Apple iOS 6.1 Takes a Step Closer to Release

Those who are part of Apple's developers program received the third beta of iOS 6.1 today. This new version will likely be available to the public soon.

Developers report that there are no dramatic changes coming in iOS 6.1. Among the more notable changes: Apple is carrying out its promise to improve the Maps navigation software, there are small enhancements to the Safari web browser, and Passbook's system for handling boarding passes is getting new features.

Apple could release this update at any time it feels it has sufficiently de-bugged it. It's possible the company might wait until some big event, like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early January, however.

Apple's usual practice is to introduce iOS updates for all supported devices at once, including iPhones and iPads.

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Unlocked Apple iPhone 5 Now Available

Those in the U.S. who would like Apple's latest smartphone but aren't into commitment or contracts can now buy an unlocked version of the iPhone 5.

Unlike the units sold by telecoms, this version can be used with any GSM carrier just be inserting a micro-SIM card. This includes AT&T, T-Mobile, and many more. Apple warns it doesn't support every type of 4G LTE, however.

Phones that are sold through carriers with contracts are subsidized -- the carrier reduces the up-front cost and gradually makes its money back from the service fees paid by customers. When devices are sold without contracts, there are no subsidies.

That's why the contract-free version of the iPhone 5 with 16GB of storage is $700, not $200. The 32GB version is $800, and the 64GB is $900.

This smartphone has been on the market for two months, but is only now being made available unlocked because demand for the carrier versions has been so strong that Apple couldn't make units fast enough, while there were also production problems.


Don't miss  review of the Apple iPhone 5.


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iPhone 5 Real Tips and Tricks

1. how to Opening and closing apps: It is simple enough, but I think many people don't know how to close apps out of the system tray. You should know how to do this every now and then if an app is acting funny or crashing. To open an app, just tap on it. To close an app out of the tray, go to your home screen & double tap the home button and all of your most recently used apps will pop up. then Press and hold any one of the apps until they start wiggling and you can hit the red badges on the apps you want to close.thats only.



2. how to Lock and unlock screen orientation:you want the screen to stay in portrait mode while you're lying down in bed or on the grass at a picnic, simply two tap your home button to bring up the system tray.then Swipe the tray to the left and you will see the orientation lock at the far left. Simply tap it to turn it on or off.


3.How to use Apple Siri: When you need a  help from Apple's digital assistant, you press and hold the home button for a few seconds and you will see Siri's microphone pop up on your screen. Tell to set a calendar event to you or to set an alarm.Siri reserve tables at restaurants or give you movie times and reviews. If you're unsure what you can ask Siri, press the little "i" when the microphone pops up.




4.How to view your notifications, current weather and more: To see that black bar up at the top of your screen? You can touch it and drag it down to view your notifications and all other things. When you are in an app or game where the bar is not visiblevto you, swipe down from the very top of your screen and you will see a tab slide out. Pull that tab down and the notification pane will slide down on your screen.


5.To find apps, contacts, e-mails and many more : When you are on the first page of your iPhone home screen, just swipe to the left and the iPhone 5's universal search bar will appear. Type find what you are looking for there.


6. Shoot photos with your camera, then do a little more with it: Open up the camera app tapping on the camera icon, then press the shutter button or volume up key to snap photos. For more function, Press the Options button and you will see toggle switches for Grid, HDR and a panorama button. You can  flash on and off or set it to auto, or switch to the front-facing camera. The grid comes up to help you compost images and make sure your horizons are straight. HDR makes sure you get details in photos that have very bright and very dark areas . The Panorama button will take you to a new feature in iOS 6 that allows you to take a sweeping photo of a very wide scene. Follow the instructions that pop up on the screen.


7.To set a passcode lock and protect for your phone: Go into Settings>> click General then scroll down to Passcode Lock. Turn it on and select a code that you want. iphones tend to have social networks, e-mail, photos and other sensitive items that we want to keep from prying eyes, so be sure to lock your device for your seaf.


8. How to take a screen shot: See something on your device screen that you want to  keep as a photo? just take a screen shot.  press the power button up top and your home button at the exact same time any time. you are in an application, on the home screen, in a game or everywhere press those two buttons at the same time and a screen shot will be saved into your Photos app.


