Gadgets Blog » iPhone

The world of mobile devices has gotten more and more crowded over the last decade. In addition to phones and MP3 players, portable computers, gaming devices, handheld GPS units and other electronics have shed their wires and moved into compact casings. Along with the steadily decreasing bulk of these devices has come the integration of multiple applications into a single unit; you can make calls, get directions and listen to music on a smartphone like the Droid or the iPhone. And now Sony has presented users with a product that combines two of their most iconic electronics.

Part phone, part video game system, the Sony Ericsson and PlayStation have met and been combined in some type of Frankenstein-like creation. Back in August, Sony dropped hints that it was considering such a device, but this week, the company announced plans to move forward with its production. The latest entry in the Ericsson lineup features integration with the PlayStation, capable of producing graphics up to the classic console of the 1990s. Not only that, but the device will look much like the PSP Go, with a keypad and buttons similar to those on iconic video game controllers.

In Apple’s staggering line-up of products, gadget after gadget has seemingly entered the public consciousness. Since the introduction of the iPod, Apple has built a 21st century empire based around a strong brand image. Their products are innovative and simple to use, appealing to users across all demographics. The iPhone, iPad, and their new line of laptop computers have made them a relevant company after languishing in Microsoft’s shadow throughout the 1990s. Earlier this week, in addition to updates to their flagship products, Apple unveiled a new vision for a product that has been less than stellar: Apple TV.

Its not that this is a particularly new concept, or one that Apple hasn’t made an attempt at before. Apple TV originally was a little-known product offered up by the company, a small box plugged directly into your television. The device could access a video store and the internet through a simple connection, enabling you to stream videos to your big screen. While the idea sounds great on paper, slow connection speeds and poor availability doomed the project in the early days. It enjoyed a small following, but nothing compared to other mainstays of their company.

The new Apple TV looks to fix a number of these flaws. In what seems an attempt to recreate the success of the iTunes Music Store with videos, the new device features a wide array of videos available for streaming. There is a bit of a catch, however. First of all, the user is only able to “rent” the videos, meaning that instead of downloading them to a permanent library, you’re forced to stream them off the internet instead. For users wanting a handy collection, the new Apple TV doesn’t seem to be the right choice. Surely there’s a better way to implement this television and video-watching from the Internet idea.

In the 19th Century, thousands of everyday people flooded California in the hopes of striking it rich, panning and mining for gold. Instead, most lost everything and only a few found that elusive fortune.

The iPhone and Android have created the modern day version of a digital gold rush, as people download software to build cell phone applications and strike it rich at $1.99 a pop. Many of these developers are professional programmers, but a growing number are average people with a little computer knowledge and a dream of launching the next Pandora.

For the one guy in the Balkan Islands that hasn’t heard of cell phone applications, they are downloadable programs that do everything from ordering pizza and finding public restrooms to trivia games and fart noises. People download these apps to their phone for a small price, if not for free, but they are often ad supported.

The onset of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have allowed users to put unparalleled amounts of personal information on the Internet. While these sites enable people to stay connected to their friends and families, they also present some serious concerns about online privacy. In the wake of the Facebook privacy ordeal, concerns about security while on the world wide web have reached a pinnacle, meaning today’s topic is especially relevant. Even if you’re careful about what sort of information you provide to the Internet-at-large, you can still be opening yourself up to some major privacy concerns.

In an article on the finance portion of Yahoo News, trends in digital hacking are pointing towards an exploit of a little-known function for many smartphone cameras and digital cameras alike. Known as a GeoTag, many devices, including Apple’s iPhone, contain a small piece of data giving coordinates of the device’s location at the time a picture is taken. The GeoTag originates primarily in GPS enabled devices, and is a little-known functional element that hackers have begun to exploit. You don’t even have to be an expert to use a GeoTag. Browser plug-ins such as Exif Viewer and Opanda iExif enable anyone to see a map of where a picture was taken.

Here’s a roundup of some of the loudest buzz on the web:

• A Verizon iPhone to hit the market? Rumor has it that a Verizon iPhone will be available to consumers as soon as January 2011. Two reports are powering this buzz: (1) AT&T’s quarterly filing, which details the company’s strategic plan to reduce dependency on a “single handset” and (1) Apple’s recent orders for Qualcomm CDMA chipsets “for a Verizon iPhone run in December.”
• Speaking of iPhones: Mark Papermaster, the exec. in charge of the iPhone, left Apple in the midst of the iPhone 4′s antenna problems. Those in the know-how are not authorized to provide additional details.
• ComScore released demographic information about the behavior of men and women online. Women are in the majority when it comes to social networking, email, and IM, and women over 55 are the largest demographic of online gamblers.
• An adjustable parking meter? The City of San Francisco will be installing parking meters that adjust their rates based on demand in order to control the city’s tough parking situation. The test-run will last for two years.

This week, Microsoft unveiled what has to be one of the more exciting gadget-related stories of the year. Boasting a full-fledged preview in Engadget, similar in scope and depth as their notorious iPhone preview, the computing giant unveiled its tentative models for what could be their most important gadget of 2010.

The Windows Phone 7 marks an important area where Microsoft has lost ground to competitors like Google and Apple. The company may still have a relative lock on desktop computers, but as things stand now, portables like smartphones and tablets lack a consistent Microsoft product that can compete. Perhaps then, this would be the gadget to bring Microsoft back?

To be fair, it is a bit too early to tell just how great these phones will be. One key difference between Microsoft and Apple products is their manufacturing process. Microsoft designs the software on their phones, but the actual phone design and manufacturing is left up to other companies like HTC and Samsung. Apple, on the other hand, makes both software and hardware, creating what some feel is a better-integrated system. Microsoft’s Windows 7 has been fully integrated for mobile phones, replacing Windows Mobile 6.5, a product that was plagued with some less-than-stellar features.

