Apple unveils iPhone 4S
The iPhone 5 that everyone expected didn’t materialise. Instead Apple announced a souped-up version of the iPhone 4.
The iPhone 4S was unveiled at a special event at Apple’s headquarters early today and boasts a faster A5 processor and an improved 8 megapixel camera.
You can watch the video of the Apple event here.
But one of the most impressive features of the new device, to be released in Australia on October 14, will be a new voice command system called Siri.
The iPhone 4S, which will ship with the new iOS 5 onboard, will be available in 16GB ($799), 32GB ($899) and 64GB ($999) capacities in black and white versions.
The new iPhone 4S will be released on October 14
The iPhone 4 will still be available in a 8GB model with the 3GS also hanging in there with an 8GB model.
Anticipation was high ahead of the Apple event with speculation reaching fever pitch that a brand new iPhone would be released.
Many expected an all-new device with a larger screen and thinner form factor.
But the new iPhone 4S is a significant improvement with the faster A5 dual core processor – the same as that used in the iPad 2.
It also has up to 7x faster graphics which means it can easily handle graphics-heavy games and apps.
The iPhone 4S has an enhanced 8 megapixel camera which can shoot full HD video
Browsing the web on the Safari browser will also be up to twice as fast on the iPhone 4S.
Another new feature is the enhanced 8 megapixel camera which is capable of shooting full high definition video.
The new camera sensor can capture images with a resolution of 3264 x 2448. The sensor can also offer 73 per cent more light per pixel and capture images 33 per cent faster.
It also has face recognition, image stabilisation and better white balance.
But the most impressive feature of the new iPhone 4S is Siri – a new voice-activated digital assistant that can talk back to you.
The iPhone 4S features a new voice activated digital assistant called Siri
Users can ask Siri what the weather’s like and even if they need to take a raincoat.
This digital assistant can also let you make calendar entries, read out your text messages while you're driving and even reply with your voice.
Siri also extends to finding places close to your location. Users can ask iPhone 4S if it can find shops, restaurants, parking and many other points of interest close to their location.
Users can also ask Siri for directions and it will direct them to their destination GPS style.
It can also take dictation so you can say what you want to write in emails and text messages.
Another notable new feature is with the antenna.
Last year the iPhone 4’s central metal band, which also doubles as the antenna, caused a stir with some users able to reduce the number of coverage bars on the screen by gripping the device in the bottom left corner.
Now the new iPhone 4S has addressed this issue with a multi-antenna set-up that can intelligently switch between the two antennas on the device on the fly to find the best signal strength.
The iPhone 4S will also work faster on the networks with HSDPA compatibility to make it up to twice as fast as the iPhone 4.
Also built into the iPhone 4S is both GSM and CDMA radios so it will work across even more networks around the world.
Battery life has also been extended with eight hours talk time, 10 hours of video and 40 hours of music.
The iPhone 4S will be released on October 14. Pre-orders start October 7 and starts at $799 for the 16GB version.
The unlocked iPhone 4 8GB will be available for $679 and the unlocked iPhone 3GS 8GB is available for $449.
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APPLE
iOS5, iCloud and new iPods available October 12
IOS5 DUE OCT 12
The new iOS 5 operating system will be available from October 12 (Oct 13 Aust time) for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users.
This new software includes numerous updates and new features including reminders, notifications and free messaging between iOS devices.
The release date was revealed at Apple’s special media event which was held at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino.
Also announced was a refresh of the iPod range which includes a new white iPod Touch now available and capacity now 16GB, 32GB and 64GB and will be priced at $219, $329 and $439 respectively.
The iPod Nano (8GB $149; 16GB $169) has also been updated with larger onscreen icons to make it easier to navigate and 16 new clock faces following its popularity of being worn like a watch.
The new iPods will be available from October 12.
October 12 (Oct 13 in Australia) will also be the day when the iCloud services begin to allow content and documents to be shared between your iOS devices.
Tag :
APPLE
iPhone 4S pre-orders, Cards and Find My Friends apps
NEW APPS
Pre-orders for the new iPhone 4S will begin on October 7 ahead of the October 14 Australian release date – the same day it will be available in the US.
The new device, which was announced by Apple at its headquarters in Cupertino. See our full report here.
Also revealed today were two new apps created by Apple – Cards and Find My Friends.
Cards is an app which allows users to take their pictures and send them to Apple to turn into a greeting card.
Part of the service includes Apple mailing the card for you and even informing you when it has been delivered.
Australian pricing for this service has yet to be announced.
Another Apple app announced was Find My Friends which will be part of iOS 5. This app allows users to make their location visible on a map.
The new Cards app lets you send your pictures ti be turned into greeting cards. Picture: Engadget
This will come in handy if your trying to locate your friends or see where they are if they are planning to meet you.
