5 reasons why I’m ditching Android for an iPhone

By: Brian Osborne

From: http://www.geek.com/

I’ve been the owner of an Android smartphone since February 2010. Admittedly, I got the phone because I am a Verizon Wireless customer and the Apple iPhone wasn’t available at the time. Based on my experience, I can honestly say that when I am eligible for a phone upgrade I’m getting an iPhone. Here are top reasons why I’m switching:

1. Upgrading the Android OS  depends on the phone’s model and manufacturer
I can’t tell you how annoying it was to buy an Android phone with the promise of an OS upgrade around the corner only to find out later that Motorola decided not to move forward with it. iPhone owners have at least some promise of upgrades for iOS, though, admittedly as iPhones get older it is understandable there won’t be further upgrades for earlier generations.

The lack of an Android OS upgrade for your phone means you won’t be able to download certain Android Market applications because they don’t support earlier versions of the operating system. So, once your manufacturer decides they’re done, so are you when it comes to getting certain Android apps. In my case (Motorola Devour), I can’t even download the Twitter client for Android.

2. Lack of standard DRM solution
Netflix has been offered for iPhone for some time now. So, many have been wondering why a Netflix client for Android hasn’t come along yet. The simple answer has been that there is no standard implementation in Android to handle digital rights management (DRM) which would allow Netflix to stream movies and television shows with the confidence that they won’t somehow be copied. Netflix is contractually obligated to secure its streams with DRM by content providers. We reported on this issue in November of last year, and the best Netflix could offer was that some Android phones would get a Netflix client this year, but that was going to depend on the manufacturer.

3. iPhone offers better OS stability
Macs have earned the reputation of being reliable and not as vulnerable to lock-ups and crashes. There’s a simple reason for this: When Apple updates the Mac OS X operating system it knows what hardware configuration it is going to run on because it controls the hardware as well. As much grief as Microsoft gets over Windows instability, that instability is understandable when you consider the numerous variations of hardware that could run the OS.



The iPhone shares the same benefit as the Mac in that Apple produces both the OS and the hardware. My experience with Android has been similar to my experience with Windows. I feel I shouldn’t have to deal with reboots and lock-ups on my mobile phone, especially if I might need it in an emergency situation. Undoubtedly, since Android must work on a number of hardware configurations your OS experience is going to be tied to the phone you purchase. I’d prefer a safer bet in which the creator of the OS and the hardware is the same company.

4. The iPhone gets applications first
As an Android user I am sick and tired of playing second fiddle to the iPhone. It seems the iPhone is always getting applications before they eventually end up on Android OS. There’s a simple reason for this that I previously alluded to. When creating applications for the iPhone developers know that there are a limited number of hardware configurations they have to consider. When it comes to Android there are countless configurations which could interfere with the performance of the app.

A great example of what a headache it is to deal with developing for Android is the experience the creators of Angry Birds had. As with other applications, they launched on the iPhone first and eventually ported it over to Android. They did their best to offer the app for as many Android devices as possible, but in the end they ran into performance issues which had to be addressed. Having an Android phone is no guarantee you are going to be able to run an Android app. It seems when it comes to the iPhone you are going to be less likely to run into such a situation.

5. The iPhone leads and everyone follows
Besides being first to receive apps, the iPhone also seems to lead the way when it comes to functionality for smartphones. The iPhone 4, for example, was launched with dual cameras to allow for the use of FaceTime video conferencing app. It wasn’t the first phone to do this, but it made video calling something people expect from a phone and something people actually use. The iPhone 4 also brought things like a high pixel density display and HDR images.

While the iPhone isn’t always the first to put out features or technology, it’s often the first to do things well and the device that everyone else has to catch up with.

In Summary
With all that being said, I will be the first to admit that the iPhone isn’t for everyone, especially folks that like more freedom in what applications they run on their smartphone. Android’s ability to install applications not downloaded via the Android Market has been great, and I can see where some people wouldn’t want to give this up only to be locked into the App Store. I will also say that I am sure there are folks out there with Android phones that don’t get lock-ups and don’t need to reboot often. Some phone have offered an update to Android OS and pack better specs than I (and many other Android users) have experienced.

For me personally, it comes down to the fact that I want to simplify my life when it comes to my smartphone. I prefer the hardware and the OS to be created by the same company because logically the performance should be better. I also prefer not to have to wait for applications to come out–I’d like to get them on the iPhone first.

Ultimately, everyone will have to make their own decision in regards to what smartphone is right for them. For me, there’s an iPhone in my future.
[Android image - laihu]

iPhone hacked into spiPhone to eavesdrop and track what you type on nearby PC

From: http://blogs.computerworld.com/
By: Darlene Storm

You sit down at your desk, set down your mobile phone, boot your computer and then start work. Would it occur to you that a hacker might be using your smartphone as a spying device to track what you were typing?

Thanks to a hack by a research team at George Institute of Technology, your mobile phone can now be turned into a spiPhone that eavesdrops on the sound of your fingers tapping away on the keyboard to detect pairs of keystrokes and determine what you're typing. According to Georgia Tech, the snooping works by "using a smartphone accelerometer - the internal device that detects when and how the phone is tilted - to sense keyboard vibrations as you type to decipher complete sentences with up to 80% accuracy."

