Jony Ive: Apple Watch and New iPhones Apple’s ‘Best Work Yet’
A short time after today’s media event, Apple CEO Tim Cook did an exclusive one-on-one interview with David Muir of ABC News, speaking on the company’s new products and former CEO Steve Jobs. Now, ABC News has shared a clip of an interview with Apple design head Jony Ive, who spoke on the Apple Watch and its development process.
Muir: How many different versions of the Apple Watch are there?
Ive: I think we were talking about this earlier, and when you actually do the calculations, it’s millions and millions.
Muir: Millions and millions?
Ive: That’s right, there are different materials for the actual case, there’s two different sizes, you can choose one of six different straps or bands. But, the way we treated this from a design point of view wasn’t that you had hardware and then software. Our experience as customers, as users, is that their one in the same. So we designed the user interface, gave people multiple choices, for example in terms of just watch faces.
Ive also noted that he was “very proud” of the work that Apple’s design team has done, stating that the company’s new iPhones and the Apple Watch are its “best work yet.” The designer also stated that Apple has always tried to design products that people want to use as opposed to begrudgingly having to use them, setting a high bar to create a “desirable and personal” product with the Apple Watch.
The full length interviews with Jony Ive and Tim Cook aired earlier tonight and should be posted online soon.
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Moto X – Review
Motorola has used IFA in Berlin to broadcast a significant and refreshing product line to display their new smartphone ‘Moto X’. Motorola is in the phase of relaunching and rebranding as it was a busy 12 months for a company. Motorola will soon be sold…
‘Swift’ Programming Language Hits GM Status for iOS, OS X GM Coming with Yosemite [iOS Blog]
Following yesterday’s special media event, Apple has announced that its Swift programming language has hit GM status for iOS. With this latest milestone, Apple is now inviting developers to submit Swift apps to the App Store for review.
You can now submit your apps that use Swift to the App Store. Whether your app uses Swift for a small feature or a complete application, now is the time to share your app with the world. It’s your turn to excite everyone with your new creations.
Regarding Swift for OS X, Apple states the language will hit GM status for the Mac when Yosemite ships later this fall. Until that time, Apple notes that developers can keep developing Mac apps with Swift by downloading the latest beta of Xcode 6.1.
Apple adds that GM status does not mean that language is in a finalized form, as it plans to adds new features, improved performance, and refined syntax. However, Apple notes that apps embedding a version of the new Swift GM runtime will continue to run well into the future.
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Stephen Elop wants to put the ‘entirety of the Microsoft experience’ in your hands
“Our new CEO is taking us through a transformational phase,” said Stephen Elop of Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s recently crowned leader, to a rapt crowd at CTIA earlier today. In a talk given during an afternoon keynote session, Elop wanted to convey to the audience of wireless industry press and professionals that Microsoft’s not standing still in the face of innovation.
Elop, who’s currently Microsoft’s lead of Devices and Studios, plans to do so by zeroing in on what makes Microsoft unique. “At our core, Microsoft is a productivity and platform company,” he said. And in a mobile-first and cloud-first world, this means reinventing and building new productivity experiences and platforms. “That’s what we know best,” Elop said, pointing out that Microsoft has a long history of helping individuals and city governments be successful and productive.
But it’s not all work and no play. Sure, Microsoft has strength in enterprise, but that’s simply insufficient in today’s world. “Our work and personal lives are increasingly intertwined,” Elop said, pointing out that more and more people don’t separate work email from casual texts from colleagues. “It’s incredibly important that we appeal to every person, not just work but at home … a virtual business meeting and a meeting with your daughter should be done the same way. It should be simple; it should be Microsoft.”
That, in essence, is the game plan behind all of Microsoft’s products. From a unified cloud operating system, to an intelligent assistant like Cortana, to the Surface Pro 3 and of course to its line of Lumia phones, Elop wants Microsoft to be in every facet of your life. “Within my team, we have a clear mandate to help people do more. We want to showcase the finest digital life experiences … It is only the totality of that experience that’s most powerful.” Indeed, at one point in the talk, Elop said that he wants to “put the entirety of the Microsoft experience in people’s hands.”
Of course, Microsoft has a ways to go. The Surface Pro 3 has recently landed in 25 more countries, and its sales numbers have yet to be proven. Windows Phone still lags behind iOS and Android. Still, the company’s trying. It recently introduced an affordable Pureview camera in the form of the Lumia 830 (which will be available for AT&T) and Elop has said he’s very proud of the Xbox One, which appears to be doing well.
“We must appeal to people in our lives,” said Elop. “Innovation is anything but business as usual.”
Filed under: Microsoft
.CPlase_panel display:none;
With Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 210, even the cheapest smartphones will get LTE
While Qualcomm’s dominating the premium and mid-range smartphone space, MediaTek’s been taking care of the other end of the spectrum until it launched its premium LTE octa-core chipset recently. In China alone, 40 percent of the smartphones shipped in 2014 Q3 are powered by MediaTek, versus 27 percent by Qualcomm, according to IDC (NVIDIA and Intel each had less than one percent share). Of course, emerging markets are where the money’s at these days, so it’s no surprise that Qualcomm’s striking back by offering an LTE-enabled SoC, the Snapdragon 210, for the entry-level market. Better yet, Co-president Cristiano Amon told us in Hong Kong that Qualcomm’s specifically aiming at the off-contract sub-$100 smartphones.
