Category Archives: Tech News

iPad Calculator Apps

I use 2 alternative calculator apps. Both are different and good to use.

Digits
Digits is great for:
Adding up expenses, labeling and emailing them, doing a quick calculation and being able to double-check and correct entries with ease, entering a long series of calculations and then emailing it to yourself for import into Numbers or Excel, Quickly calculating a couple scenarios by editing any previous entry to automatically update the total, Easily creating a grand total from a number of previous calculations with flagging, Keeping a series of short calculations available for later reference,Sharing via email, printed output or by files.

FEATURES:
EASY: perfect for a quick calculation, powerful enough for pages of them.
MADE FOR iPad: uses the whole iPad display to leave cramped buttons behind.
MADE FOR iPhone: all of the iPad features on an interface designed just for iPhone.
TAPE: never lose track of what you’ve entered.
PRINT: print-quality output with AirPrint (where available).
SHARE: Use iTunes File Sharing to backup and share .digits tape files to other Digits Calculator users and your other iOS devices.
EMAIL: tap to email your tape.
COMMENTING: label any item in your tape and include comments in tape emails.
CORRECTIONS: make edits and inserts to previous calculations at any time!
SIMPLE TAPE STRUCTURE: one calculation on each tape line means quick one-touch access for edits.
AUTOSAVE: holds your calculations and tape in place for the next time you return.
RUNNING TOTAL: always displays the total above so you can focus on what you’re entering.
CUSTOMIZABLE: a wide arrange of settings, including currency mode, sound and background color!

Features:
Supports Retina display on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
Support for iPhone 5 display.
Tape browser for multi-tape management.
Tape files are now sharable through iTunes File Sharing.
Tape files may be shared between iOS devices using File Sharing.
Supports AirPrint in iOS 4.2 and later.
Bluetooth/hardware keyboard support.
x/÷ priority option.
Fixed autodecimal for faster entry in currency mode.
Better handling of localized number formats.
“Use” function added back to the Tape/Memory Menu.
Expanded, detailed Guide.

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PCalc is ideal for scientists, engineers, students, programmers, or indeed anybody looking for a feature-rich calculator for the iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.

It includes an extensive set of unit conversions, a paper tape, an RPN mode, engineering and scientific notation, as well as support for hexadecimal, octal and binary calculations.

Based on the popular calculator for the Macintosh, PCalc has been redesigned from the ground up to give the best handheld experience.

Features include:

Switchable button layouts – choose from many different horizontal and vertical layouts to suit your needs.
Calculator themes – pick your look, all the way from minimalist to striking.
An RPN mode with one button access to the stack and optional two, three, or four-line display.
Hexadecimal, octal and binary modes, complete with a variety of bitwise operators.
All the extensive unit conversions, functions, and constants from the desktop PCalc.
Editable user constants which are synced automatically across multiple devices with iCloud.
A simulated paper tape to keep track of your calculations with a “ticker tape” mode.
Multiple undo and redo. Just flick the LCD to the right and left to reveal the past and future.
Stylish, consistent user interface.
Supports copy and paste.
Universal build supports both iPad and iPhone/iPod touch in one.
Support for iOS 6 and Retina display on all devices including the new iPad.
Support for the iPhone 5 and new iPod touch.

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Further Impressions of the Fiio E12 Mont Blanc – Review

More impressions of the Fiio E12 Mont Blanc Headphone Amp

Further to my post with my initial impressions I thought I would some more feedback using specific tracks. For this test I am using an iPod Classic with a silver & copper line out cable and a pair of Sennheiser HD568 headphones. My music is ripped at mp3 320 bit rate. I have the E12 bass boost left on as the HD568 seem to sound so much better. The bass boost doesn’t seem to distort the sound, just add when the music needs some very low oomph but not in any way overpowering. Anyway here goes –

Dreams of New Orleans by Wycliffe Gordon – Chinatown – great separation of the trumpets from each side, and clear separation of the other instruments. A superb musical sounding song. The E12 presentation puts you right in the music. I feel like I’m grooving to the beat.

Greatest Hits by Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody – I had to turn the volume down for this track. The E12 did everything as before, even with voices but as the songs attack changes, the E12 seems to scale effortlessly with it. In fact as the track gets louder, the E12 just exploded with attack.

Thriller by Michael Jackson – Thriller – a classic track. At the start there’s great sub bass in the cemetery. The E12 reproduces the song very accurately picking out all the nuances.

Hit The Road Jack by Ray Charles – an old recording but has a superb toe tapping musicality produced by the E12.

Isla by Portico Quartet – Dawn Patrol – this track really defines just how good the E12 is sonically. The plucking of the bass strings, the deep bass, the other instruments all around too just produce an electric performance.

Fantasie by Nicola Benedetti – The Lark Ascending – the violin playing at the start is leaving goose bumps on me. The violin feels so alive. Airy. The E12 is producing a neutral but emotional sound. Mesmerising too.

Love me by Norah Jones – Norah’s voice sounds superb. Another very musical track.

I Heard Love is Blind by Amy Winehouse – Amy’s voice is so real with such precision on the guitar in the background. In fact the realism of the track is excellent.

In summary, the E12 plucks all the nuances from your music, making it sound alive with toe tapping musicality. It also does seem to have improved with low level bass after 3 hours use. It’s accurate, fairly neutral sounding and packs so much energy that your headphones perform magic.

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The Sony Eco System

Sony has just launched the new Xperia Z smartphone and is also bringing out a similar sleek tablet based on the style and specs of the phone.