Here's the deal, you could download an innocent looking app that doesn't ask for any special permission to access your smartphone sensors. But whammo! You could be a targeted victim for spying because most mobile phones have no accelerometer security and request no permission for access to the accelerometer. You would not know the app was laced with a specially crafted malware to turn your phone into a spiPhone.

In case you are unfamiliar with an accelerometer, it can be found in all sorts of consumer electronics for the purposes of detecting motion input, orientation sensing, or be used for image stabilization. Accelerometers are common in smartphones "to present landscape or portrait views of the device's screen, based on the way the device is being held." In fact, accelerometers are in many devices such as Wii remotes and nunchuks, Nintendo 3DS, and PS3 DualShock 3 remotes, car collision notification systems that call for help after "detecting crash-strength G-forces," and even "sleep phase" alarm clocks use an accelerometer to sense a sleeper's movement so it will not awaken a person during the REM phase.

Although the accelerometer spying experiments started with an iPhone 3GS, it was too difficult to decipher the typing results. Patrick Traynor, assistant professor in Georgia Tech's School of Computer Science, said, "But then we tried an iPhone 4, which has an added gyroscope to clean up the accelerometer noise, and the results were much better. We believe that most smartphones made in the past two years are sophisticated enough to launch this attack."

Researchers previously tapped into microphones for this type of attack, but manufacturers have installed security precautions in mobile phones' microphones; when a user installs a new app, the phone's OS asks if the app can access the mic. While a phone's microphone is much more sensitive and can analyze vibrations about 44,000 times per second, compared to an accelerometer which samples vibrations only 100 times per second, the accelerometers in most phones have no security precautions.

"The way we see this attack working is that you, the phone's owner, would request or be asked to download an innocuous-looking application, which doesn't ask you for the use of any suspicious phone sensors," said Henry Carter, a PhD student in computer science and one of the study's co-authors. "Then the keyboard-detection malware is turned on, and the next time you place your phone next to the keyboard and start typing, it starts listening."

The eavesdropping technique does not detect single keystrokes, but "works through probability and by detecting pairs of keystrokes." It "listens" to "keyboard events" in pairs, then determines if the keys typed were on the left or right side of the keyboard and if they were close to each other or farther apart. Then it takes those pairs of keys depressed and runs them against a preloaded dictionary with 58,000 words, "each word of which has been broken down along similar measurements (i.e., are the letters left/right, near/far on a standard QWERTY keyboard)." It works reliably on words that are at least 3 letters and can accurately decipher what was typed about 80% of the time.

Traynor said not to be paranoid that hackers are spying on your keystrokes through your iPhones. "The likelihood of someone falling victim to an attack like this right now is pretty low," he said. "This was really hard to do. But could people do it if they really wanted to? We think yes." Until manufacturers build in some security on accelerometers, Traynor added that users can get around this vulnerability by keeping their mobile phones in their pockets or purses, or move the phone further away from the keyboard.

The findings of this research, "(sp)iPhone: Decoding Vibrations From Nearby Keyboards Using Mobile Phone Accelerometers," and will be presented this week at the 18th ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security in Chicago.

The image and article above were garnered from a news release provided by George Institute of Technology.

Confirmed: Steve Jobs Worked on Apple Until His Last Day

• By Adario Strange
  From http://www.pcmag.com/

As one might expect, following the death of Steve Jobs, many rumors and legends have taken on a life of their own. The most recent whispers are related to the notion, proffered by Rodman & Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar in a recent research note, that Jobs worked on next year's iPhone 5. But while many tend to take the word of analysts with a grain of salt, especially when it comes to the hyper-secretive Steve Jobs, Apple partner Masayoshi Son, CEO of Softbank, recently recounted an anecdote that appears to confirm this speculation.

During an interview conducted last weekend by the U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos, Son talked about his relationship to Apple and Jobs. Son revealed an interesting series of events during the launch of the iPhone 4S.

Son said, "I visited Apple for the announcement of the iPhone 4S [at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California]. When I was having a meeting with Tim Cook, he said, 'Oh Masa, sorry I have to quit our meeting.' I said, 'Where are you going?' He said, 'My boss is calling me.' That was the day of the announcement of the iPhone 4S. He said that Steve is calling me because he wants to talk about their next product. And the next day, he died."

Recounting the episode, Son was visible touched by the Apple co-founder's passion and drive. He went on to say, "Even one day before he passed away, the first subject he wanted to call Tim Cook about…he wanted to talk about the next product… That's the kind of spirit a true entrepreneur would continue to have until they die. He was very sick, very ill. But the announcement of their newest product made him live longer. Physically he could have died much earlier. But his passion, his love for his own company and dream, about the next products, that made him energized."

