτα να το δοκιμάσετε (η εγγραφή είναι δωρεάν) και να πάρετε μια γεύση από το social network που «καρφιτσώνει» τον θρόνο του Facebook μέρα με την μέρα.
Open Internet groups to file FCC complaint over AT&T FaceTime blocking
After AT&T revealed to us it was planning on blocking FaceTime over cellular for customers not on its pricy Mobile Share plans, an attorney at advocacy group Public Knowledge suggested the carrier’s decision violated the FCC’s Open Internet rules and warranted an investigation. Today we get word (via from GigaOM) that Public Knowledge, the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute, and Free Press are planning on filing a complaint with the FCC: “On Tuesday, Free Press, Public Knowledge, and the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute notified AT&T of their intent to file a formal complaint against the company. In the complaint, the three organizations will assert that AT&T is violating Net Neutrality by blocking the popular video-conferencing application FaceTime. The groups will together file a complaint with the agency in the coming weeks. Today’s release provides the necessary 10 days notice of intent to file required by the FCC’s Open Internet rules. As for what will be included in the complaint…
According to a press release from Free Press, “under the Open Internet rules the FCC passed in 2010, AT&T cannot block apps that compete with the company’s traditional voice-calling service.” Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood said, “It’s particularly outrageous that AT&T is requiring this for iPad users, given that this device isn’t even capable of making voice calls. AT&T’s actions are incredibly harmful to all of its customers, including the deaf, immigrant families and others with relatives overseas, who depend on mobile video apps to communicate with friends and family.”
We already received AT&T’s initial response to the controversy last month:
“The FCC’s net neutrality rules do not regulate the availability to customers of applications that are preloaded on phones. Indeed, the rules do not require that providers make available any preloaded apps. Rather, they address whether customers are able to download apps that compete with our voice or video telephony services. AT&T does not restrict customers from downloading any such lawful applications, and there are several video chat apps available in the various app stores serving particular operating systems. (I won’t name any of them for fear that I will be accused by these same groups of discriminating in favor of those apps. But just go to your app store on your device and type “video chat.”) Therefore, there is no net neutrality violation. Free Press also has a petition you can sign.
Holiday iPhone sales projected to reach 46.5M as pundits 'underestimate' Apple
Tech pundits who find the iPhone 5 "boring" are not expected to be in agreement with consumers, who are expected to buy a record 46.5 million iPhones this holiday shopping season. Analyst Shaw Wu with Sterne Agee raised his December quarter forecast for iPhone sales by 500,000 units in a note to investors on Monday. He believes Apple could sell even more than 46.5 million units, but he has heard from sources in Apple's supply chain that company may face production constraints of the iPhone 5 due to its use of new in-cell touch panels. Wu expects record shattering iPhone 5 sales as he views the product as a "significant update" that "will drive a powerful product cycle."
That's in contrast to some in the press who have panned the iPhone 5 as "disappointing" and a "minor" update. In Wu's view, those who do not think Apple's latest handset will be a success "underestimate" the iPhone 5. He thinks the device will place a great deal of pressure on competitors, and will help Apple capture customers who may have otherwise purchased an Android or Windows phone with a larger screen or 4G LTE connectivity. With iPhone sales forecast to reach 46.5 million in the December quarter, Apple is expected to set a new record for iPhone sales in the holiday shopping season. The company's previous best quarter came at the end of 2011, when Apple sold a record 37 million iPhones. > As for the current quarter, which concludes at the end of the month, Wu believes Apple will sell a total of 27 million iPhones. Sales will be helped by the iPhone 5, which debuts in 9 countries this Friday, and 22 more the following week, before the quarter ends on Sept. 29. Apple announced on Monday that the iPhone 5 has had the strongest start of any of the company's products to date. A total of 2 million preorders were placed in the first 24 hours, and Apple has sold out of launch day availability.
Apple tops ACSI September report with 86 out of 100 in customer satisfaction
The American Customer Satisfaction Index is out today with its September report for appliances, computers, televisions and video players/recorders. Not surprisingly, Apple is able to maintain its lead among personal computers despite a drop of 1-point to 86 over previous reports. While the report noted Apple continued to lead the category by a margin of 5- to- 9 points, Apple’s lead is slightly smaller than previously, according to the report, “due to an across-the-board customer satisfaction increase for Windows-based computers.”