Parents will also be able to see that their child got school and also keep track of their location of they need to be picked up.
There will be plenty of uses for this app and, before anyone complains that it is tailor made for stalkers, it is something which you can switch off so you don't show up on a map if you don’t want to.
Cards and Find My Friend will be available on October 12.
The Find My Friend app lets you find your friends on a map. Picture: Engadget.
Tag :
APPLE
Samsung Galaxy S II review
The release of the Samsung Galaxy S II has been met with huge anticipation and for good reason.
Following the success of the original Galaxy S there were high hopes for Samsung’s follow-up device. And those hopes have not only been met, they have been easily exceeded.
With a svelte design, razor sharp display, fast processor and impressive features, the Samsung Galaxy S II has set a new standard for Android smartphones.
The device is available now through Optus, on Telstra in July along with the 3 and Vodafone networks.
DESIGN
The Samsung Galaxy S II impresses the instant you hold it. The device is just 8.49mm thick and is also remarkably light at just 116g.
A few seconds later users will be impressed again when they see the 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display come to life. It has a resolution of 480 x 800 and looks so sharp it should come with a Band Aid.
Onscreen colours are bright and vibrant with the display showing the type of contrast and black levels would put many flatscreen TVs to shame.
It was also easy to read the screen outdoors in bright sunlight.
Covering the screen is a thin and lightweight sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass which offers a scratch resistant surface.
The Samsung Galaxy S II is just 8.49mm thick and weighs just 116g
The only button on the front of the device is the home key while the on/off/lock button sits on the thin right edge.
On the top is a 3.5mm headphone jack while a volume rocker button, which also doubles as a zoom control in camera mode, is on the left edge of the Galaxy S II.
The rear panel is where users will find the 8 megapixel camera with LED flash which can also capture full high definition 1920 x 1080 video at 30fps (frames per second). There’s also a 2 megapixel front-facing camera.
Pictures taken with the device were excellent in good lighting conditions and average in low light with the flash unable to illuminate the scene as well as a dedicated digital camera.
The auto focus camera also has several shooting modes including Beauty Shot, Panorama Shot, Smile Shot and Action Shot.
On the video side the Galaxy S II delivers. Users can set the resolution they want for the video depending on the amount of space they have on the device or on the microSD card.
Full high definition videos were sharp and clear even when displayed on a 50-inch television. We had to remind ourselves the video was shot with a smartphone.
FEATURES
The number of features shoehorned into this supermodel thin device is incredible.
Being an Android device there is, of course, the App Market’s most popular mini programs at your disposal.
But it’s Samsung’s extras which really stands the Galaxy S II out from the crowd.
There is even a Samsung Apps link which offers apps made just for Samsung Android devices.
The Samsung Galaxy S II has an impressive 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screenThere are also four hubs created for the user – Social, Reader, Music and Games.
Social hub puts all of your social networking, messaging and email into one place so it’s easy to see at a glance what’s going on in your world.
The other hubs for reader and games are portals to access content and the same goes for music which will go live later this year.
Speaking of content the Samsung Galaxy S II makes it easy to get your own content onto the device thanks to Kies Air.
Kies Air connects wirelessly on the same network as your computer through a web browser which means it will work regardless of whether you use a PC or a Mac.
When the app is activated the device displays a URL which is the address of the Galaxy S II.
Once this is typed into a browser users can not only view the existing content on aboard the device but also easily upload wirelessly even more content – pictures, music and videos.
One of our favourite features is Second TV – an app which can be utilised by Samsung Smart TV owners.
The Samsung Galaxy S II can stream the signal from the TV to enable the user to watch TV on the smartphone.
This is particularly handy if someone else is watching TV and you’d rather watch something else. It is now possible for the Galaxy S II to connect to the TV to watch different content to whatever is currently displayed on the TV screen.
The Samsung Galaxy S II can also act as a remote control for the Samsung Smart TV.
Users will find the device is also a fully-fledged GPS device thanks to the included Navigon app which can provide free turn by turn directions, parking options, alerts for safety cameras and live traffic reports.
And users in Australia and New Zealand will receive free map updates every three months.
It would have been nice to have HDMI Out on the Samsung Galaxy S II to share the full HD content it can so easily create on a high definition TV.
Content can be shared wirelessly right off the device using AllShare – Samsung’s name for DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) – with other compatible devices including TVs on your home network.
PERFORMANCE
There’s no point having all of these features on board without a good engine to drive it.
That engine comes in the shape of a 1.2Ghz dual core processor. It is easily up to the task and makes the Galaxy S II feel even sleeker.
The speed is impressive and most noticeable when opening and closing apps and switching from one of the seven home screens to the next.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system is on board and underneath the Samsung Live Panel user interface layer.
Live Panel deserves most of the credit for adding real polish to this Android device.