The smartphone wars have been all over the news this week, and for good reason. Close on the heels of our Tuesday article about Google’s Android operating system overtaking Apple’s mobile OS in total market share, Sprint has unveiled the release date for its very first 4G phone, a gadget that could make some significant waves in the realm of mobile computing.

Called the HTC EVO 4G and sporting the latest version of Android, Engadget reports that the device will be filled with a host of features making it the most advanced smartphone on the market. Seeing as Sprint (and Android) will be beating Apple to the punch with a 4G phone, it’s entirely possible this could be a game-changer for Sprint as a mobile carrier. Engadget reports the following:

What initially seemed like a remarkable scoop has generated a significant amount of backlash for tech-news bloggers Gizmodo. When an Apple employee allegedly left a prototype next-generation iPhone at a California pub, the device changed hands quickly, eventually winding up in the hands of the website. While the actual means of acquiring this device has been in question, with some sources claiming they purchased the unit for as much as $5,000, this week brought about an entirely new chapter in this saga, that has sharply divided the Internet.

At the center of the entire ordeal is the iPhone itself, the legendary unit boasting increased battery life, resolution, and most importantly, 4G technology. Last Monday, Gizmodo ran an extensive look at the phone in an article authored by Jason Chen. Yesterday, Chen arrived home from dinner with his wife to find a crew of Silicon Valley police searching his home and confiscating any devices listed as under his control. The police had a legitimate search warrant, despite the fact that Gizmodo had complied when Apple asked for the device to be returned. Businessinsider.com offered up Chen’s description of events, in which he also details the items taken from his home.

So what sort of legal ramifications are at stake here? The status looks grim. According to the California penal code, buying a $5000 stolen item is a felony, regardless of whether or not the item was returned, as is the case. In the mean time, as lawyers begin to sort out this entire ordeal, bloggers are divided as to the leak of the iPhone itself. Was Gizmodo in the wrong for buying the device in the first place, or is Apple really the tail wagging the dog? Some have speculated that the entire stunt was envisioned by Apple, who have received incredible amounts of free publicity. At the same time, the search and seizure of Chen’s property would indicate that theory a bit invalid. Using the police to harass the blogger who netted so much exposure would be a faux pas.

The folks over at Gizmodo had themselves quite the time with their most recent story. Some poor sod at a bar in Redwood City accidentally left a next-generation iPhone behind, which Gizmodo claims was “camouflaged to look like the iPhone 3Gs.”

Except it wasn’t, and the results of some keen hacking and testing were posted to their website in a news story that has gadget nerds salivating to be sure. The features of this new addition to the Apple family are certainly exciting, and represent some interesting changes in function that could really shake up the next round of smartphones. Design-wise, the gadget looks like an iPhone in an iPod classic body. The rounded corners and three-dimensional build make it look quite distinct from an ordinary iPhone.

The screen is vivid and clear, with resolution at a staggering 960×640, making for exceptional application use and crystal clear images. The device sports two cameras now, one mounted on the back for taking pictures and one on the same side of the screen, presumably for video chatting (!!!). The operating system is Apple’s brand new iPhone OS 4.0, which Gizmodo claims the phone was running prior to the official announcement of such a thing.

Weighing in at 3 grams heavier than the older models, it boasts a larger battery on the inside, presumably extending the life of one of Apple’s flagship products. Other technical changes are exciting, yet a bit puzzling at the same time. The smartphone uses Micro SIM cards, which is likely to be the industry standard in the future. Yet this development is a bit puzzling in light of the iPad’s release. Many were surprised to find out that Apple had not adopted the Micro SIM card for their tablet computer, and now it’s introduction onto the iPhone, and the announcement that the iPhone OS 4.0 will support multitasking, place some questionable light on Apple’s development of two of its featured products.

Ultimately though, Apple will continue to be the trendsetter for smartphones with the release of the next iPhone, and indeed there is much to be excited about, provided Gizmodo’s specifications are correct. If the introduction of the front-facing camera does indeed signal that video chatting will be present on the next generation of iPhones, then perhaps we are looking at applications to 4G technology that will revolutionize telecommunications. It seems as though Steve Jobs and company have created another winner, one that will dominate the market and thrill users for some time to come. Image Source: flickr.com/photos/niw/3347008791

For today’s tech roundup, we’ve got a variety of news involving all sorts of nifty gadgets! While this week was a bit of a media cool-down following the release of the iPad, there were still some important stories to go around, and one even involves Apple!

But first, on the larger end of the gadget spectrum: electric, high-speed trains! On Wednesday, United States lawmakers in California and executives at General Electric started a partnership designed to bring bullet trains to the Bear Republic. But it turns out they’re getting some help from a rather unlikley source: the Chiense Government! Don’t believe me? An article from the New York Times spills all the details, including the licensing of federal Chinese technology to GE to aid in the manufacturing of electric locomotives. The California High Speed Rail Authority was impressed by China’s recent prolific development in the realm of high-speed rail: they opened a staggering 1200 miles of track in 2009, all of it capable of running engines at 215 miles per hour.

And in another bout of legal ridiculousness involving the internet, a 16 year old boy has filed a harassment complaint against his own mother after she changed the passwords to his email and Facebook accounts. Lane New said in a written statement that his mother had posted several slanderous things on the social networking site regarding his personal life. While neither he nor his mother would identify said slanderous things, a victory for the teen would likely reinvent the parent-child dichotomy the world over! A possible end to curfews everywhere?