Mozilla is working on bringing a revised version of Firefox to the iPad

June 18, 2012 by

Mozilla has announced on their website air Mozilla that they are working on bringing a revised version of Firefox to the iPad. Their aim is to bring out a browser that is best suited to the form factor of the iPad,this browser also aims to beat Apple’s Safari browser in terms of  usability and looks and it also promises to make browsing more of a pleasurable experience.  The project is called codenamed “Junior”. The browser is going to feature a minimalist design, there will be no tabs or address bar taking up the space, so providing you with a less distracting full screen Internet surfing experience. The only buttons you will get on the browser are two buttons, which will give you access to the usual features that are on most browsers such as bookmarks url/search bar,etc.

Alex Limi, who is a product designer for Mozilla said on the website air Mozilla that, 

“We wanted to make something entirely new. We wanted to look into how we could reinvent the browser for a new form factor,” adding that Safari on ipad is “a miserable experience”. “There are a lot of reasons we should be on iOS even though we can’t bring our rendering engine there.”

Mozilla will be entering an already overcrowded ios market. It seems that they will have their work cut out to make an impact, due to the advanced features being already offered by their competitors on ios, such as the ability to view flash content ect. Whether they are able to make an impact it’s anyone’s guess.  

No official date has been given by Mozilla for the release of their browser for the iPad. Let’s hope it will not be too long.

Filed Under: Apple Tagged With: , , , , ,

The iPhone 5 could be getting swappable camera lenses

June 16, 2012 by

The iPhone 5 could be getting swappable camera lenses according to  a website called Apple Insider.  They go on to state that there has been a patent filing that contains information of a system that enables you to change optics on the iPhone 5. It’s important to note that to be able to change the optics on the iPhone Apple would have  to have a removable back panel, which Apple has never previously adopted. The back panel could have two lenses built into it, changing lenses could be as easy as flipping the case around.  This patent could pave the way for a macro lens to be made that reduces the minimum focal distance, which would enable photos to be taken of  nearer objects, who knows what other type of lenses that could be made available. There could even be an option to have a choice of lenses with different filters on them. The patent application also points out that Apple could be also planning to introduce better image and  and shutter technology. 

 

Its worth pointing out that there are no guarantees that this technology is actually in the works with Apple, because in the past they have not always acted on their patents.

 

However if Apple were to introduce this option this could pave way for Apple to introduce a replaceable battery option, which most devices support these days.  

 

Source: AppleInsider

Filed Under: Iphone XS and G8 news Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Apple announces iOS 6 at the world wide developers conference

June 12, 2012 by

Yesterday iOS 6 was announced at the world wide developers conference 2012 event, it brings around 200 new features to iOS. Many of the rumoured features were included in this update. One of the most anticipated updates is the introduction of their own Mapping software, up to now they have relied on Google for their maps. According to the website called Slash Gear TomTom is also going to supply the data for the maps, but not much information regarding this matter has been released yet. There was just a small press release from Tom Tom, stating that.

“ TomTom has signed a global agreement with Apple for maps and related information,” and that “No further details of the agreement will be provided.”

This update will add extra functionality to their mapping software such as turn-by-turn navigation,better Siri map integration,3D city views etc.

Apple’s decision to move away from Google was probably influenced by that fact that they have become bitter rivals in recent times. 

IOS 6 brings other new features such as Facebook being fully integrated into the software in the same way as twitter is, so making it easier to share photos and data with facebook. Apple’s facetime is going to be able to work with cellular networks, which was highly welcomed.  Siri will also be improved with this update and it will be made available on the new ipad and the ipad 2.

There will also be a feature available that enables you put on hold all calls and messages, if you want to do this you will just need to look for the ”Don’t want to be disturbed” option on your device.  Apple is also introducing with this update a feature called passbook, this will be like a virtual wallet, which lets you store all your boarding passes, tickets and gift cards and other important documents. Passbook will come to life when you enter a place were your are documents relevant and your documents will pop up automatically. To use this feature you will have to have your location services switched on.

There are many other interesting updates in iOS 6, if you want to find out more just go to Apple.com

It worth pointing out that Apple has missed the opportunity again to add Adobe flash and Blue-tooth file sharing to it’s arsenal, which Android has offered from day one.

IOS 6 is expected to be released in the autumn. Its release will probably coincide with the release of the new iPhone, which most likely will be released in September or October this year.  

If you want to try some of the exciting new features all you need to do is just get a developers account and download iOS 6 beta from Apple. However its worth pointing out that the iOS 6 beta download is unstable at the moment and some of the features have not been implemented yet. 

 

 

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Will the iphone 5 be announced at the WWDC event

June 11, 2012 by

Soon we will find out whether the iphone 5 is getting launched at the WWDC, which starts today. A keynote announcement is expected today, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook begins at 10am PT/ 1:00p.m. EST.  Many are hoping for the iphone 5 release, but it is most likely that this event will focus on software rather than hardware. It will most probably be centred around iOS 6 and Apple’s Mac OS X Mountain Lion OS.  But who knows what Apple has planned, they don’t always stick to exact time frames when they release products. Look at last year everybody was expecting the new iPhone to be released in June 2011, instead Apple opted to release it in October.  It’s even possible Apple could make an announcement regarding the iPod at this event, because the rumoured iPod touch 5g is long overdue.