Customising the device to suit the user is made a lot easier with Live Panel and allows users to assign the size and position of their favourite apps, shortcuts and widgets.
The Samsung Galaxy S II is powered by a 1.2Ghz dual core processorThese widgets include a news apps to have the latest headlines at your fingertips, a buddy space to access your most often used contacts, an email summary to view your most recent messages and a list of your day’s activities.
A device with the capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy S II means it can easily be integrated into an enterprise situation.
Samsung’s Galaxy S II can be deployed among users in a large company and features Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and the all new Samsung Dive – a free remote find, lock and wipe service for added peace of mind if the device is ever lost or stolen.
The device’s virtual keyboard is a little fiddly and we found the predictive text was not as forgiving as we’d hoped and it couldn’t quite make out what we were trying to say even if we got just one letter wrong.
What comes to the rescue here is the included Swype typing which allowed us to simply link the letters we’d usually type without lifting our finger off the screen. This feature helped us zip through our messages and emails.
The browser aboard the Galaxy S II is also quite capable and the 4.3-inch screen and Flash compatibility allows websites to breathe so they can be read easily.
A feature we liked when browsing was the ability to hold two fingers on the screen to enable to screen to zoom in and out to simply by tilting the device up or down.
There is 16GB of memory on board the Galaxy S II and a memory slot to expand that by up to 32GB with a microSD card.
The battery got us through a complete day from early morning to late at night before we were asked to reconnect the charger.
Despite this we still managed to get a few hours out of the device the next morning before the battery was virtually as zero charge and we had to charge it again. This was impressive considering it has to power a 4.3-inch screen.
CONCLUSION
The Samsung Galaxy S II is an excellent smartphone – the best Android device we’ve seen and on par with the iPhone 4 in terms of design, style and breadth of features.
The size of the device, despite being so thin, may put some users off but that’s the by-product of having that large 4.3-inch screen. We didn’t find this a burden at all.
Samsung’s Galaxy S II has not only created a new benchmark for Android handsets – it has shown the amazing possibilities for all smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy S II
Price: $899 or on a 24-month plan.
Tag :
SAMSUNG
Samsung Smart TV features and price
The idiot box as we know is changing, they are getting more advanced and smarter.Samsung has launched the Samsung Smart TV in India that allows users to search TV shows, chat with friends, search movies and even browser the internet. But there is more to it this is a special Samsung TV that has apps build for it.
You might have explored and installed several apps on your mobile phone, well now you can do the same on Samsung Smart LED TV. All Samsung Smart TV’s comes with Smart Hub from where the users can access several features such as viewing movies, open web browser for surfing or launch apps that were downloaded on the Led TV.
samsung smart tv smart hub
The Samsung Smart TV comes with a build in web browser with which you can surf the internet. The web experience is optimized for use with the Smart TV. Apart from getting visually entertained you can even read news on the TV.
samsung smart tv browser
With the Search All function users can locate shows to watch and help organize related content even when your are viewing the live TV. There is also a video recommendation engine that suggest the latest videos based on users individual tastes.
samsung smart tv video recommendation
There are many apps available that can be downloaded on the Samsung Smart TV. For example Netflix, Blockbusters, YouTube and Hulu Plus to name a few. User can also get social updates from Twitter or Facebook.
samsung smart tv apps
To make use of internet the Samsung Smart TV needs to be connected to the Internet. Some Smart TV come with wi-fi build in and for some you will need to buy the wireless adapter called link stick which is sold separately.
If you are already using a broadband wireless connection at home you can easily share it will the Smart TV.
With a push of a button once can easily change the content from 2D to 3D for more thrilling experience. The display screen is 5mm ultra slim bezel.
Price of Samsung Smart TV
Price of Samsung Smart TV 8 Series
60D8000 LED TV Price Rs. 4,00,000
55D8000 LED TV Price Rs. 2,49,990
55D8000 LED TV Price Rs. 2,49,990
Price of Samsung Smart TV 7 Series
46D7000 LED TV Price Rs. 1,59,990
Price of Samsung Smart TV 6 Series
55D6600 LED TV Price Rs. 2,00,000
46D6600 LED TV Price Rs. 1,39,990
40D6600 LED TV Price Rs. 99,900
46D6000 LED TV Price Rs. 1,10,000
40D6000 LED TV Price Rs. 83,990
32D6000 LED TV Price Rs. 57,900
46D6600 LED TV Price Rs. 1,39,990
40D6600 LED TV Price Rs. 99,900
46D6000 LED TV Price Rs. 1,10,000
40D6000 LED TV Price Rs. 83,990
32D6000 LED TV Price Rs. 57,900
Price of Samsung Smart TV 5 Series
46D5500 LED TV Price Rs. 93,900
40D5500 LED TV Price Rs. 68,900
40D5500 LED TV Price Rs. 68,900
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SAMSUNG