9. How to save a Web page into your home screen: When you are on the web page you want to access quickly it from your home screen, tap the arrow button on the menu bar at the bottom of the phone screen. The option list come; now select "Add to Home Screen." Now you will have an icon on your home screen that will take you to that Web page.


10.How to insert images to your e-mail: You can when you are composing an e-mail and you decide you want to throw an image into the e-mail body? it is simply go into your photos app then, in the gallery view, click the edit button on the upper right. Select the image or images you want and click copy. Return to your e-mail, After that press and hold in the body where do you want to insert the images, finaly select and "paste."

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iPad4

Introduction

Three Apple tablets in a single year. This is more than anyone asked for and yet, by some weird logic - or lack thereof, not too many for Apple to successfully sell. All fine and dandy, unless you got the iPad 3 - better luck next time if you were unfortunate enough to buy it in September.
Well, so much for the new iPad. Number 4 is the new new iPad. You must've heard the one about the double positives. Did we hear some iPad 3 owners say "Yeah, right"? To be honest, they're not without a point.Anyway, the tablet market is still Apple's to lose and the least it could do is send a message to the competition. The double November release may look like a knee-jerk reaction to Google and Microsoft's raid on the slate market but the fact is that Apple has the depth to compete on two fronts. The mini against compact droids and the iPad 4 against the Surface means Cupertino is leaving nothing to chance in defending its number one spot.
The fourth generation iPad is no major upgrade. It keeps the design, display and the main camera of its predecessor. What it gets is a new chipset and the new Lightning port. Oh, and there's an HD FaceTime front cam but that's barely worth mentioning.
Overall, it's the same tablet as the one released in March, with the class-leading Retina display and a welcome boost to the processing power. Plus, the Lightning port ensures seamless compatibility with the iPhone 5, which has sold by the millions.

Key features

9.7" LED-backlit IPS LCD touchscreen, 2048 x 1536 pixels; scratch-resistant, oleophobic coating
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, carrier-dependent hotspot support
Optional LTE connectivity (data only)
Optional GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS support (for the 3G model only)
Apple A6X SoC with 1 GHz dual-core processor
PowerVR SGX554MP4 quad-core GPU
1GB of RAM
iOS 6.0 with iCloud support and activation
16/32/64GB of inbuilt storage
652 grams of weight (662 grams for the LTE version)
Bluetooth 4.0
Lightning USB port
11,560 mAh battery
Accelerometer, compass and three-axis gyro-sensor
5MP auto-focus camera
1080p video recording at 30fps
1.2MP secondary camera capable of FaceTime HD calls
Four and five-finger gestures
1080p TV-output with the Apple Digital AV Adapter (purchased separately for $39), 720p video streaming
Supports magnetic cases
Main disadvantages
iTunes still required for uploading most of the content
Reflective screen struggles outdoors
No standard USB port
No stereo speakers
No GPS receiver in the Wi-Fi version
No memory card slot
Lack of basic iOS apps - stocks, clock, calculator, voice memos
It's an Apple device so things like a file manager and a memory card slot are not even up for discussion. They'll probably never be. Nothing on the list above should come as a surprise and, if you are still with us, you are OK with most of it.
The A6X chipset potentially doubles the processing power but let's be honest, the real life gain is not enough to make anyone throw away a still fresh iPad 3. Yet that's what Apple just did - you can think of that as investing in the future-proofing of the device more than anything else.

iPad 4 over iPad 3

Apple A6X chipset with PowerVR554MP4 quad-core GPU for allegedly 2x faster performance
1.2MP front FaceTime camera with HD video
GLONASS support (for the cellular version only)
Lightning USB port
Whether or not Cupertino will admit to feeling the pressure from Microsoft, they knew the right thing to do is prepare. Apple could not afford to have development split between flagship devices running different hardware.

Someone had to take the hit and leaving iPad 3 users out in the cold was probably a hard decision for Apple. The new product launch schedule may've put the iPad 4's market prospects in question too - users are less certain whether they should commit to a new device that may soon become outdated. Apparently, the new Apple tablets are doing great, but the iPad 4 seems to be the one that's always in stock, while the mini takes about 2 weeks to deliver.
But the iPad mini already had its moment in the spotlight here, it's now iPad 4's turn to have our full attention. Before we get busy, we should note that numbers are the short and easy way to set the different generations of Apple tablets apart. What was until recently known as the New iPad (iPad 3) is now discontinued. The current model (iPad 4) is officially called iPad with Retina. The only older generation Apple tablet officially in circulation is the iPad 2. Quite a mess, indeed.

