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 iPhone 4S personal assistant Siri tells stories

The Apple iPhone 4S exclusive voice prompted personal assistant Siri continues to spring surprises with latest reports revealing the system is capable of telling stories, albeit with some reluctance

Siri, the voice activated personal assistant on Apple’s latest smartphone offering, the iPhone 4S is capably of telling stories following continued nagging.

Despite being the subject of a series of security flaws Siri has made a number of headlines for its pre-programmed witty answers to a number of anticipated questions. The latest addition to this growing list is the systems ability to tell a story upon continued prompting.

The latest quirky Siri feature reportedly sees the iPhone 4S’ party piece try back out of telling a story stating it is “not much of a storyteller” before reeling off a comical fairytale.

“Once upon a time, in a virtual galaxy far far away, there was a young, quite intelligent agent by the name of Siri,” the system’s response reads. “One beautiful day, when the air was pink and all the trees were red, her friend Eliza said, “Siri, you’re so intelligent, and so helpful – you should go work for Apple as a personal assistant.””

Siri’s story ends in true fairytale fashion stating “So she did. And they all live happily ever after.”

Apple iPhone 4S Features

Exclusive to the Apple iPhone 4S, Siri has become the lead talking point of Apple’s latest pocket blower with the handset’s other notable inclusions inclusion the same ARM dual-core processor found within the Apple iPad 2 and a new, fully optimized 8-megapixel rear-mounted camera with 1080p full HD video recording capabilities.

Have you snapped up an Apple iPhone 4S already, what is the funniest response you have had from Siri? Let us know via the comments box below.

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Windows Phone 7.8 update dated for Q1 2013

The first hint as to Microsoft's plan for owners of last-generation Windows Phone 7.5 handsets has been provided by the company's Brazilian arm, suggesting that an upgrade is due early next year.

Windows Phone 7.5 dates back to 2011 and introduced numerous new features to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform ahead of the launch of Windows Phone 8. Those who had upgraded were hopeful for an eventual transition to the newer Windows Phone 8 OS, but those hopes were dashed by Microsoft's announcement that Windows Phone 8 would be exclusive to new handsets. Instead, Windows Phone 7.5 users are to be provided with a 'stop-gap' upgrade, Windows Phone 7.8, which back-ports some of the new features of Windows Phone 8 to older handsets.

Originally, Microsoft had planned to launch the Windows Phone 7.8 update alongside Windows Phone 8 in October, but that date has been and gone with no sign of the software for existing Windows Phone users. Microsoft has been silent on the reasons for the delay, and had yet to publicly comment on a revised launch schedule for the software until the company's Brazilian arm broke cover with a promise that the update would be launched by early next year.

Answering a customer's query as to the status of the update via microblogging site Twitter, the company explained that Windows Phone 7.8 will be launching in Brazil in the first quarter of 2013. With Microsoft originally planning a US launch for the software and then an international roll-out over the weeks following, it seems likely that Windows Phone 7.5 users should be offered the update by March next year at the latest.

Still to be announced, however, are the features from Windows Phone 8 that will be coming to older handsets as part of Windows Phone 7.8. Although a new start screen with customisable tiles is known to be part of the update, the remainder of the features are being kept under close wraps by Microsoft until closer to launch.


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Android 4.2 "Daydream" mode

One of the new features of Android 4.2 that hasn't gotten much mention recently is the new "Daydream" mode. It hasn't gotten much play because unlike the other major updates like the gesture keyboard, Daydream mode is a flashy extra, but it is quite a nice one. If you've gotten the Android 4.2 update, you'll find Daydream kind of hidden in Settings>Display>Daydream.

It is essentially a screensaver, although it will only turn on under certain conditions. You can set your Android device to start Daydreaming either when the device is docked, when it is charging, or both. As the Daydream mode, users can choose between having the device display the clock, shifting colors, Google Currents headlines, or photos.

The clock and colors are fairly basic (although the clock has a nice feature to set the display to a "very dim mode", which is great for a bedside table), but this may be the first interesting use of Google Currents that we've seen. Currents has always been somewhat overshadowed by other apps that do the same sort of thing like Flipboard, Pulse News, or Feedly. Unfortunately, we say it is an interesting use of Currents because it isn't exactly useful. While it is nice to see the headline scroll of Currents in Daydream, it isn't interactive at all, so you can't tap an interesting headline to jump into the story. So, the whole thing ends up feeling a bit pointless.

Photos can be displayed in two different modes, either a slideshow, or as a "photo table" (basically a collage). For either option, users can choose to show photos that are on the device, or select any or all of your Google+/Picasa photo albums to cycle through. That is a great option for anyone who uses Google+/Picasa, or keeps all of their photos on their Android device at all times. But, if you use Flickr, Facebook, or Instagram, and don't keep copies on your device, this feature won't really do much for you.

