Apple’s Next Generation iPhone Cameras

Posted: August 28, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You have probably heard that Apple is holding their rollout event for the new iPhones and more on September 9th. One of the marquee features, as reported by 9to5mac.com and others is a 12 megapixel main camera, and upgraded signal processor for larger, higher resolution pictures. 4K video is also in store on the 6S and 6S+…which a lot of people won’t need as they don’t have 4K TVs or monitors. One thing you WILL use is the upgraded front selfie cam with flash…no, there’s not a front-facing LED flash…Apple will flash the screen white when you shoot, like Snapchat and Photo Booth. The front cam is also likely to get panorama and slo-mo video, too.

In a move that will improve performance, Google’s Chrome web browser will start pausing Flash ads by default September 1st. The function has been in the beta version for a while now. By pausing auto-playing flash, Chrome users should see speed improvements and better batter life. Google, in addition to Apple, has been trying to get away from Flash tech for quite a while. YouTube switched over to streaming HTML5 video by default the first of the year.

Project Sunroof from Google…It’s Not About Cars!

Posted: August 17, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Google unveiled a YouTube video today about Project Sunroof. Project Sunroof is a website that allows people to automate researching and then buying solar panels for home, and thus ‘Sunroof!’ 9to5google.com says it believes it has enough data on the site to determine the feasibility and return on investment for installing solar on your house….down to modeling the roof in 3D to see how many square feet are available, and whether trees or other objects will block sunlight. The site claims if you use their service, Sunroof can recommend an installation size that will generate nearly 100% of a household’s electricity use! The site includes a list of solar panel installation companies in your area.

A leak last week got the tech press in an uproar that the upcoming iPhone 6S might just have 1 gig of ram, disappointing many. Now, according to bgr.com, a leak from the same source indicates that may not be the case. Spotted by Dutch tech blog TechTastic, the new Geekbench Browser benchmark says the iPhone8,2 is going to feature a 1.5GHz tri-core A9 processor and 2GB of RAM.
TechTastic further notes that the iPhone 6s should offer users a performance on par with the iPad Air 2, which has a tri-core A8X processor. In fact, comparing the two devices, the site found that the iPhone8,2 beats the iPad Air 2 when it comes to single-core and multi-core performance.

Leak Has More Reveals About iPhone 6S

Posted: August 3, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In a leak similar to one last year near the release date of the iPhone 6, we now know a bit more about the successor iPhone 6S. The next generation handset will be slightly thicker to accomodate the Force Touch and Taptic Engine features borrowed from the Apple Watch. Force Touch tells the handset different things, depending on how hard you press on the screen, while the Taptic Engine gives it a more versatile vibration motor for alerts. Despite the increase in thickness from 6.9 to 7.1 mm, there is still a bump on the back for the camera…which has unduly bothered some in the tech media…despite the fact that nearly everyone else buys a case for their iPhones that negates that issue.

As rumored earlier, Nokia has sold its HERE mapping business to a group made up of Audi, BMW, and Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz. Previously, it was rumored that Uber, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple had shown interest. The German car makers are dropping $3.07 billion for the service. It was probably only a matter of time before some car makers started to ‘roll their own’ for their navigation systems.

LinkedIn Kills Feature, Angers Users

Posted: July 24, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Networking site LinkedIn has removed the ability to download all a person’s contacts into an offline file. Businessinsider.com reports that now, the only way to get your contacts is to request an archive of your data, which takes up to 72 hours. Previously, with the contact download feature, it was immediate. Numerous users are complaining about the removal, and are accusing LinkedIn of using this as a way to keep people on their platform. For a job seeker, 72 hours can be a lifetime, and mean possibly missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Advance purchase commitments by Apple indicate that they expect a huge launch for iPhone 6S. According to appleinsider.com, they’ve pledged 26.5 billion, which is a 26% year over year increase. In fact, the cash committed to outsourcing and components is up 41%, which shows that Apple plans a sizable jump in year over year iPhone sales.