Son didn't elaborate on which product Jobs discussed with Cook, but given this new information, the speculation that next year's iPhone 5 will be Jobs' final master stroke of product innovation now seems far more credible. You can check out the video here:

iPhone 4S Crushes Android Phones in Web Browsing Benchmark Results

By Alex Colon

From: http://www.pcmag.com/

• October 14, 2011 04:57pm EST

In case you haven't heard, Apple's new iPhone 4S was released today. The phone is powered by Apple's new dual-core A5 chip, which Apple claims can deliver up to two times more power and seven times faster graphics performance than the iPhone 4.

We'll have a full review of the phone up shortly, but first we wanted to put the 4S through a series of benchmark tests to see how it stacks up against the competition. Take a look at the charts below, which illustrate how the iPhone 4S compares to previous generations of the iPhone, as well as some head-to-head Web performance benchmarks, against current PCMag Editors' Choice smartphones on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon.

In short, these benchmarks tell us that the iPhone 4S is the fastest iPhone so far, and the fastest smartphone in general for Web browsing.



Looking at the system performance benchmarks, the iPhone 4 tops out at just over half the performance level of the new 4S. GeekBench, an overall system performance benchmark, shows the iPhone 4 running iOS 5 scoring 383, as compared to 617 on the 4S. GLBenchmark 2.1 Egypt High, a graphics benchmark, shows an even greater difference, with the iPhone 4S besting the iPhone 4 by more than 500 percent.

While the iPhone 3GS shows a higher number for graphics performance than the iPhone 4, that's because the screen resolution on the 3GS is significantly lower than the screen resolution on the iPhone 4. Taking that into account, graphics performance on the iPhone 4 is still twice as fast as the 3GS, though both are easily eclipsed by the 4S.

The 4S wins out on Web performance as well, but there's something interesting happening here if you look closely. An iPhone 3GS running iOS 5 scored significantly better on the Web benchmarks than an iPhone 4 running iOS 4. Even though the iPhone 4 is the more powerful of the two devices, this difference shows us that iOS 5 delivers a significant boost to Javascript performance. So if you're using an iPhone 4 or an iPhone 3GS, make sure to update your device to iOS 5.

Compared to the latest and greatest Android devices, the iPhone 4S is still tops for Web browsing. It scored significantly better than the Motorola Droid Bionic on Verizon, the Motorola Photon on Sprint, and the Samsung Galaxy S II on AT&T. But again, these benchmarks aren't completely what they seem.

Honeycomb-based tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, for instance, score Web performance benchmarks very much similar to the iPhone 4S. And hardware-wise, the Galaxy Tab is using a processor similar to the Samsung Galaxy S II on AT&T. This shows us that Honeycomb is better-optimized for Web performance than Gingerbread, the latest version of Android available for smartphones.

All of this is likely to change next week, when Google unveils "Ice Cream Sandwich", the latest version of Android for smartphones and tablets. This update will likely include the Web performance improvements in Honeycomb and bring them to smartphones, which will result in better scores.

But whether or not that happens remains to be seen, and Ice Cream Sandwich will likely not be available as an update for most Android phones for a while. So for now, if you're looking for the best iPhone, or the fastest Web browsing experience on a smartphone, the iPhone 4S is the phone to get.
For more, see PCMag's full review of the iPhone 4S and the slideshow below.

Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak First in Line for the iPhone 4S

by Stan Schroeder
from http://mashable.com/

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We’re quite sure that Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, could make a phone call and get an iPhone 4S well before it hits the stores. However, he hasn’t done that. Instead, he’s first in line in front of the Apple Store in Los Gatos, California, waiting for his iPhone 4S.
“The long wait begins. I’m first in line. The guy ahead was on the wrong side and he’s pissed,” tweeted Wozniak as he took his place in front of the store.

Wozniak is known for showing up in lines for new Apple products; he was in line for the iPhone 3GS back in 2009, and again for the iPhone 4 in 2010.



This year, he managed to get first place in line (usually, the crowd insists that he goes up front), and he’s killing time by chatting with other Apple fans and signing their iPhones.

Although he could get the latest versions of Apple products in an easier way, Wozniak claims he likes to stand in line at new product launches. “I want to get mine along with the millions of other fans,” he said to CNN.
[via Twitter, CNN]

Foursquare Takes Quick Advantage of Apple’s iOS 5

By Nick Clayton

From http://blogs.wsj.com/

Location-based services have not quite conquered the world in the way it seemed they might a year or two ago. Their thunder has been stolen partly by established networks such as Facebook and Twitter, but also not everybody wants to tell the world where they are.

In response, Foursquare has launched its version 4.0 with a new feature called “Radar,” which takes advantage of the improved push functionality of iOS 5. If activated by the user, Radar alerts users of people, things or places they might want to visit near where they happen to be at the time.

It will, for instance, notify them if they are close to a location that three or more of their contacts have checked into. It will also tell them if they are near a place on a list they follow. And the information will be pushed to users even if the app is not actually switched on at the time.
But Wired has a feeling of deja vu:

Sound familiar? It is. After Facebook’s 2010 launch of its “Places” feature – which offers many features similar to Foursquare’s service, including check-ins — it seemed as if Dennis Crowley’s small 80-man startup was all but dead in the water. Similarly, Facebook’s “Deals” program offers a location-based deal notification service much like Foursquare’s daily-deals program, created in partnership with LivingSocial.