Overall, Daydream mode is a nice new feature, and we can see some pretty interesting potential there for offering more options, but it definitely feels like a first attempt, and there is a reason why the feature is a bit buried. We'd love to see more services be able to hook into it, and we'd love to see the displays be more interactive, especially with headlines.



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Sony Xperia J Review

Introduction:

Sony has a good track record for delivering decent mid-range Android smartphones at very competitive price points, and the Xperia J is the latest handset to join the party. Its 4-inch display and beefy battery are among the features that make it stand out, at least when comparing specs sheets with alternative offerings. A 1GHz processor, a 5-megapixel camera, and a VGA front-facing snapper are also in stock, meaning that the Sony Xperia J could be a bargain hunter's dream handset. But how does the smartphone perform in reality? Well, there's only one way to find out so let's fire it up and put the J through its paces.

Design:

As one would expect from a smartphone situated in the lower mid-range category, plastic is the predominant material that the Sony Xperia J is made of. The device's front side looks quite plain and boring, but its curved back side is a lot funkier and easily makes the handset stand out. With its matte finish, the smartphone's battery cover is extremely resistant to fingerprints, all the while providing enough grip, thus allowing us to comfortably hold and operate the device with a single hand.
With the Sony Xperia J you get a pair of notification lights. One of them is located right next to the earpiece and indicates when the smartphone is charging, but the one you'll probably find a lot more useful is at the bottom. It is of the RGB kind, so depending on what kind of notification you have pending – be it a new text, a new Facebook message, or a “Low battery” warning, the light glows in a different color. The light is hidden under the phone's plastic panel, so you won't see it unless it is on.

Display:

The 4-inch LCD display on the Sony Xperia J is actually quite good. At 480 by 854 pixels, it may not be worthy of having an “HD” tag attached to it, yet with its 245 pixels per inch, the amount of detail it treats our eyes to is sufficient for the device's class. Moreover, the panel has a pretty neutral color representation, so colors look neither too dull, nor too saturated. We were also pleased to see that the display exhibits very wide viewing angles, and it shines bright enough to be usable in broad daylight. It is a bit annoying, however, that due to the lack of an ambient light sensor, you'll have to adjust the screen's brightness yourself, either by going to the Settings menu or with the help of a widget.

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Sony Xperia T review

Back when the driving seat was shared with Ericsson, Sony was a little short of delivering a real winner in the high-end market, the company's top-range smartphones always a notch below the Galaxy S lineup and their HTC counterparts. Now on their own, Sony cannot shy away from the toughest of battles and the Sony Xperia T is ready to be thrown in the fire.

A true flagship, the Sony Xperia T comes properly powered by a Snapdragon S4 chipset, boasting a class-leading 13MP camera and a marvelously sounding 720p display. There's no quad-core on its resume, but the Xperia T is ready to take on the best Android offerings out there.

Key features

Quad-band GSM /GPRS/EDGE support

3G with 42.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA

4.55" 16M-color capacitive LED-backlit LCD touchscreen of 720p resolution (720 x 1280 pixels) with Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine; Scratch-resistant glass

Android OS v4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich

Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait CPU, 1 GB RAM, Adreno 225 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260A chipset

13 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geotagging, Multi Angle shot

1080p video recording @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo sound

1.3 MP front-facing camera, 720p video recording

Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA

GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS

16GB of built-in storage, microSD card slot

microUSB port with MHL and USB-host support

Stereo Bluetooth v3.1

Standard 3.5 mm audio jack

Stereo FM radio with RDS

Voice dialing

Deep Facebook integration

PlayStation Certified, access to the PS Store

Accelerometer and proximity sensor

NFC connectivity

Main disadvantages

Display has sub-par viewing angles for a flagship

Slightly thicker than main rivals

Relatively modest battery

JellyBean update not available at launch

Poor loudspeaker performance

Video recording could be better

The Sony Xperia T hasn't got the raw muscle of some of its rivals, but there's enough to get you interested. And once you go and give it a try, the design and handling will hardly let you down. In a smartphone market as crowded as today's, handsets with this much character are hard to come by. Now, a grateful nod is well in order to old allies and the Xperia Arc.

Setting record benchmark scores is one thing, but having an excellent chipset in a body that's great to look at is to many a more than even tradeoff. The Sony Xperia T should not be afraid of facing its rivals in a raw processing power battle, though it's the beauty contests it enjoys the most.

And then there's the software enhancements, to which Sony paid more than enough attention. The Android ICS on the Xperia T comes with a great-looking UI, which Sony claims is also one of the most functional around.

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