Google’s Self-Driving Cars Invade Texas

Posted: July 8, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Folks in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Mountain View have gotten used to seeing Google branded Lexus and Toyota Prius models tooling around town. Now, Google has picked Austin, Texas for it’s second test-bed city. According to cnet.com, a Google Lexus has been spotted Northeast of Downtown Austin…as in the Bay Area, with a driver aboard, just in case. A second car is slated to start driving the area this week. As with the Bay Area self-driving rigs, the speed is capped at 25 mph.

Apple is apparently preparing for even more record sales of iPhones. The Wall St Journal says they are asking suppliers to make between 85 and 90 million new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus models by the end of 2015. This compares with 70 to 80 million units they ordered of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus they ordered last year.

A Kickstarter is launching called HowLoud, to map cities all around the country based on urban noise. Gizmodo.com reports that HowLoud…created by a CalTech mathematician…has already mapped Los Angeles and Orange County. It ranks locations specifically enough to be down to a particular side and floor of a building. Real estate company Redfin bought the WalkScore app last year that maps walkability of neighborhoods, so the noise level score of HowLoud may soon become a selling point for homes, too!

Increased Storage in Next-Gen iPhones

Posted: June 29, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple is apparently talking about returning to Samsung for memory in the next iteration of iPhones. 9to5mac.com says they aren’t looking to go over 128 gigs, but will drop the 16 gig model, making 32 gigabytes the entry level memory in the iPhone 6S models. It was already reported that Samsung is supplying the A9 processors. The killer feature that we know of as the phones have entered early production is Force Touch, ported from the Apple Watch.

Microsoft has sold some Bing maps assets to Uber, and along with them, around 100 data collection engineers that worked on Bing. Geekwire.com reports that Uber was already bulking up in the mapping department, having bought mapping software company deCarta in March. Uber has been relying on Google Maps in their app up to now.

What to Expect in the Next iPhone

Posted: May 12, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Updated 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch iPhones will start production in August, according to macrumors.com, citing generally reliable KGI Securities. Expect the A9 processor powered phone to sport a 12 megapixel camera, 2 gigs of RAM, Force Touch like the Apple Watch, and an additional Rose Gold color choice. KGI says not to expect a smaller 4 inch iPhone this year.

Verizon has bought AOL for 4.4 billion in cold, hard cash. Thenextweb.com reports that the present CEO will run AOL as a wholly owned subsidiary of the carrier. Only time will tell what changes might come to sites like The Huffington Post, Engadget, and Techcrunch. AOL still has over 2 million paying, DIAL UP customers, too…bet you never guessed there could still be that many people not using broadband!

Apple May Add a 4 Inch Model to the iPhone 6S

Posted: December 23, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

After going big with the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple is rumored to be looking at a return to a 4 inch model with an iPhone 6S Mini. Appleinsider.com says an analyst at Cowen and Company indicates it would have specs like last year’s iPhone 5S. This would be the first time Apple has had 3 different sizes of a current model if it happens.

Techcrunch.com reports that Samsung has released Look At Me, and app for autistic kids. It’s supposed to help kids to make better eye contact. Developed by South Korean psychologists and professors, it’s on Google Play.

App maker Confide is offering services to entertainments, labels, and networks. Cnet.com says their app has end to end encryption, and automatically self destructs…leaving no embarrassing email trail. No word on whether Sony has reached out to them.

The iPhone 6S Will Have Samsung Inside

Posted: December 12, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Next year’s iPhone 6S will probably have Samsung inside…macrumors.com says Samsung has started making Apple’s A9 chip in Texas. iPhone 6 chipmaker TSMC will provide a supplementary supply from Taiwan.

There’s joy in Mudville. After getting bettered by Sony, Microsoft sold 1.2 million Xbox Ones in November, beating out the PS4 and Wii U. Geekwire.com reports a $50 price cut helped out.

Iowa may lead the way in smartphone based driver’s licenses. 9to5google.com says they will have animation to limit spoofing, and will be scannable, so the phone doesn’t leave your hand. 20 other states are looking at doing this.

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