“We weathered that storm,” said Holger Luedorf, Foursquare VP of mobile and international, in an interview, noting that Facebook recently shuttered its deals program while Foursquare’s remains strong. “Honestly, we’ve recently announced over 1 billion check-ins, with a user base of over 10 million people. That’s already huge, but we’re focused on growing even more and not spending time worrying about our competitors,” Luedorf said.

Foursquare also says it is working on an Android version of Radar.

Get Free 50 GB of Storage for Life on Box.Net—IF You’re an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch User

By Melanie Pinola

From http://lifehacker.com/

 

iOS: Now through December 2, cloud storage provider Box.net is giving away free 50 GB accounts you can use forever. The account is good on your PC too, but to get the 50 GB upgrade, you'll need to download and sign in or register from the iPhone or iPad app.

Basically anyone who uses a Box Personal account on an iOS device will get this upgraded free storage space (increased from the usual 5GB of free space usually doled out). According to Box.net's blog post introducing the offer, you'll also get an increased file size upload limit of 100MB instead of 25MB.
It's unfortunate that Android and other mobile users aren't getting this same love, but one of the comments on the blog post suggest a "fix" (we haven't tested this yet):

Download itunes. Make an account. Go to apple store. Download the app on the device. Create account get 50GB space. Go to the phone's settings and scroll down to Store. Click on logout so it logs you out of your itunes account. Also remember to delete the App off the phone.

You have 50 days from now to grab your 50GB of free space. What do you think? Will you be using Box.net for your cloud storage now?

Box for iPad and iPhone | iTunes App Store via Fat Wallet

iOS 5 reviewed: Notifications, iMessages, and iCloud, oh my!

arstechnica.com — The long-awaited public release of iOS 5 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch is now in our grubby little hands. Thanks to better notifications, a new way to avoid texting, and a new focus on cloud sync, it's one of the best iOS updates yet. 


Click here for the Full Article: http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2011/10/ios-5-reviewed-notifications-imessages-and-icloud-oh-my.ars

Leisure Suit Larry HD coming to iOS, Android in 2012

By: Daniel Perez
From: http://www.intomobile.com/

Some of my most memorable gaming moments growing up were experiencing point-n-click adventures from publishers such as Sierra and LucasArts. One series that I absolutely loved was Sierra’s Leisure Suit Larry, although I may have been a little too young to understand all of the adult humor. Regardless, I still had a blast guiding Larry through his many adventures and it looks like I’ll finally get to understand what I played through as a kid as Replay Games has announced it’ll be bringing Leisure Suite Larry to iOS & Android next year.

The first game Replay Games will release will be an HD remastered version of their first title, Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards. The HD remastered version of the game will include the usual laundry list of improvements to the game’s graphics, sound, and controls, but Replay Games promises none of the game’s puzzles or sense of humor will be left out. If the HD remake sells well, Replay Games plans to release the rest of the Leisure Suit Larry series of games as well as completely original Larry games.

Seeing how popular point-n-click games have been on iOS with Telltale Games’ Monkey Island, Sam & Max, and Back to the Future, bringing Leisure Suit Larry to iOS & Android could continue to keep the ball rolling for remakes of classic point-n-click adventure titles. That could only mean we’ll hopefully be one step closer to games like King’s Quest being played from the comfort of our mobile devices.

[Via EGM]

Apple iPhone 4S Siri demo

Uploaded by stuffmagazine

Apple's decision to embrace artificial intelligence with its new voice-controlled Siri personal assistant was undeniably a good shout. We could go on and on about how Siri-ously awesome Apple's new iPhone 4S feature is, but it's really something you've got to see for yourself. Don't forget to visit http://www.stuff.tv for your daily gadget fix

Sprint iPhone pre-sales will be handled online; no in-store pre-orders, no wait lists

By: Zach Epstein
From: http://www.bgr.com/

Sprint subscribers who have been waiting since 2007 for their carrier of choice to finally land the iPhone breathed a collective sigh of relief on Tuesday when Apple confirmed that the nation’s No. 3 carrier would soon offer both the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S. Sprint also confirmed on Thursday that it will indeed be offering unlimited data plans to iPhone users, and that pre-sales of the iPhone 4 would begin immediately while iPhone 4S pre-orders start on Friday.

BGR sought clarification on the pre-order process following an anonymous tip we received, and Sprint has confirmed that iPhone pre-sales will be accommodated entirely online. Sprint’s retail stores will not have the ability to take iPhone pre-orders, and the carrier also confirmed to BGR that Sprint stores will not offer “Device Wait Lists,” meaning customers cannot add their names to a list in order to be guaranteed a device on launch day. Sprint will begin selling the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S on Friday, October 14th.

Lookout Verizon, Sprint Rumored to Retain Unlimited Data Plan with iPhone 5

by Paul Lilly
from http://hothardware.com

Poor little Sprint stands to be the biggest loser if AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile is allowed to go through in what some fear would effectively create a duopoly with Verizon and AT&T/T-Mobile controlling the market. But regardless of what happens with that deal, Sprint has an ace up its sleeve: Unlimited data.