Apple’s score comes as the PC industry as a whole gains 2.6-points and hit all-time high satisfaction score of 80. “Skipping past HP, Acer and Toshiba, the aggregate of smaller PC makers (including tablet producers Samsung and Amazon) improves customer satisfaction by 4% to 80 while simultaneously gaining market share at a pace that outstrips even Apple… “What may be occurring is that the defection of the least satisfied customers of traditional PC brands such as Dell, HP and Acer to Apple and other smaller tablet makers actually may be boosting customer satisfaction for all,” says Fornell. “The companies that lose market share will maintain their most loyal and happy customers, while those who migrate to other companies in search of new products are more pleased as well.”
LG Pocket Photo Printer: Ο μικρότερος φορητός εκτυπωτής φωτογραφιών στον κόσμο, χωρίς μελάνι! [Video]
Η LG κυκλοφόρησε στην Κορέα τον φορητό εκτυπωτή φωτογραφιών LG Pocket Photo Printer τεχνολογίας ZINK (δεν απαιτείται μελάνι), ο οποίος με διαστάσεις 121 x 72 x 24mm και βάρος 212gr θεωρητικά μπορεί να τοποθετηθεί στην τσέπη του χρήστη για να μοιράζει τις φωτογραφίες που τραβά την ίδια στιγμή.
Ο εκτυπωτής επικοινωνεί με το Android smartphone μέσω Bluetooth, NFC ή USB με την ανάλογη εφαρμογή, μέσα από την οποία ο χρήστης μπορεί να προσθέσει εφέ, QR codes ή να γράψει κάτι. Η τιμή του υπολογίζεται στα €130 μαζί με 10 φύλλα 2 x 3 (ίντσες), τα οποία κοστίζουν ξεχωριστά €3.5 η δεκάδα.
Stunning First Images From the World’s Most Powerful Digital Camera
On top of a mountain in Chile is the world's most powerful digital camera. Known as the Dark Energy Camera, it's recently been fired up to image the night sky, in an attempt to find the exotic stuff that gets all physicists excited. These are the first images it's produced. And they're magnificent. The camera, which took eight years to plan and construct, boasts a sensor packed with 570 megapixels assembled from 62 charged-coupled devices to soak up light that's travelled millions of lightyears.
These first images were captured just days ago, on the evening of the 12th September. Pictured above is the center of the globular star cluster 47 Tucanae, which lies about 17,000 light years from Earth, while below is a close-up of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365, in the Fornax cluster of galaxies, which lies about 60 million light years from Earth. These images don't offer much insight into the origins of dark energy, but in the long term the folks at Fermilab, who run the camera, hope that will change. For now, though, these images are sure as hell pretty.
Apple's Jony Ive to design limited-edition Leica camera for charity
Apple's lead designer Jonathan Ive will reportedly design a one-of-a-kind limited edition Leica M camera to be auctioned off for charity. Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, president of German camera maker Leica, said at a special event this week that a limited version of the new Leica M designed by Ive will be put up for auction, according to PetaPixel. Only a single unit of the camera will ever be produced, he said. Further details on the camera, including the auction date or which charity will receive the money, were not given. But given the interest in Leica cameras and Apple products, it's likely to fetch a large sum at auction. Kaufmann's announcement came at the Photokina event in Germany, where Leica announced its new M and M-E cameras.
The new $6,950 Leica M features Live View with a rear LCD display, as well as 1080p video recording and the use of a CMOS sensor. The Leica M-E is the company's more affordable rangefinder priced at $5,450. Ive's acclaimed work at Apple has brought him a number of honors over the years, most notably when he was awarded knighthood in his home country of the U.K. He's also been named smartest designer in tech by Forbes Magazine, Designer of the Year by the Design Museum London and Royal Designer for Industry by The Royal Society of Arts. Ive was so close to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs that the late CEO left Ive with "more operational power" than anyone else at the company, Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson. "There's no one who can tell him what to do," Jobs said. "That's the way I set it up."
Ερευνητές ανυψώνουν σταγόνες και τις κρατούν σταθερές στον αέρα με τη βοήθεια ηχητικών κυμάτων (video)
Το σημείο που η επιστήμη συναντά τη μαγεία πολλές φορές δεν είναι και τόσο ευδιάκριτο, με τρανή απόδειξη το τελευταίο επίτευγμα ερευνητών του Argonne National Laboratory, οι οποίοι κατόρθωσαν να ανυψώσουν και να κρατήσουν στον αέρα σταγόνες υγρού με τη βοήθεια ακουστικών κυμάτων! Οι σταγόνες περιελάμβαναν κάποια φαρμακευτική ουσία και τοποθετήθηκαν ανάμεσα σε δύο ηχεία (ένα πάνω, ένα κάτω).