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iPhone 6 (Release Date, Review, Price, Specs)

Many of you weren’t sold on the iPhone 5′s design. For some of you the taller screen was odd – it “looks strange at best,” said nebulaoperator – and for others it simply wasn’t big enough. Lions87a reckons even 4.5 inches would be too little: “popular phones like the Galaxy S2 and S3 have shown that people are pretty happy nowadays to accept bigger than what the iPhone 5 is currently offering.” Writing in the Chicago Sun-Times, influential tech journalist Andy Ihnatko suggests that taller isn’t necessarily better. “The benefit of bigger screens is almost entirely in their increased width, not their length,” he writes. “A wider keyboard is easier to type on. Books, web pages, and emails will have wider margins and they’ll be more comfortable to read.”

John Gruber of Daring Fireball agrees that bigger isn’t always better, but he’s not a fan of wider, either: while he says that “navigating the full screen while holding the iPhone in one hand is worse,” rivals’ wider screens mean it “really is far more difficult to do anything on them one-handed, including typing.” A new set of patents filed by Apple, that we outlined on 15 October 2012, suggest that the iPhone 6 design might hide external-facing components such as the camera and flash from view using a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal window which can change opacity on demand.

The iPhone 6 will boost its processor not with the number of cores but with it’s software use. Even though the iPhone 6 will be using the A10 processor which is the fastest processor for any mobile device it will make the phone faster by updating it’s operating system to decrease the speed needed to run the current apps. Apple might also exploit the new technology IBM claims to have which can boost the processor speed without increasing the number of cores.

Operating System

iOS has been around for a while, and for many it’s getting stale. “I don’t think anyone can deny that the UI needs a refresh when you see widgets and live tiles on competitors’ phones,” says Vincennes, while Tubemonkey2000 says that “the current [UI] is so tired and old it makes it seem really basic, sort of like a kids’ toy.” Some say that “there are so many tweaks Apple could make to its OS to turn it into more of a powerhouse – icons that update with information, or extending the widgets in the notification bar beyond weather and stocks… Apple is taking things very slowly on this front.”

Price

iPhones have never been cheap, but in a world of credible – and cheaper – competition they look pricier than ever. Or maybe it’s because the iPhone’s price has gone up. Saltire is “surprised no-one has mentioned the price increase for the 16GB model”, while Gareth Beavis says that “we simply cannot see how a 16GB model can cost £529 / $199, but to double the memory will cost an extra £70/ $100 with no other changes to the design.” There’s no doubt that you pay more for the materials, fit and finish of an iPhone than you do for, say, a plasticky Android handset, and not everyone thinks that’s worth it. “£529 for a phone that is no better than my six month old Android shows the arrogance of Apple,” Alastairmack says, while Beavis points out that when you consider contracts, “it’s far and away the most expensive in the shop, and most of the time you don’t even get unlimited data.”

Features

NFC has, possibly unfairly, been dubbed “Not For Commerce” (or more saltily, “No Effing Customers”), but for many it’s the most obvious omission from the iPhone 5 – “not because of the technology itself,” says Fmartins, “but to really give the critical mass contactless payments need. Plus, I would love to use the phone as my Oyster card.” Apple is looking at Australian fingerprint technology for NFC mobile payments, so it seems that NFC could arrive with the iPhone 6.

Release Date

The exact date is unknown because Apple doesn’t want consumers to be ready and push off buying iPhone 5 until the 6 comes out. But the approximate date is in the middle of June.



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Apple iPad mini review: One for the road

Introduction

Wait, did hell just freeze over? Maybe a couple of degrees cooler? Rumors of a mini version of the iPad had been laughed at, dodged and denied - not necessarily in that order and often all at once. But here it is - the iPad mini is finally a reality. It caused due measures of excitement and perhaps a bit of disappointment. Yet, in typical Apple fashion, it's an excellent piece of hardware. In short, it's a polarizing device that may as well be the next best-selling tablet.