Sprint is the only major carrier to still offer a true unlimited data plan, one that's devoid of overage fees, data caps, or throttled service once a user goes over a certain threshold. No other wireless carrier has deemed such a plan to be financially feasible, so surely Sprint will cave in like the rest of them did, right? Maybe not. According to a Bloomberg report, Sprint will retain its unlimited data plan for the upcoming iPhone 5 launch.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," Bloomberg says the device will go on sale in mid-October, and that Sprint will be the only one offering an unlimited data plan for iPhone 5 users. If true, this could be a huge deal for Sprint as it looks to compete with all the major wireless carriers who plan to carry Apple's upcoming flagship device. Even just carrying the iPhone puts Sprint in a better position.

"It's a competitive disadvantage if your two larger competitors have the iPhone and you don't," Matthew Thornton, an analyst at Avian Securities LLC, told Bloomberg in an interview. "Getting the iPhone closes the gap."

None of this is official, of course, and Apple hasn't announced when the iPhone 5 is coming and which carriers will have access to the device. But it's believed the iPhone 5 will end up in everyone's hands (Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile). With streaming video (Netflix), FaceTime, cloud-based storage lockers for music, and other data consuming services becoming commonplace, Sprint is setting itself up to be one of the more attractive carriers in the next iPhone round.

Where Are You? (iPhone PIC)

 

i.imgur.com — This is Epic!

Mad Man Builds Ridiculously Cool 40-inch iPhone

Benjamin Bachmeier turned a 40-inch LCD Full HD display into a perfect giant iPhone replica. It doesn't run iOS but Mac OS X, but it's gigantic buttons are fully functional. It's computer, a display, a table and completely ridiculous.

He calls it the iTableous. It's not even a Mac, but a Hackintosh running Mac OS X and Windows 7. Funnily enough, I think this is the only time that I've actually liked the white iPhone 4. [Benjamin BachmeierInsanely Mac]

Nokia, check the stock photo before using it for your ad

From: http://imgur.com/gallery/aV4u7

imgur.com

iPhone Babe: slide to unlock

Two iPhones to fly on last space shuttle mission

From: http://www.electronista.com/

First iPhone in space will test guidance software

The final shuttle mission will be a first for the iPhone. When Atlantis flies to the International Space Station this summer it will carry two iPhones to test an app, SpaceLab for iOS from Odyssey Space Research. The Houston company makes spacecraft guidance software. When the iPhone 4 came out, the company's programmers realized it could be used for a space-based experiment to test a vehicle's positioning and orientation with the smartphone's new internal gyroscope, camera, and other sensors.

Odyssey CEO Brian Rishikof is fairly certain that these will be the first iPhones in space.

Astronauts will use the two iPhones in four experiments. The "limb tracker" makes an altitude estimate using a picture of the curved edge of the Earth. A sensor calibration test uses the iPhone's camera and other sensors to adjust the gyroscope and accelerometers. A spatial recognition test will attempt to match pictures of the earth with a database of wireframe images of national borders. Finally, the iPhone will be used to test for the effects of radiation on computers by checking for changes to single bits in the phones' memory.

The company emphasized that all of their experiments were being conducted and paid for as private research. The iPhones will not be used for navigation or any other NASA mission.

The public version of the app sells for $1. Rishikof noted that most iPhone users do not have access to space travel, so some of the features will be simulated.

The phones and the shuttle Atlantis are scheduled for launch on STS-135, tentatively set for July 8. This will be the last flight into space for Atlantis and the last mission for the space shuttle program. [via Venture Beat]

Smartphone OS Preview: iOS 5 vs. Android 2.3 Gingerbread vs. Windows Phone 7 Mango vs. Blackberry 7 OS

iOS 5 wowed the friendly WWDC crowds, but how will it fare in the real world when it releases this fall? We pit iOS 5 against its likely competitors, and the results may surprise you.

 

By William Fenton

From http://www.pcmag.com/

Sure, Lion and iCloud are big news, but, for the millions of iPhone users out there, the real news at the center of the Apple's WWDC conference was iOS 5, equipped with cutting-edge (though, in some cases, strangely familiar) notifications, messaging, and cable-free connectivity. These goodies—and hundreds of other (unspecified) features—now available in developer release, won't appear until the fall, perhaps at the same time as a new iPhone. It seems like just about all the competition –Android, Windows Phone 7, and BlackBerry—will be releasing new versions between now and then, too.

Using Apple's release as the baseline, I've pulled out 13 of the most exciting new features of iOS 5. The iPhone—and iOS 5—will face three popular challengers this fall. Each of these contenders will a bit sprier by the iOS 5 debut: Microsoft will deliver Windows Phone 7 Mango in Q4; Blackberry OS 7 also ought to be available; and Android 2.3 Gingerbread will be ubiquitous, with Android 3.1 Ice Cream should be served up for the holidays. How will iOS stack up?


