Tagged: iphone

iPhone 4S launches October 14, 2011 with the best smartphone camera, will it kill point and shoots?

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Many felt Apple’s announcement of iPhone 4S yesterday was a let down. The rumours on the web hyped the event to a degree where most people I spoke to believed an iPhone 5, totally revolutionary new iPhone, was about to be launched. Apple’s tick-tock refreshes aren’t new, and it’s so effective even Intel has adopted it in its recent roadmaps. So why beat yourself up about it?

It’s not all “bad” news, the new camera in the iPhone 4S is incredible for its form factor.

The new iPhone 4S camera consists of the following:

  • Sensor:
    • 8 megapixels (3264×2448 resolution)
    • Backside illumination (BSI)
    • Hybrid IR filter
  • Lens:
    • 5 elements
    • f/2.4 aperture
    • 4.3 mm focal length (35 mm equivalent of exactly 35 mm)

Apple was also able to utlize the Apple A5 SoC to process images, created what they dubbed as Image Signal Processor. Coupled with the new sensor and lens the iPhone 4S allows for 60% more pixels, 73% more light, 33% faster capture, 30% sharper image, 26% better white balance, better colour accuracy and uniformity, face detection.

When a video is being taken, the iPhone 4S can utilize its gyroscope to provide video stabilization.

Judging from the EXIF data from the iPhone 4S keynote photos, the camera can achieve ISO 64 without any problems, it’s likely able to shoot in ISO 50 at the lowest range. The exposure and shutter are fully automatic with the built-in app so it’s hard to tell exactly what you can do until someone gets one and tries it with Camera+.

If the recent Flickr camera usage data is of any indication, the point and shoot cameras marketshare may take an unhealthy dip in the coming year.

iOS 4.3 now allows FaceTime from iPhone 4 to email address

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Back in iOS 4.1 release the iPod touch was first given the ability to initiate FaceTime through email addresses. Then FaceTime for Mac came out of beta and it functioned the same. Then iPad 2 announcements came about, once again FaceTime was initiated through email. Finally after iOS 4.3 release the iPhone 4 (GSM model) now allows for the same FaceTime functionalities. 

I didn’t see this mentioned anywhere, felt like sharing. 

Is Android truly an open platform? TechCrunch doesn’t think so and they’re right!

This TechCrunch article by MG Siegler is very critical about the carrier limitations for Android devices. While most higher end Android phones can be rooted, ultimately a fresh device is just as closed, if not more, than an iOS powered iPhone.

In theory, I’m right there with you. The thought of a truly open mobile operating system is very appealing. The problem is that in practice, that’s just simply not the reality of the situation. Maybe if Google had their way, the system would be truly open. But they don’t. Sadly, they have to deal with a very big roadblock: the carriers.

This has been a major advantage of Apple actually. They were able to leverage their dominance as a hardware maker and stopped carriers to brand their firmware as they saw fit. This is a practice exercised on every carrier branded mobile phone before the iPhone came along. I remember it being so notorious that any phone I purchased would result in a research on the web about how to debrand it. Carrier loaded firmware is usually out of date and bloated with crapware.

FFS who in your circle of friends with an Android device actually run 2.2 Froyo? Yeah that’s right, somewhere down the line after Google finalized the code the roll out stopped. Having an Android means that unfortunately you may end up being at the mercy of the community developers that aren’t really responsible for bricking your phone. Tata, too bad so sad. Why do you think older Android devices lack resale value?

Before you blast me in comments, here’s an excerpt Siegler wrote that I thought addresses jailbreaking and rooting very well.

And before all of you pros storm the comments with how great it is to root your Android phones, consider the average consumers here. They are the ones being screwed by this exploitation of “open.” Anyone with the desire to do so can fairly easily hack an iPhone too. Open is not a reason to choose Android + carrier vs. iPhone + AT&T.

techcrunch.com

The beginning of an end: Mobile computing won

In-stat show some interesting statistics forecasting up until 2014. Basically in a nut shell: Desktop PC will continue to decline while notebooks and other mobile form factors begin to overtake.

For some reason they’re counting iPads as a mobile computer but not counting any other smartphones even though iPhone and iPod are just smaller siblings. I wonder how the bar graph will look when everything is added.

jkontherun.com

Is iOS 4.1 what you wished for?

Let’s see what we have here: bug fixes, HDR (OMG), 720p video upload (been available to jailbreakers for a while now), TV show rentals (is this a pre-amble to what’s later to come out of the Apple event today?) and Game Center.

The HDR is being demoed on stage right now and it’s pretty awesome. 1 key press will trigger 3 shutters and the OS will automatically create the HDR image. I wish my DSLR does this!

More to come as the day passes.