Optical Image Stabilization May Be Differentiating Factor for 5.5-Inch iPhone 6
Rumors have suggested Apple’s next-generation iPhone may include camera improvements in the form of optical image stabilization with modules produced by sensor company InvenSense, but according to a new prediction from Pacific Crest Securities analysts John Vinh and Kevin Chen, optical image stabilization may be a feature limited to just the larger 5.5-inch iPhone.
Citing a cost premium of $4 to $5 for optical image stabilization over traditional auto focus solutions, the two analysts believe that Apple will use the feature as a differentiating factor between the 4.7-inch iPhone and the more premium 5.5-inch iPhone.
We believe the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 smartphone camera will support optical image stabilization (OIS) and anticipate that it will represent one of several opportunities at Apple that will benefit InvenSense. In our analysis, we believe Apple chose to only include OIS camera technology in the larger iPhone 6 given that there is still a significant cost premium ($4 to $5) over standard auto focus solutions and that it provides a point of differentiation between the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the step-up model (5.5-inch)
Optical image stabilization (OIS) is designed to reduce shake and stabilize photos and videos using either a lens with built-in stabilization or a separate sensor. In the past, this has been limited to traditional digital cameras, but recently, cell phone manufacturers like Google, HTC, Nokia have been incorporating OIS systems in order to improve photo quality. Currently, the iPhone 5s uses software-based image stabilization techniques, which are seen as inferior to OIS.
Comparison image courtesy of Electronics 360
Apple aims to improve photo quality with each iteration of the iPhone, so new image stabilization techniques make sense for the next-generation phone. The company also has a history of limiting features to its flagship offering, such as Touch ID for the iPhone 5s, and it appears that the 5.5-inch iPhone may be the higher-end 2014 model. Rumors have suggested that the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 might include a $100 price premium over the 4.7-inch version and that it might be the only model to receive a sapphire crystal screen.
Along with optical image stabilization for the larger 5.5-inch iPhone, Chen and Vinh are also “increasingly confident” that the iPhone 6 will support NFC, based on supply chain conversations. This is in line with previous rumors that have suggested NFC may finally be deployed in the iPhone 6 ahead of an upcoming mobile payment solution.
While it was initially thought that Apple’s 4.7-inch iPhone 6 would launch first due to manufacturing issues with the 5.5-inch version, it seems Apple may have solved those problems. A report from Bloomberg earlier this week has suggested both the 5.5-inch and 4.7-inch iPhones may launch simultaneously later this year.
Lenovo’s Google Glass-like wearable concept keeps your voice chats private
Even Lenovo isn’t immune from the temptation to produce a Google Glass-like wearable display, it seems. The Chinese tech giant has applied for a US patent on a headset design with dual screens, touch-based navigation and an unusually strong emphasis on voice quality. Rather than use conventional noise-canceling microphones, like Google, Lenovo would use a bone-conducting microphone just above your nose bridge. The approach would make it easier to catch your voice, since you wouldn’t have to compete with outside sounds for attention; it could also offer an extra level of privacy for internet calls, since you could speak quietly and still get your message across.
There’s no telling whether Lenovo will get its patent, let alone use it in a wearable display. Like many companies, it may simply be hedging its bets in case the category takes off. With that in mind, the firm is both flush with cash and expanding rapidly into the mobile world — don’t be surprised if you’re donning Lenovo-badged eyewear in the future.
Filed under: Displays, Wearables
Via: TechCrunch
Source: USPTO
Pioneer and Onkyo unite to bring their home audio into the internet era
Home audio isn’t what it used to be — for many people, it means internet-savvy speakers everywhere instead of a conventional stereo in the den. Pioneer and Onkyo are clearly aware that they need to adapt, as they’ve just started the process of combining their home theater units with a mind toward modernization. The two will “cope” with the shift in music playback trends through the strengths of their brand names and “superior technologies;” a private equity firm is also taking a controlling stake in Pioneer’s home electronics division, so there will be cash available to expand the business. It’s still early going, so just what this alliance will do to embrace internet audio isn’t clear. However, it’s safe to say that they’ll be doing more than rolling out the occasional wireless adapter or smartphone dock.
[Image credit: Christian y Sergio Velasco, Flickr]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Pioneer (PDF)
iWork for iCloud Updated Gets Minor Update, Will Remember Last Used Settings [Mac Blog]
Apple today updated its iWork for iCloud software suite, adding new features to Pages, Keynote, and Numbers (via The Loop). All three cloud-based applications now remember a user’s last used document settings and a user’s most recent screen name when opening a shared document.
The apps also now include tips on how to perform certain actions using keyboard when right-clicking on objects and they’ve also gained the ability to mask images with a right-click. Here’s a list of the updates to each app:
Pages for iCloud now remembers your last used document settings including zoom level, show/hide format panel, show/hide guides, and more.
Numbers for iCloud now remembers your last used document settings including zoom level, last selected sheet, show/hide format panel, show/hide guides, and more.
