News tagged ‘screen’

Apple released on Tuesday, two weeks after previous update, a third beta version of iOS 4.3 for the iPad, iPhone 4 and 3GS, and third- and fourth-generation iPod touch, to developers. The build carries the number of 8F5166b. The iOS 4.3 beta 3 now allow users to cancel downloading apps and delete them mid-download. The feature would be useful for users who accidentally begin downloading a large application and wish to cancel the process. Remind you that the iOS 4.3 is expected to introduce a rather small set of new features:  AirPlay video streaming for third-party apps, HTTP live streaming statistics and full-screen iAds. In the developer betas Apple also enabled support for multitasking gestures on the iPad, although the feature won’t be part of the public release of iOS 4.3.

A hacker named Chpwn has recently posted a video where he uses his new jailbreak-only app called VoiceActivator. It allows you to fully configure what voice commands you may give to your iPhone/iPod touch and what the device should do after it'll hear it. For example, it can open webpages, make screenshots, and, as it seen from the video above, many other actions from the long list.

Chpwn didn't mention what will be the price for the app, but we may assume it will be cheap enough (and thus not free). We can expect it to be released next week.

The built-in iOS voice control application (which can be activated if you press and hold Home button for some time) allows to dial phone numbers, ask for the time, initiate FaceTime calls and control music playback. It is also known that Apple is going to incorporate the idea of VoiceActivator in future versions of iOS. Maybe, it will be the one of the ways to refuse from using Home button.

MacLife has posted a video that races you through MacWorld Expo 2011 in 60 seconds. Too fast for me. Take a look:

As reported, Skype 5 has recently exited the beta stage that began in November 2010. Company made some improvements in the program, having reduced the size of the application window.

We've reduced the minimum window size, so that those of you who prefer to keep Skype to one side of your screen, for example, can do that more easily. We've also tightened up the contact list, so that you can see 30% more contacts at once. We've reduced the amount of whitespace in the sidebar too.

Other changes include the return of full-screen mode for video calls and easier access to chatting functions during calls. But the most important change is availability of group video calling to Skype's premium package for $4.99 per day or $8.99 per month. Free during the beta testing period the option was free.

You may download Skype 5 from here

Today at the media event in Tokyo Sony unveiled its next-gen PlayStation Portable that will challenge Apple's iOS as a game platform.

The device's codename is NGP (Next Generation Portable) and it was built around five concepts: Revolutionary UI, Location-based Entertainment, Social Connectivity and Converging Real and Virtual Reality. And here are the characteristics of the device according to Engadget:

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Yesterday firm Canalys has revealed the results of its financial research, where it is said that in the Q4 of 2010 Apple became the number third PC seller in the world if iPad and Mac sales are combined.

The company's computer sales showed 241% increase year over year, as 11.5 million units were shipped in the above-mentioned quarter. That appears to be enough to edge out Dell that shipped only 11.4 million units.

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This week another blog about iPhones called blogdoiphone.com found a mention of a proximity sensor in the beta-version of iOS 4.3. Its developer build includes two strings entitled "PAD_CASE_LOCK_FOOTER" and "PAD_CASE_LOCK".

Both of them were found in the Settings application for the iPad. They allow user to enable or disable a new feature, which is described in description:

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The iOS 4.3 first beta revealed Multi-touch gestures for iPad but they also fit for the iPhone and iPod touch. Although Apple already announced that Multi-Touch won’t actually be available to the public with the iOS 4.3 release, some rumors claim that the company may be willing to  implement the multitasking gestures both on the iPad and iPhone. Somebody believes that they could even replace a Home button on the next-gen iPhone and iPad. But such four and five-finger gestures on the iPhone’s screen look a little bit troublesome, as your hand easily covers the entire screen. Watch the video proof above!

Here is a quick iPhone 4 speed test. Guess which network is faster?

With the rumors of a 2048x1536 high resolution screen for the iPad 2, one question that has emerged is what graphics processing unit (GPU) can adequately power the device. AppleInsider claims that the new iPad and iPhone 5 will use a dual-core SGX543 GPU from Imagination Technologies. The company will not only be upgrading its video core, but also going to multiple cores. The most likely configuration of Apple's next custom chip is reportedly the SGX543MP2, which pairs two SGX543 cores to work as one, offering around four times the capability of the previous A4 in graphics and video tasks. We had previously revealed that the latest iOS 4.3 beta SDK had drivers for the new SGX543 GPU, so it should be no surprise that it is the most likely contender to be the next GPU for the iPad.

One parts supplier began selling the screen part for Apple's next-generation iPad from Globaldirectparts.com. The part listed is the "iPad 2 LCD Screen" which is "out of stock" but is listed for a price of $218.19. Since the website currently offers replacement screens for the original iPad for $63.35, the higher price of the so-called "iPad 2 screen" could possibly corroborate reports of a 2048x1536 resolution display on the second-generation tablet. Globaldirectparts.com is also selling an "OEM Apple iPad Vibrating Motor" for $9.99. No photo is provided, but it's a curious part since the iPad currently has no vibrating motor. It's possible this is simply a mislabeled iPhone part, but does raise the possibility of the feature making its way into the next iPad. The part may be evidence that Apple is working on vibrating alert functionality for the second-generation iPad.

New post on Consumer Reports' blog written by Mike Gikas and Paul Reynolds reveals that the company thinks Verizon iPhone 4 will have a short life as soon it will "be replaced by a newer, cooler version more quickly than is customary even for the die-young life expectancy of most smart phones."

It is true that Apple made the CDMA-enabled iPhone a mid-year carrier expansion, and most observers expect new iPhone 5 will not replace its less than 6-month old predecessor as at launch it will support only GSM / UMTS technologies. However, Apple's rivals do not propose any product cycles anyway and release new handsets every few months, so the position of Consumer Reports looks pretty inconsistent.

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There's been a lot of talk about a "Retina" display for the next generation iPad. Based on Apple's marketing efforts for the original "Retina" display, it would suggest a DPI (dots per inch) greater than 300 to exceed the abilities of the human eye. Images accidentally left in iBooks 1.1 and 1.2 reveal that the iPad 2's resolution is likely double that of the current model. As shown above, the App's bookmark icon included versions for the iPad, the iPhone and the iPhone Retina Display (iPhonex2). It, however, also included one additional version labeled "iPadx2". Sure enough, this is exactly double the resolution version of the iPad icon and is distinct from the other versions. The most likely explanation for this added graphic is plans for a double-resolution iPad. Apple has since removed this extra artwork in subsequent versions of iBooks. The current iPad uses a 1024x768 resolution. Doubling this resolution would result in a 2048x1536 resolution at a 260 DPI.

Jonny Evans from ComputerWorld has recently published another article where he suggests what features can reveal iOS 4.3 about the forthcoming Mac OS X Lion. We gained all his ideas into this short list:

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At the latest CES, InteraXon (a Canadian company) has announced and demonstrated a headset that can connect to iPhones and iPads and allows you to control apps and games with your mind. Technically, this custom EEG headset pairs with a thought-controlling framework that has been added to the popular iPad game Zen Bound 2 game, letting users control the wooden shapes on screen with their brainwaves. Now the real question is: are you willing to put a headset on to control stuff with your brain? Doesn’t it look a little bit, well, weird?