Στη συνέχεια, οι ερευνητές ρύθμισαν τα ηχητικά κύματα που έστελναν το ένα στο άλλο σε κατάλληλη συχνότητα (22kHz) με αποτέλεσμα να “ακυρώσουν” τη βαρύτητα (με το στατικό ακουστικό κύμα) και να δουν τις σταγόνες να αιωρούνται στο ενδιάμεσο των δύο ηχείων. Η εικόνα και η ιδέα φαίνεται σίγουρα εντυπωσιακή και θα προσέλκυε αρκετό κοινό στην παράσταση ενός “μάγου”, αλλά η σοβαρή εφαρμογή της αφορά την εξαέρωση διαλυμάτων χωρίς να προκαλείται κρυσταλλοποίηση για την κατασκευή-δημιουργία πιο δραστικών φαρμάκων.
iOS 6 App Store tweaked to promote a one-tap installation of free Apple apps
It looks like Apple is putting the final touches on the redesigned App Store for iOS 6 ahead of the next-generation operating system’s public launch later this week. As of this evening, a new page greets first-time users to promote Apple’s own apps, providing an easy way for new users to quickly “get the most out of” their iOS device.
The promoted apps include only Apple’s free offerings, with no sign of paid apps such as the iLife or iWork suites. A “Download Free” button provides a one-tap installation of iBooks, iTunes U, Podcasts, Find My Friends, and Find My iPhone.
iOS 6 will be publicly available on Wednesday, September 19th as a free update for the iPhone 3GS and newer, the iPad 2, iPad 3, and the fourth-generation iPod touch, and will ship on the iPhone 5 this Friday as well as the upcoming fifth-generation iPod touch in October.
Motorola officially announces RAZR i with 2GHz Intel CPU
At a dedicated press event in London today, Motorola and Intel officially unveiled the RAZR i powered by an Intel Medfield chipset.
The processor powering the Motorola RAZR i is a single-core 2GHz Intel Atom (yes, you read that right, 2GHz!) built on the 32nm manufacturing process. It supports hyper-threading as well, so its single-core architecture shouldn't be an issue.
At the front of the Motorola Razr i sits a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display of qHD resolution with Gorilla Glass for protection. Motorola also took a dig at the competition (mostly Apple, really), comparing the the RAZR i screen with the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5. The RAZR i has 40% more screen per square inch than the iPhone 4S, and 15% more than the iPhone 5.
The 2GHz Intel Atom chip is so fast, that the Motorola RAZR i starts the 8 megapixel camera under 1 second and can take 10 pictures in less than one second. At the front, there's a 0.3MP snapper for making video calls.
Measuring 122.5mm x 60.9mm x 8.3mm, the RAZR i packs a 2,000 mAh battery under its back cover, which according to Motorola should be good for a full day of continuous use
The Kevlar-coated RAZR i will be launched in the UK, France, Germany, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico in the beginning of October. It should cost about £340/€420 at launch.
Suspect 'iPad mini' mockup allegedly shows front plate design
A new mockup of the Apple's so-called "iPad mini" showed up on a Chinese website early Tuesday, with the non-working unit appearing to have a fabricated front glass attached to the device's rumored backplate.
While the legitimacy of the mockup is highly suspect, the unit is one of the first physical representations of how Apple's rumored 7.85-inch tablet may look if and when it is released this fall.
Given that there are many inconsistencies with the mockup and previous "leaks," the validity of the unit, including the front assembly's bezel, cannot be confirmed by AppleInsider. As such, the images are presented here only for purposes of discussion.
The apparently non-functioning model, first discovered on website BoLoPad.com by nowhereelse.fr, seems to be based on the purportedly leaked iPad mini backplate seen earlier this month, except Tuesday's images show what looks to be markings for storage capacity, model specifications and governmental certifications.
Centered near the top of the backplate is a small hole or opening, the purpose of which is unknown.
Rounding out the parts seen on the unit's backside are volume rocker and power buttons, a rear-facing camera and hold switch, all of which are most likely non-functional and may not even be official Apple parts.
On the front is a front assembly possibly made from glass, with bezels strikingly similar to those seen in a mockup from iMore in August, though the no light seems to emanating from the screen, possibly pointing to a paper placeholder. Sitting in the center of the top bezel is a hole for a front-facing camera, though the positioning is not centered, being slightly higher than the part seen on the 9.7-inch iPad.
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