Keynote for iCloud now remembers your last used document settings including zoom level, last selected slide, show/hide format panel, show/hide guides, and more.
Prior to this update, iWork for iCloud was last updated in May, adding several new collaborative features. Apple has promised to continually improve iWork for iCloud and its other iWork apps for iOS and Mac in an effort to bring feature parity to the software across all platforms.
The iWork for iCloud software is available to all users for free, and it can be accessed through Apple’s iCloud.com website.
New Samsung Exynos chip get benchmarked, better than Snapdragon 805
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is expected to launch later this year, and is also expected to come in two variants: A Snapdragon 805 version for the US market and an Exynos 5433 version for the international release. Typically, the Snapdragon version is just a bit faster and a bit more reliable than Samsung’s own Exynos chips, but so far it appears different this year.
These benchmarks posted by AnTuTu show the new Exynos 5433 chip outperforming the mighty Snapdragon 805. Both of these chips haven’t hit phones yet this year, but the Snapdragon 805 chip is looking to be a very powerful chip and come with a the advanced Adreno 420 GPU. You can see Qualcomm comparing the 805 chip with the slightly older 800 chip, which was found inside the LG G2, Nexus 5, Note 3 and many other powerful devices.
What’s even more interesting, is that the Exynos 5433 chip could be the most powerful chip on the market, period. The AnTuTu chart at the top shows the Tegra K1 chip being the best, slightly outperforming the Exynos, but the Tegra K1 chip was tested on a device with a 1920x1080p, while the Exynos was tested on a device with a 2560x1440p display (Galaxy Note 4?).
This is big news, as powering a phone with a 1440p QHD display is no easy task, but the Exynos 5433 looks up to the task.
We’ll keep you updated with all news and rumors regarding this new chip and the anticipated phone it will accompany later this fall.
source: GSM Arena
The post New Samsung Exynos chip get benchmarked, better than Snapdragon 805 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Powerful spyware apps let the government control everything on your phone
There’s been a lot written over the past year about government spying, but not so much about how governments spy. It’s easy to forget that there’s an industry thriving underneath that controversy. In 2011 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange released a series of documents it called the Spy Files — a comprehensive database of surveillance products and companies who market their services specifically to government agencies. Companies like Hacking Team specialize in advanced spyware, gifting their customers with the ability to exercise total control over a target’s device while remaining completely invisible. A group of researchers recently tracked down and reverse engineered Hacking Team’s RCS (Remote Control System) tool to see just what these corporate spyware firms are capable of. The answer, is quite a lot.
Over the last year or so, SecureList has been looking into Hacking Team’s products to suss out their capabilities. Recently, it’s been focusing on the tool’s mobile modules — malware designed to monitor and log data from Android, iOS, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry devices. Since one of those platforms is a struggling brand and the other has already been replaced, the team focused on modules designed specifically for iOS and Android — the analysis revealed a shockingly powerful surveillance system. Hacking Team’s iOS product can take control of a handsets Wi-Fi and GPS units, record voice, log E-mail, SMS and MMS data, track web usage and call history, read data from the devices clipboard and notes, peek at calendar appointments, log keystrokes and even control and activate the microphone for covert eavesdropping.
These tools seem terrifyingly powerful, but don’t panic just yet — installing them on a device is no laughing matter. According to SecureList’s investigation, the iOS modules will only function on jailbroken iPhones, and even then an attacker needs to have physical access to the device or remote administrator access to install the malware. Both iPhones and Android devices can be infected by connecting to a computer with Hacking Team’s desktop software, but only if the device has been unlocked with a password. You aren’t going to implant your device with tracking tools by simply browsing the web. Still, it’s good to be aware that spying products like this exist.
Perhaps the strangest thing about Hacking Team is how it presents itself. The italian company insists that its products are intended for legal surveillance only, such as police officers who have a warrant for a suspect in custody. The company’s website is clean and unsettlingly open about its product’s capabilities. “Total control over your targets,” it says. “Log everything you need.” It’s not hiding itself, and it openly admits that its products are intended for governmental bodies. Proving that your government is one of its customers is another matter, but SecureList’s ping of countries using RCS servers fingers the United States as the firm’s biggest customer. It’s impossible to say for sure what the US-located RCS severs are being used for, but SecureList says that “several IPs were identified as ‘government’ related based on their WHOIS information and they provide a good indication of who owns them.”
Is the government listening in on your water cooler talk? Probably not, but the tools for them to do so exist, and it’s actively marketed to law enforcement. Regardless of how you feel about Edward Snowden, PRISM and government surveillance, it’s clear that law agencies can do a lot more than simply collect call metadata. Hungry for more details? Check out the source links below for an in-depth look at the researchers adventure into fingerprinting methods, servers and RCS configuration file code.
