According to The Wall Street Journal, Richard Piasentin, the embattled smartphone maker’s US managing director, has been fired and a large number of layoffs are being planned as well.
This doesn’t bode well, and I sincerely hope this is just part of the turnaround and not demise of Blackberry.
Apple released its third beta for iOS 7. This features a number of changes, many of which are slight cosmetic changes including –
– Mail has tweaked search bar
– Music controls are slightly redesigned
– Clock icon in control centre is tweaked
– Weather app has had a change to the fonts
– Safari has seen some notable UI enhancements for the tab/bookmarks via on the iPad, in the loading bar for iPad/iPhone, and in Private Browsing mode.
– Calendar now shows which days you have events on
– Time on Lock Screen while playing music.
– Tweaked interface when clicking a key in Calculator.app
– Slight Game Center UI tweaks.
– Tweaked UI for wallpaper chooser.
– New silent control in iPad Control Center
– New app icon loading UI for download apps:
– Slightly tweaked pull-to-refresh animation in Mail app.
– New App Store tab buttons.
– Siri is much faster to navigate.
– Nice new UI for arranging tab-bar icons
– Yellow selection UI in notes
– New animation while accessing Spotlight
– Various font changes all over.
– Perhaps an even more improved voice in Siri
– Some transparencies removed from iPhone 4S (particularly in Siri)
– Some UI button tweaks in iTunes Radio
– Dictionary feature is now active:
I’m sure there are more tweaks along with tons of bug fixes. All in all, iOS 7 is shaping up to be something excellent.
What do you think?
Yesterday I decided to take refuge from the heatwave in the South West of England in my local Apple store and Carphonewarehouse, as you do 🙂
In terms of air conditioning the Apple store was super cool inside, apart from any tech of course.
So my venture into the Apple store was a short affair, just buying another Apple TV remote to replace the one damage by one of our labradors. So off to CPW to check out what goodies they had in store. I was keen to see the Nokia Lumia 925. Luckily they had one in a greyish finish.
First up, it looked rather nice with a sort of uniformed rectangular look and curved sides. Holding it in the hand was comfortable due to the curved sides. The screen and overall phone size felt good to , that is not too small and not too big. I personally like the windows operating system and was able to manage when I had the Lumia 620 using the available apps. Gaming apps needed a larger selection Anyway, back to the 925. I liked the grey finish and moving between apps and menus is a typical windows phone affair. The 925 was very fluid and produced a good first impression. The reason I was interested in this phone is its camera, which is excellent.
However, I wish it had more than 16gb memory. I gather Vodafone currently has the exclusive on the 32gb model. The photos I snapped in the store looked rather good. Obviously, the 925’s low light skills working well.
Overall, I was quite pleased with the 925.
That’s right. You will have read, or will read I spent 10 minutes with the Nokia Lumia 925, but 3 times the time with the Samsung Mega.
So let me start by saying this phone is absolutely HUGE HUGE HUGE and HUGE. It makes the Samsung Galaxy Note seem small, the Samsung Galaxy S4 pint sized and the iPhone 5 a dinky toy. The Mega comes with a whopping 6.3 inch screen versus the iPhone 5 which is 4 inches.
First up, I loved the large form factor. Using the S-Planner app the month view on the Calendar displayed so beautifully. Everything from lists, photos , in fact any app just looked so clear on the big display. It also felt okay in the hand and I wouldnt have a problem making phone calls with it. For long phone calls, a Bluetooth headset may be a better option. In terms of styling it followed the Samsung look, so was durable plastic. Unlike the Note that has a stylus, this phone doesn’t.
I spent a lot of time trying out all the various functions and came away with one thought. Why didn’t Samsung include some proper specifications. This large slab has only 8gb of memory and then has many other features reduced. Shame.
I can see the Sony Z Ultra fitting well in my hand which has a 6.44 inch screen, now that I have seen and held the Mega.Â
iOS 7 is currently in beta form and will grace the next iPhone and older Apple devices.
However within the beta was coding that revealed that the next iPhone should be able to record video at a staggering 120 frames per second, along with slow motion.
With these specs DSLR cameras will be obsolete in a few years.
Engadget published leaked photos of the LG G2, the upcoming flagship smartphone from LG. It is a monster powerhouse with all the latest specs.
As you can see it looks very similar to the LG Nexus 4, although somewhat slimmer. Rather unusual is the volume button arrangement on the rear instead of the side edges.
Also fairly obvious from the photos is the ultra thin bezel.
From these pictures, the LG G2 should features 2gb ram, 32gb internal memory plus micro sd card expansion, Snapdragon 800 processor running at 2.3 Ghz, 5.2 inch 1080p screen. In other words a computer in your pocket.
My only concern is what is LG’s Unique Selling Point. All phones look similar nowadays so its needs something different.
Good news, Apple and Amazon end their legal battle of the use of the word App Store. Apple had thought it owned the term, and sued Amazon when they launched their own Appstore.
I personally do not like these lawsuits, but it shows common sense prevails eventually as only the lawyers win in these cases.
Twitter announced on its blog that it had made changes to its apps across android, iOS and the mac and web to provide a better unified look and direct message syncing.