Below I've charted the results as simply as I can, but be advised there are nuances to particular comparisons. For example, in call cases there are plenty of third-party apps that may fill in gaps. Furthermore, when it comes to Android, OEMs tend to skin the phones (albeit with mixed results), often adding additional functionality to the stock version of Android. In order for any sort of comparison to work, I'm looking at what you get out of the box on stock versions of each mobile OS. Check out the table first, and then take a look at my explanations of each category and the caveats that go with it.



Notifications
When it comes to unified notification systems, Apple's newly-minted Notification Center bares quite a resemblance to that of Android. As with Android, you can both access notifications from the lock screen or, when using the phone, pull down a tray of notifications from the top of the screen. Blackberry simply pins updates to the home screen. Finally, Windows 7 Mango uses live tiles, which is a bit less unified, but considerably more flexible (I gave it the "check" on account of said flexibility).

Phone-to-Phone Messaging
Apple is clearly watching its competitors. The iOS phone-to-phone messaging system, iMessage, looks a lot like Blackberry Messenger. So much for that iOS app.

Newspaper/Magazine Subscriptions
Apple is leading the way into the print subscription market, though it remains to be seen how much users will appreciate reading the New Yorker on the iPhone, as opposed to an iPad.

Advanced Reminder System
All four mobile platforms allow users to set basic reminders, but no one can touch the iOS Reminders tool on account of its geo-fencing location-based notifications.

System-Wide Twitter Integration
The one third-party software with which iOS consistently integrates is Twitter. Because it's built into the system, once you sign-in, you ought to be able to Tweet from just about anywhere on your phone. The forthcoming release of Window Phone 7 does this and a step better—it includes deep Facebook integration. Finally, while Twitter can appear in the Android Gallery, you must install the app first—so it's not integrated out of the box.

Quick-Camera Access
If you're using your mobile phone as your camera—as more and more people are beginning to do, for better or worse—quick access counts. Both Windows 7 Mango and iOS 5 let users jump directly into camera mode from the lock screen. iOS 5 goes a step further and lets you snap photos without entering a passcode (if you have one). Blackberry does allow users to map a side button to launch a camera, but unfortunately you'll still need to unlock your device.

Photo Editing Tools
When it comes to photo editing on the go, iOS 5 is a clear winner out of the box. While Android allows some editing (crop and rotate), iOS goes a step further (crop, edit, red eye reduction, composition controls, and auto-enhance).

Tabbed Browsing
Considering how many great browsers are available for Android, it continues to baffle the mind as to why Google hasn't added tabs into its stock browser through an incremental update. Now that Safari has tabs, Android remains the odd-man out.

Reader View
Because Apple has essentially rolled Instapaper into Safari Mobile, iOS has a clear edge over the competition when it comes to clutter-free web reading. Add the cloud-based Reading List and it looks even better.

Rich Text Email
When it comes to composing HTML email all mobile OSes except Android rise to the occasion. That said, Android does allow users to receive formatted mail.

PC-Free Setup, Updates
Desktop-free setup and updates is one area where Apple played serious catch up with iOS 5. It now joins all the other platforms in the (sort of) post-PC world. One caveat: remember how Apple used to make you download 400-megabyte files for an incremental update? Now that Apple is rolling out delta updates, all that you'll need to download is what has changed from one version of iOS to the next. Now that you're wireless—and probably on a tiered plan—that could spare you a significant cellular bill.

Wi-Fi Sync
Wireless synchronization is another area where iOS has lagged behind the competiton—except for Google. That said, what Apple has finally delivered is quite powerful: Everything in your iTunes library—including photos and video—can sync over the area. In this respect, iOS Wi-Fi sync tops Blackberry, which handles music, but not video.

Online Gaming Community
Game Center already looked great, but it's even better now that you can download and review games without leaving. The only service that rivals game center is Microsoft's Xbox Live. However, when it comes to actually finding games to play, Apple has the liveliest marketplacee, for the time being.

The Best Smartphone OS?
Any judgement will have to wait until we actually get our hands on the OSes in question and test them out on real-live phones. And it's also worth noting that our feature set for this comparison is pretty heavily influenced by Apple's WWDC presentation. Still, judging by what we know so far, it's clear that Apple's iOS 5 looks to be the smartphone OS to beat this fall.

View Slideshow See all (12) slides

Full Apple Product Coverage http://go.pcmag.com/apple

Apple iOS5: The Top 10 New Features

Jesus Diaz
From: http://gizmodo.com/
—The new iOS 5 is here. It is a "major release", according to Apple. It brings revamped notifications and more than 200 new features for your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. These are the top ten, and then some more.
Some of these features you already had in your iPhone or iPad. They just came in third-party apps.
If you used apps like the must-have WhatsApp, which allows you to message in an extremely easy way with all kinds of phones for free, you already were enjoying something like iMessage (even while iMessage adds important services, like device-wide conversation synchronization). If you had the awesome Instapaper, you already had some of the features of the new Safari. Or if you had something like Remember the Milk, you already had a great reminders service.
However, there are features that weren't available before, either because they are completely new or because they are system-wide. And there are real jewels too.