You can follow the events as they happen on abcnews or CNET

 

 

 

 

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Apple plans to release Siri on the iPad

June 5, 2012 by

Apple is planning to implement Siri to the Ipad. It is expected to come included with the new iOS 6 software, which is expected to be announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which starts  on June 11.  

According to 9to5Mac who are a reliable source, Siri will have identical features to what the current iphone 4S Siri has  such as iMessaging, Weather, Calendar managing, Music playback, Reminders  and Maps integration. But there are a few differences, the phone-related commands, which are on the iphones version are not included.  Its seems also likely that the Siri ipad version will not occupy all the screen like the iphone version did, according to 9to5Mac instead it will be presented on small pop up window, 9to5Mac  go on to say that there will also be an option to activate it  from the lock screen.

Lets hope the older ipad models will get Siri too. If they don’t there is going to be a lot of disgruntled customers.   

Filed Under: Apple Tagged With: , , ,

The new smaller SIM format gets standardised

June 1, 2012 by

The new smaller SIM format war is over and gets standardised. There have been a few companies competing  for their proposed size to become the industrial standard such Apple, Motorola,Nokia and Rim. There appears to be no outright winner instead there has been a compromise in size to keep all the companies happy.  This new size was agreed today during a meeting at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute in Osaka, Japan. 

This size appears to be closest to what size Apple had proposed. The new sim card will measure 12.3 mm x 8.8 mm, with a thickness of 67 mm. Overall it will mean a 40% reduction in size. The good news is that the new SIM card will work with existing devices. In order to make it fit it will just have to be paired with a carrier frame, which can then be inserted into a device.

 


Filed Under: Other tech news and developments Tagged With: , , , , ,

Dell realises the XPS One 27 to take on Apple

May 30, 2012 by

Dell has just released the XPS One 27 to take on Apple’s iMac. This PC is considered the first serious competition to Apple’s iMac from any manufacturer. It has a great line up of top end features that will make most PC owners lust for it.

It comes with a larger 27 inch “Full Quad HD” screen with a resolution of 2560-by-1440, which provides an amazing viewing experience. The XPS One 27 also comes packed with Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge processors, which will provide a supper slick experience. The 2TB of storage it has will be enough for even the most demanding user. This PC also comes with a 16GB of RAM, that will provide you with a ultra smooth experience with no glitches, there is even a option to select discrete graphics card to further boost your multimedia experience.

This PC blows Apple’s iMac out of the water in a number of ways, firstly Apple comes with a slower Intel quad-core processor which is based on the chip maker’s older Sandy Bridge architecture. If you buy a XPS One 27 you get a larger screen 27 inch screen vs the 21 inch screen that you get with the iMac’s cheapest model.  Apple’s iMac also looses out on the price front too, it for example has a starting price of $1,699 vs $1,399 for the XPS One 27.

Its important to note that this battle does not ultimately come down to hardware, the choice between operating systems will have a large influence on the buyer too. When the XPS One 27 release is combined with the release of Windows 8, which is just around the corner it might just be enough to persuade many avid Apple users to come into the Windows fold. 

The XPS One 27 is out now in the US and some Asian countries. It is expected to be released in other countries around the world within a few weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Tablets & PCs Tagged With: , , , ,

Apple has taken control of a domain called iphone5.com

May 22, 2012 by

Apple has taken control of a domain called the iphone5.com, which was a site that focused on providing the latest iphone 5 rumours.  A few weeks ago Apple filed a complaint to the world Intellectual Property Organization, claiming that this website has stolen Apples intellectual property. According to The Next Web  the world Intellectual Property Organization has now made its judgement by siding with Apple.  Now the  website has been taken over and transferred to a Corporation Service Company, this is a company that specialises in brand protection and is apparently in the employ of Apple.

 This type of action taken by Apple is not new, the company has taken action to protect its brand names in the past on a number of occasions. The domain  iPods.com was a classic example of this move by Apple. But Apple have not always opposed certain domain names that carry its trademarks. 

 

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Samsung Galaxy S3 has received over 9 million pre-orders

May 20, 2012 by

Samsung’s latest version of its flagship phone has received over 9 million pre-orders for Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone from more than 100 global carriers in just a week after it was announced according to the  Korea Economic Daily.

These sales are quite staggering, the Samsung Galaxy S3 took around six months to sell 10 million phones and 11 months to sell 20 million,” according to the MailOnline., This looks like it could be a match for the iphone 5 which is likely to be released in a few months time. Apple at the moment are predicting poor Q3 results, due to people waiting until the iphone 5 get released.

The phone will first go on sale on May 29 in Europe and then it will be slowly released  to other countries around the world. The US is set to receive it on June 1 and it will be available on all carriers.

Filed Under: Android Tagged With: , , , ,

Apple to censer the word jailbreak in itunes

May 17, 2012 by

Apple has censored the word jailbreak in its itunes store and ibooks store. Now the word jailbreak comes up like this “j*******k”. At the moment it has only come to the US store according the MacRumors discussion boards, but we are in no doubt it will also reach the UK store soon. 

This issue was first reported by iOS hacker Planetbeing and then by  Shoutpedia.

This will do nothing to stop jail breaking, because those who see the need to jailbreak will continue to do so as long as they can continue to gain the extra benefits from doing so. 

Filed Under: Other tech news and developments Tagged With: , , , ,