[Image Credit: Shutterstock / arbalet]
Source: CitizenLab, Wired, SecureList
Google+ Photos now lets you go back and re-edit pics you already edited
Google+ Photos already saves originals of your edited photos, in case you ever regret some of the more Warholish tweaks you made. Now, Google is letting you go back and edit your edits (editception!), rather than making you start from scratch with the original. So if you like all the filters you previously added, but just wanna crop the shot more tightly, you can do that without having to redo the whole thing. The catch is that this feature only works on Chrome, according to a post from Google employee John Nack, which means Android and iOS users are out of luck for now. Additionally, the company is introducing a feature called Auto Awesome Effects (yep) that automatically applies filters to your photos, videos and gifs as you upload them. As with everything else, though, these effects are reversible; you can undo them if you don’t like the ones Google picked out. Look for both features to start rolling out today, in case you have time for a little image-play.
Filed under: Internet
Via: Android Police
Source: John Nack (Google+)
Chromebook Pixel owners get $150 after Verizon abruptly cuts off free LTE
The Chromebook Pixel is undoubtably an expensive offering, starting at $1,299 for the 32GB WiFi-only model and $1,449 if you decide to opt for LTE and 64GB of storage. What made the latter pricing more palatable, however, was that you also got two years of 100MB per month LTE courtesy of Verizon as part of the deal. Or so we thought. As it turns out, apparently Verizon and Google didn’t quite see eye to eye on that, as Verizon recently stopped that service for Pixel owners who bought their Chromebook only a year ago — it seems Verizon thought it was a one year plan instead of two. Thankfully, Google has stepped up to take care of the error by offering a $150 Visa gift card to anyone who bought an LTE Pixel. A spokesperson gave us this statement: “While this particular issue is outside of our control, we appreciate that this issue has inconvenienced some of our users. We are offering gift cards to affected customers.” If you need more assistance, you can visit this Google support page and contact the company for more info. That $150 doesn’t quite make up for a year of lost service, but it might help soothe the woes of those who didn’t get what they were promised.
Filed under: Laptops, Google, Verizon
Source: Computerworld, Google Support
New Google Glass headsets ship with more memory, everyone gets help with photos
Two years after it was introduced, Google Glass hasn’t gotten any cheaper — although it is a bit more stylish with Diane von Furstenberg frames and international now that it’s launched in the UK — but it is getting better. Not just through one of the many software updates that have reached the headset since its debut either, as its hardware has undergone a mild revision. Google announced that new units are shipping with 2GB of RAM, double the amount previously available, among other tweaks that have improved battery life and made voice search better.
The bad news? The new units aren’t coming to existing members of the Explorer Program. Still, everyone with Glass can check out a few new features thanks to a software update, like the viewfinder shown above that helps line up photographs. Also new to Glass are Google Now cards that have been on mobile for a little while, reminding wearers where they parked their car and about any packages that are on the way. The skydive into I/O in 2012 is still one of the more memorable product introductions we’ve seen, and now we’re wondering what else Google has in store for the 2014 conference tomorrow.
Filed under: Wearables, Google
Source: Google Glass (G+)
Apple Reverses Course on Ban for Apps Incentivizing Ad Watching, Social Sharing
Earlier this month, Apple began cracking down on some of the methods developers use to monetize their apps, rejecting some apps that offered rewards for viewing videos and sharing content on social networks.
Developers were understandably upset about this policy change, as offering opt-in ads in the form of rewards for video watching provided a way to generate revenue without significantly disrupting gameplay. Providing in-game currency, extra lives, or another incentive for watching an advertisement has become common in freemium games.
Apple now appears to have reversed course on its decision to reject apps for using these promotional methods, with TechCrunch noting that Apple has ceased rejecting apps for using incentivized ads and has changed its opinion on some previously rejected apps.
Now we’re hearing that things have changed.
Sources in the video ad industry have reported that app rejections related to this matter have now declined, indicating the policy is being rolled back.
We’re also hearing that some of the initial, and more worrisome, rejections are being undone — that is, the apps are being allowed back in the App Store.
While Apple is allowing developers to continue to offer an in-app reward for users who watch a video or post about an app on social media, the company is still rejecting apps that offer incentives to users for reviewing an app, rating an app, or downloading another app, as reviews and ratings can affect an app’s position on the Top Charts.
Manipulating the App Store charts is explicitly forbidden in Apple’s app guidelines under rule 3.10, which states that developers who attempt to “manipulate or cheat the user reviews or chart ranking in the App Store with fake or paid reviews or any other inappropriate methods” can be removed from the Developer program. Thus, under Apple’s new rules, developers appear to be able to allow users to watch ads for other apps, but are unable to encourage users to download those apps.
Basically, developers are fine to reward viewing video ads, whether for their own apps, those belonging to others, or brand ads, but they can’t reward anything that also has a direct download piece to it.
This change will likely be a relief to developers who rely on such incentives to promote their apps to a wider audience. iOS 8 is will also bring several changes to the App Store that will help increase app discovery, including an improved App Store search algorithm, an “Explore” feature that makes it easier to find apps, and app bundles that offer several apps together for a discounted price.
AIVAnet 