Things that may sound silly, like using the volume + button as a shutter in the Camera app. Or more important stuff, like well thought Notifications and the ability to run your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad without having a PC. Your iDevices are now completely autonomous. All these features put iOS on par again with some of the features that you could already find in Android, Palm or Windows Phone 7. Some of their implementations, surpass those platforms. But even while none of these new features are extraordinary per se, all of them together are quite impressive.
We can't wait for the fall to enjoy the new iOS 5. It looks like it will be a great release, if they keep it bug free and agile in older devices.

1. Notifications

The first big feature is notifications. At last, Apple will get rid of the annoying popups that break your flow. And with "annoying popups" I really meant "stupid dumb boxes that makes me want to smash my f*cking iPhone against the wall when I'm playing a game or chatting with strangers in the night".
They have replaced those with a new app called Notification Center. It's very similar to Mobile Notifier, the iOS notification app—which makes sense, since Apple hired its developer a while back. It not only includes app notification, but mini-widgets that show live information from apps like Weather and apps.
The notifications extend to the lock screen too, so you can see more stuff right away without unlocking your phone. Sliding your finger on it will automatically lead you to the app that generated that notification.
It looks very straightforward and useful.

2. Newsstand

Apple has built a virtual newsstand right onto iOS 5, very similar to the iBooks app but exclusively for magazines and periodicals. It looks like a cross between iBooks and a folder view, actually.

3. Twitter integration everywhere

iOS 5 will have Twitter integration everywhere. Apps like camera will be able to directly post the image to Twitter. The YouTube App, Safari or even Maps will support direct sharing in Twitter. It also adds a new Twitter address field to your Contacts application.

4. A new Safari

Safari has been revamped with new features. Reader will allow you to reformat a site on the fly, taking out ads and reformatting text so it looks better on your iPad or iPhone screen.
This feature flows into Reading List, which is a way to save those pages for later offline viewing, keeping them synchronized between all your iOS devices and Lion. Presumably via iCloud.
Apple's web browser also adds tabs in this version. Your open pages will line up right below your address bar. According to Apple, switching between pages is "lightning fast," so perhaps they have made some magic with the memory management to reduce the reload of pages in older devices.

5. New Reminders app

The new Reminders app makes it easy to make to-do lists. The interface is very simple and it's synchronized between iOS 5 devices and your Mac OS X desktop or notebook.
The really cool thing about Reminders is that it's location aware. Imagine you add that you need to buy milk, but then you forget about it. When you pass by the grocery store, the app will tell you that you need to buy milk.

6. New Camera app and photos

The new Camera up gets two of the most-requested features in the history of iOS. The first is a shortcut in the lock screen to access the camera right away, so you don't have to unlock and then click on the Camera icon, which often makes you lose the moment.
The other one, which is something we have whined about endlessly, is using one of the volume button as the shutter button. Just press + and that's it: CLICK! This is a very welcome addition.
The new app also includes basic photo editing. It includes quick enhance—which basically sharpens your image, making shadows and highlights more detailed, and correct color automagically. It also include red eye reduction and cropping, both welcome additions to those who don't have the Camera Plus already.

7. New Mail app

Mail includes a barrage of enhancements
• Rich Text Formatting, which will allow you to annoy the hell out of everyone bolding every sentence in your mails.
• Indentation control, which allows you to control the level of indentation of your quotes from other messages.
• Draggable email addresses, which allows to drag and drop email addresses into to, cc and bcc fields.
• Message flagging to call your attention over a particular mail later.
• Swipe to Inbox, which makes it very easy to access the list of message in portrait mode on the iPad, instead of clicking on a button for a weird pop-up dialog.

8. No PC required

At long last, the most important feature of them all: You will not need iTunes and PC anymore to use your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Apple has caught up with Android and Windows Phone 7. The new iOS 5 will allow you to set up your new device easily: Turn your new gadget on and a Welcome screen will appear. All software updates will happen over the air.
All the applications will be now completely autonomous. You will not have to go to iCal or some other desktop app to create a calendar, for example. There is no need for a desktop or laptop anymore, for anything.

9. New Game Center

The have enhanced Game Center too. Unfortunately, they have not renewed its awful casino interface, which looks as dated as always. But they have added much needed concepts from Xbox Live and other gaming systems:
• Achievement points.
• Access friends of friends, so you can compare and play with a wider range of people.
• Photos in your profile, so you can flirt with other nerds pretending to be women online.
• Game discovery, to play with whoever wants to play with you at any given time.
• Game downloads within Game Center.
• Support for turn-based games like Words for Friends and Scrabble.

10. iMessage

Another new useful feature, which will hurt Blackberry and the telecommunications companies wanting to sell you stupid SMS and MMS contracts: Apple has implemented a new messaging system called iMessage.
It works between all iOS 5 devices, allowing you to leave conversations on your iPhone and continue them in your iPad (again, I will not be surprised to see this integrated into Lion at a later date). It comes with delivery notification as well. However, unlike WhatsApp, it doesn't work with other non-iOS devices. Maybe Apple thinks your Android and Blackberry friends are not worth talking to for free.

All the others

• Dictionary everywhere: This is something that many people have asked for because they like it in the iBooks app. Now, every application will have Dictionary built-in.
• iTunes synchronization over Wi-Fi
• Advanced gestures: It will allow you to pass from app to app on the iPad by using a simple swipe gesture, without having to use the home button. This was a feature has been in testing for a long time and, trust me, once you try it you will not be able to live without it.