So now if you read a direct message on your iPhone it will show read on your android tablet or vice versa. Search has been improved too, and the iOS app has finally caught up with the android app and offers tweet composer for better new tweet operation.
However, the tablet design on android is still the phone version and looks terrible. Your tweets aren’t sync across timelines.
I did notice that the android app has had a few cosmetic tweaks and changing the notification sound now works.
So what else would you like the official twitter app to offer?
This caught my eye yesterday and is a good example of a large corporate company treating its customers unfairly.
Headlined: “Pay as you go pricing just got simpler,” the message said: “Pay by the minute – and always know how much credit you have left. Calls on Pay as you go are getting simpler from 1 August 2013. No more complicated pricing by the second – just clear, straightforward per minute charges.”
So if a call is one minute and 37 seconds long, you will be charged as two minutes. “That way, you’ll always know exactly how many minutes you have left.”
The change affects calls to UK and international landlines and mobiles.
Just in case you can’t work the maths, a call lasting 62 seconds that currently costs 26p will, from 1 August, cost 50p – an increase of 92%.
Nothing simple about this new idea, just one way to rake more money in, and affect those that can least afford the increases.
I have been known to change my phone several times a year, but they are all rumours if course. That means I get to use a wide variety of phones from different manufacturers and operating system. I really don’t favour any operating system, just prefer one over the other dependant on their current hardware.
So at one point in time I changed from a Samsung Galaxy S3 to an iPhone 5, even though on paper the S3 was more capable from a technical point of view. But compared to the feel and build of the iPhone 5 it didn’t stand a chance. And as a gamer, iOS still has the deeper catalogue of games, although android is rapidly catching up. Those that read my blog will know that I currently have the HTC One. I have had this nearly 3 months which is a record time for most of my phones. To recap my phone history, from 2012 to today’s date I have owned an iPhone 4S, then a Samsung Note, Samsung S3, iPhone 5, Note 2, Nokia Lumia 620, Samsung S4 and finally the HTC One. Tablet wise has been a lot simpler. From 2012 I have had the iPad 2, iPad Mini, several faulty Nexus 7’s and finally the Sony Xperia Z Tablet. I don’t keep my old phones, just sell them normally to my friends. In case anyone says, what about Blackberry well I have a mandatory blackberry phone supplied by work. Its crap apart from a decent battery life and able to survive multiple drops. I suppose that’s a good thing really. It also has amazing signal reception. I just don’t like it.
Using all the various devices, I start to compile a list of what would make the best phone that I could keep for a really long time. And just when I think I have mastered this list, along comes a few new must have features. So what makes the perfect smartphone for me?
1. Design – it must look good. I can’t bear the thought of holding something too bland and flimsy. The HTC One and iPhone 5 both score highly here.
2. Durability – being able to survive a drop, waterproof and dust proof. The Samsung S4 is probably better made to survive a fall, as its easier to replace the parts. In terms of being waterproof and dustproof this goes to Sony Xperia Z. Owning the Z Tablet has made me realise this is actually a really good feature. I use to have a thing about buying phone cases. Since owning the Z Tablet I now realise there is no point. I can take the tablet anywhere , take photos in the rain. The Z range is not compromised specs either.
3. Camera – the expression the best camera is the one in your pocket is so true. The HTC One camera does a lot of things brilliantly. Fast shutter speed, Zoe mode which means you edit after not choose the mode before. This makes for more shots capturing the moment. It also makes an instant 30 second video highlight of an event. The file sizes are small so are quick to share on any social network. Video in 1080p with image stabilisation. But for landscapes the 4mp camera doesn’t capture enough detail. So what I would want in my next phone is the same HTC concept but 3 times the quality.
4. Audio – after being spoilt by the boomsound speakers on the HTC One which sound loud and clear, I would want something similar. Also when I connect headphones into the phone or listen via Bluetooth I want very high quality sound. Bluetooth needs the apt-x support for high quality audio.
5. Memory – for android phones a minimum 32gb internal plus micro SD card support. Same for windows, and if iPhone 64gb minimum. Ideally 128gb but that doesn’t exist yet. This allows for all my apps and games to be installed with ease and then use the memory card for photos and music.
6. Removable battery – the phone battery will die over the years. Being able to swap the battery is the cheapest way to bring back then phone to new conditions. Also, if you are away from charging points have a spare battery in your wallet resolves this scenario. Also the phone needs a decent size battery to last at least 2 days.
7. Game controllers – built in support for game controllers. The Z tablet has support built in for the Sony PS3 dual shock controller for example.
8. Wireless charging or charging dock points – being able to charge without plugging a cable in is the way forward. No effort no fuss.
9. Infra Red – its gimmicky but I love it. On my Z Tablet the included software has an eject button for my DVD player. The standard remote for my DVD doesn’t include an eject button, and as the eject button no longer works on the DVD player, I can now continue to use it via the software on the Z tablet.
10. Notification led – have the option to have flashing LEDs to let you know there is something to check is great.
11. Capacitive buttons –Â less prone to failure than hardware buttons.
12. Comfort – no more than 150g and rounded sides. Rounded sides make holding the phone a joy. The Samsung S4 is a good example of comfort.
And that’s my list. So what would you add or remove ?
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 