But what I have found even more interesting is how these new products will increase sales and hopefully brand loyalty by pushing other Sony products. The tablet and smartphone all have special Sony options for NFC with Sony’s new Bravia TV’s and headphones allowing for slick coordination with each other. Use the Bravia TV remote and swipe your Z across it to transfer what’s on your Z to your TV screen. If your listening to music on your Z, swipe it across the new NFC headphones and the music plays through them.

Then there are the new Sony NFC accessories. All in all, the new Z smartphone and tablet is worth more than its initial sales. It could be a financial life saver for the company.

Samsung to Take on The IPad Mini with the Galaxy Note 8

Samsung seems to make a piece of tech to compete at every and any level, be it bottom end phones, mid level or top class smartphones. Not to be outshone by Apple and its iPad Mini, Samsung are very likely to release the Samsung Note 8, a 8 inch tablet.

The likely specs are –

Name: Galaxy Note 8.0
Product numbers: GT-N5100 (Wifi), GT-N5110 (Wifi/3G)
Battery: 4600mAh
Dimensions: 211.3×136.3×7.95mm
Weight: 330 grams
Screen: 8.0-inch Super Clear LCD @ 1280×800 resolution
Data: Quad-band EDGE, quad-band HSPA+ up to 21.1Mbps down, 5.76Mbps up (GT-N5110 only)
Cameras: 5MP rear, 1.3MP front
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16/32GB options, expandable via microSD card
OS: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

This is likely to be shown at MWC.

The 4.7 inch Apple iPhone

Ok, I present you the 4.7 inch iPhone. It’s ultra thin, running iOS 7, the worlds most advanced operating system, available in 128gb memory, 20mp iSight camera and its absolutely beautiful.

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So once again Apple would be late to the market with a large screened device, but what would you do. Would you ditch whatever you have and buy one. Would you stick to your 4 inch iPhone 5 or similar sized android phone, ditch those crappy windows phones, give up your Samsung Phablets and hail the large iPhone as the best and only device. Anyone on Symbian, please see me for counselling.

You see iOS 7 will feature better sharing and changing of default apps, and the notification centre will get improved, and the home screens will feature dynamically changing icons.

Tempted?

Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus

Meanwhile instead of 8 cores phones Samsung is doing an Apple and recycling the older S2, with hardly any change other than newer software. I quite liked the S2 design so it’s good to see it given some longevity.

The GALAXY S II Plus features :-
– Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 plus latest touch wiz
– Direct Call enabling users to automatically dial a call by taking the device to the ear.
– Smart Stay recognizes whether the user is looking at the screen to dim the screen accordingly.
– Smart Alert lets users know about missed events or status updates just by picking up the phone.
– Popup Video allows a video to play anywhere on the screen in a resizable pop-up window
– S Voice lets users control the phone using their voice; and Voice Unlock lets users unlock the phone using their own voice.
– 4.3” WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display, 1gb RAM, 8gb memory, 1.2ghz dual core chip
– 8MP camera features a zero-lag shutter speed, Buddy photo share, Group Facetag and Face Zoom
– AllShare Play, Samsung Hubs, including the latest versions of Readers Hub, Video Hub, Game Hub and Music Hub.

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Apple at CES

Hang on a second, I know what you are saying, Apple didn’t attend CES. Well technically it didn’t, but it presence was huge and felt everywhere there.

In fact there were more Apple accessory stands than imaginable. From cases, power adapters, lenses, weird and wonderful app with hardware then could feast the eye.

Just shows you that despite all the high tech coming from other avenues, Apple’s influence is huge. Mind you even one of Samsung’s top executives admitted at home he uses an iPhone , Apple TV, iPad and iMac.

Amazon evades AppStore

Amazon MP3 Store Now Optimized for iPhone and iPod touch: Amazon’s 22-Million Song Catalog Available to iPhone and iPod touch Users for the First Time

Buy once and enjoy everywhere!-All MP3s purchased from Amazon are stored for free in customers’ Cloud Player accounts and can be enjoyed on iPhones, iPads, iPods, Kindle Fire, Android phones tablets, Sonos, Roku, or any web browser

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan. 17, 2013– (NASDAQ: AMZN) – Amazon.com, Inc. today announced the launch of the Amazon MP3 store optimized specifically for iPhone and iPod touch. For the first time ever, iPhone and iPod touch users can discover and buy digital music from Amazon’s 22-million song catalog using the Safari browser. Customers also have access to favorite Amazon features like personalized recommendations, best-seller lists andAmazon customer ratings. Music purchases are automatically saved to customers’ Cloud Player libraries and can be downloaded or played instantly from any iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android phone or tablet, Roku, Sonos home entertainment system, or any web browser, giving customers the freedom to enjoy more music, from more devices than any other major cloud music service.

“Since the launch of the Amazon Cloud Player app for iPhone and iPod touch, a top request from customers has been the ability to buy music from Amazon right from their devices. For the first time ever, iOS users have a way do that – now they can access Amazon’s huge catalog of music, features like personalized recommendations, deals like albums for $5, songs for $0.69, and they can buy their music once and use it everywhere,” said Steve Boom, Vice President of Amazon Music.

Features of the Amazon MP3 store on the mobile web browser include:

The Amazon MP3 mobile website for iPhone and iPod touches is built on HTML5, which means customers can make purchases directly from the Amazon MP3 mobile website at http://www.amazon.com/mp3 on their iPhones and iPod touches
Selection of over 22 million songs and over two million albums at everyday low prices
Access to everyday deals like $5 albums, $0.69 songs, and free songs from artists on the rise
Individualized recommendations based on purchase history
Immediate availability and seamless playback of purchases in the Amazon Cloud Player app
Free storage of all Amazon MP3 purchases in Amazon Cloud Player
Customers can begin shopping the Amazon MP3 store from their iPhone and iPod touch web browsers today athttp://www.amazon.com/mp3.