When is it happening?

If you are a developer, it's happening right now. The developer preview is available. The rest of the world will have to wait till this fall.

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All of Apple's New iCloud, iPhone and Mac Stuff

Today Apple gave us a preview of what all Macs, iPhones, iPads will look like in the future-and iCloud, their internet system that syncs your Apple toys and media together. More »

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360 Web Browser: Not your grandfather's Netscape Navigator

by James Mowery

from http://www.techi.com/

The Web browser has been a standard feature included with operating systems for years. Most of them look and act in a similar fashion, with the core behaviors being relatively similar. But the devices have changed, and now the browser is changing along with it. The 360 Web Browser is leading that change.
Digital Poke’s tagline is “proving crazy concepts.” Well, 360 Web Browser truly is a crazy concept, but not only is it crazy, it is also amazing as well. It takes everything you know and love about the standard Web browsing experience and modernizes it for touch-based interfaces.


Comparing it to Apple’s Safari browser on the iPad and iPhone is tricky. With Safari, you get a relatively basic experience — it’ll get you going and where you want to be, sure, but for those who want more control and options to tinker with, Safari isn’t the answer.
This is where 360 Web Browser steps in. It is the battle axe to Safari’s arrow — it is an in-your-face browsing experience that might prove overwhelming for some, but for those who appreciate it, it will quickly become an essential tool for a browsing experience that can’t be had elsewhere.

360 Web Browser

With Safari, you press a few buttons, hit a back button, pull up a menu or two, and there you go; it’s a straightforward interaction. But with 360 Web Broeser, everything comes full circle — the user takes advantage of touch-based gestures to perform browser-specific actions that make a lot of sense for finger-to-glass interactions.
This is where 360 Web Browser’s navigation wheel comes into play (Digital Poke calls it the “arc”). The “arc” is a wheel-like interface that can be accessed by pressing a single button while browsing the Web. Once enabled, all the user needs to do is to drag their finger to the option that they want to perform. Several dozen actions are accessible this way, and it performs like one would expect. Creating new tabs, enlarging text, accessing bookmarks, and many other features are all done from this single UI interaction, with multiple levels of the “arc” allowing for more complex interactions. (Check out the video below for a better understanding.)

The “arc” interface performs even more admirably when you put the browser into full-screen mode. This removes all potential distractions, maximizes screen real estate, and still provides quick access to commonly used browser functions. It is an experience that I wish Apple had included by default with their own Safari browser.
But while the “arc” tends to be 360 Web Browser’s most noteworthy feature, there are a number of other interesting features that make 360 Web Browser worthwhile:

• Firefox Sync, for syncing your 360 Web Browser’s bookmarks, tabs, and browsing history to Firefox;
• Intelligent Tabbing, which offers desktop-style tab features that include individual settings and privacy settings, along with other general tabbed features;
• powerful download manager that enables users to download any type of file;
• built-in media player for listening to tunes while browsing the Web;
• built-in Dropbox integration;
• customizable multi-touch gestures
• and plugins like Firebug Lite, Instapaper, Evernote and more.

Another feature that, in particular, I appreciated was the “Quick Access List.” It acts like the quick-dial feature on your phone, but this one gives you quick access to your favorite websites. While this feature isn’t exactly new in the Web browser world (Safari also has bookmarks), it was something that I used frequently — maybe because it was so easily accessible — and it alone saved me plenty of time.

But for all of the individual pieces that make up the 360 Web Browser, the whole package makes up a single experience that can be summed up as follows: power.

Power trumps simplicity?

When you combine the hundreds of features that 360 Web Browser offers over the Safari browser on the iPhone and iPad, you are left with a truly powerful browser that puts Safari to shame. It foregoes any thought of minimalism and just gives the power users what they want: more power and control.
This will put off some users, make no mistake about it. When I first fired up 360 Web Browser, I had my reservations. But now that I have used it and seen how much more productive it has made me, I consider it a full replacement for Safari.
If control and functionality is what you are after, 360 Web Browser is a no brainer. It comes full circle with the feature set and makes Safari look like child’s play in the process. And while it lacks Adobe Flash (which might or might not be an issue), everything else on this browser is up to par with what Safari offers. You just might want to be aware that performance could be an issue.
But if you are satisfied with a minimalistic experience that focuses on speed and simplicity, 360 Web Browser might not be for you — the included Safari browser will probably be more than adequate for all your needs.
When all is said and done: you will either love it or hate it.

Conclusion

360 Web Browser is a compelling product that lives up to Digital Poke’s promise. It might be too much for some of the Apple fanatics that prefer their system maintain its clean and minimalistic setup, but for those who want to explore the mobile Web with the most feature-complete browser available today, 360 Web Browser is one of the best options available.
360 Web Browser comes in two flavors, 360 Web Browser Lite (free) and 360 Web Browser ($0.99) for iPhone and iPad.
This was a sponsored review for Digital Poke’s 360 Web Browser.