You have to hand it to Apple's R&D team - they know how to design hardware. The iPad mini is super thin and light, with a cool aluminum shell. Sure, they swore they'd never make a 7" tablet and the truth is they still haven't - the 7.9" screen of the mini offers 36% more real estate than the screens of the Google Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.
Less bezel on the left and right of the screen combined with the ~310g of weight make it reasonably comfortable to hold with one hand. Apple did make some compromises, which drew a lot of ire. Here's the summarized list of what's good and what's bad about the Apple iPad mini:

Key features

Compact body: 200 x 134.7 x 7.2 mm
7.9" LED-backlit IPS LCD touchscreen, 768 x 1024 pixels; scratch-resistant, oleophobic coating
Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, carrier-dependent hotspot support
Optional 2G/3G GSM, CDMA, LTE connectivity (data only, separate models)
Optional GPS with A-GPS support (for the 3G model only)
Apple A5 SoC, dual-core Cortex-A9 @ 1GHz chipset
512MB of RAM
PowerVR SGX543MP2 dual-core GPU
iOS 6 with Siri, iCloud support and activation
16/32/64GB of inbuilt storage

Weight of 308 grams (312 grams for the Wi-Fi + Cellular option)
Bluetooth 4.0
16.3Wh battery
Accelerometer, compass and three-axis gyro-sensor
Compatible with every iPad and iPhone app without any modifications
The base version costs less than a SIM-free iPhone 4, only $30 more than iPod touch
5MP auto-focus camera
1080p video recording at 30fps
1.2MP secondary camera capable of FaceTime calls, 720p recording
Four and five-finger gestures
1080p TV-output with the Apple Digital AV Adapter (purchased separately for $49), 1080p video streaming
Supports magnetic cases
Lightning connector
Stereo loudspeakers
Main disadvantages
More expensive than 7" Android tablets, only $70 cheaper than iPad 2
No Retina display, 162ppi only
Same chipset as iPad 2, now two generations old
iTunes still required for most of the content uploads
Reflective screen struggles outdoors
No standard USB port, Lightning accessories still rare and expensive
No GPS receiver in the Wi-Fi version
No memory card slot
Lack of basic iOS apps - stocks, calculator, voice memos
The disadvantage list may seem longer than usual but most of the items there are general complaints that apply to virtually all Apple products, like the absence of a memory card slot. The way we see it, there are three main problems with the iPad mini - the (relatively) low-res screen, the old chipset and the price.
Apple products have so far effortlessly hit it big with users despite their perceived limitations compared to the competition. The new crop of iPads - the iPad 4 and iPad mini - already sold in the millions.


The software - iOS 6 - should be very familiar to Apple users, but the hardware is new. It's not like the big iPads, which mostly varied in thickness, this one has been designed to comfortably hold in one hand and slip into a coat pocket.
Some analysts have gone as far as to say that the iPad mini will become the iPad - it's highly portable, capable enough and drawing on the vast resources of the Apple eco-system. And if you adjust for the "Apple tax", the mini isn't that expensive.
Jump to the next page to find out just what you're getting with the iPad mini.




Source:http://www.gsmarena.com

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10 iPad Apps Everyone Should Have

The first thing most people do after buying an Apple iPad is head to iTunes and start downloading apps. But with thousands to choose from, where do you start? Sure, Apple makes some recommendations, but who knows how they create their list. Apple also makes it pretty easy to see what is most popular, but does anyone really need three different versions of Angry Birds? If you want essential apps that improve almost everything you do with your iPad, start with this list of 10.
Before I continue, I should say that this is my personal list. Although I solicited suggestions from the PCMag staff, there was no way we could all agree on the same 10. To make it concise, I had to make it personal. So any omissions are my fault entirely. That said, I think the list is pretty killer. (If you're looking for the overall best iPad apps, check out our feature story.)

I had just a couple of requirements for this list. The apps had to have wide appeal among average users. Sketch for the iPad is certainly a killer app, but if your artistic abilities are like mine—the word "limited" comes to mind—it is useless to you. Likewise, the Bloomberg iPad App is the best way to track your investments, but, after a year with unemployment at over eight percent, precious few of us have those anymore. When I say these apps are essential for every man, woman and child, I mean it.
Before we get to the new winners, I should briefly mention the Apps that are getting bumped from the list. They are all still great apps, but they just can't keep their spots the top ten. Instapaper was simply replaced with a faster, more stable app that offers the same functionality. Others, like Angry Birds, just got old. But don't worry, change is good.
Of course, you are probably going to download and install a lot more than this, but consider these apps a great start. Click on the image below to start the slideshow and get all ten of my picks.

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