As you’d expect, this 28nm low-power Snapdragon 210 isn’t quite the powerhouse you get in your typical flagship phone, but it’s still a complete package. You get up to 1.1 GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPUs, Adreno 304 GPU, Bluetooth 4.1 and 802.11n WiFi, along with support for display resolutions of up to 720p, up to 8-megapixel cameras (1080p video capture and playback; H.265 codec supported to cut bandwidth by half) and QuickCharge 2.0. More importantly, on the cellular radio side, this chip supports multi-mode 3G as well as dual-mode LTE (up to Cat 4 at 150 Mbps with 2×10 MHz Carrier Aggregation) and dual-SIM. Amon expressed that with this being the first chipset to offer LTE Advanced in the sub-$100 device category, he’s not too worried about the competition.
Of course, it’ll all depend on the device manufacturers to hit that sub-$100 spot using this new chip, though Qualcomm will also be lending a hand with its upcoming Snapdragon 210 smartphone and tablet reference designs. The problem is that these devices won’t launch until some time in the first half of 2015, so it’ll be interesting to see how Qualcomm’s competitors will react as the LTE race heats up.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Visa’s Token Service generates fake CC numbers to keep your real ones safe
If you haven’t heard yet, Cupertino just launched a digital wallet called Apple Pay that randomizes your credit cards’ numbers. The one responsible for generating those fake numbers for Visa cards in particular, is Visa itself, through its new Token service, which the world’s largest credit and debit card company has announced right after Apple’s big reveal. These “tokens” are random numbers not associated with your name or real card numbers. You can use them to purchase anything online or by using mobile to pay via contactless payment systems in brick-and-mortar stores. Visa’s system can even generate different tokens for each merchant, device or type of purchase, if you want to be even more secure.
The great thing about using tokens is that you won’t have to scramble to cancel and replace your card with a new one in case a retailer or a website suffers a security breach, because they never had your real CC details in the first place. As you’ve probably guessed, Apple Pay users will get the first crack at using Visa’s Token Service, starting in October for folks in the US and in 2015 for the rest of the world. The technology was designed to work with all major platforms, though, so it’ll eventually be available to its other customers (read: those using other devices through other digital wallets) in the future.
[Image credit: Alamy]
Via: Reuters
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Fujifilm’s new retro cameras pack smarter viewfinders and more controls
Those hints of significant upgrades to Fujifilm’s retro-styled X100 and X-T1 cameras? Yeah, they’re real. The company has just unveiled the X100T and X-T1 Graphite Silver Edition, both refinements of familiar formulas. The X100T gets the biggest update of the bunch. It still has a 16.3-megapixel X-Trans II CMOS sensor and that signature, super-bright 23mm f/2 lens, but should give you much more control over your output. The centerpiece is an improved hybrid viewfinder that lets you focus as if you’re using an old-school rangefinder, hopefully giving you a well-composed photo on the first try. New focus peaking, split-image and filter simulation modes should also give you a better sense of how a shot will turn out before you press the shutter.
And don’t worry if you’re still fond of tactile controls — Fujifilm has given those an upgrade, too. Both the exposure compensation dial and lens aperture ring offer finer-grained control with a firmer grip, and you’ll find both a new command dial (in place of the lever) and a four-way controller. Seven programmable function buttons should fill in any gaps if there’s a toggle you absolutely need on a moment’s notice. Even the body itself has received a subtle refresh with magnesium on both the top and bottom. If all these nip-and-tuck refreshes are what you’re looking for, you can pick up the X100T for $1,300 when it ships in mid-November.
The X-T1 Graphite Silver Edition won’t be quite as dramatic a revamp when it arrives in late November, but it may be worth checking out if you’ve been holding off on the existing model. While its namesake color scheme is the most obvious change, the new camera also has a more natural-looking electronic viewfinder that lets you disable preview effects. It has a faster electronic shutter (1/32,000th of a second), too, and will avoid invoking the noisier mechanical shutter if you’re trying to stay quiet. The X-T1 GSE will cost $1,500 if you’re looking for the body alone, while a kit with a multi-purpose 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens will set you back $1,900.
Filed under: Cameras
Source: Fujifilm (1), (2)
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Apple Reportedly Close to Acquiring ‘Path’, Looking to Integrate Service Into Messages [iOS Blog]
Apple is said to be close to acquiring social network Path in an attempt to boost the company’s social media efforts, reports PandoDaily. Citing a “well-placed” source inside Apple’s engineering team, the site notes that the deal is “essentially a done deal” and would see Apple integrating Path’s current services into its Messages app.
Additionally, Path founder Dave Morin was seen sitting in the front row for today’s special media event, which is usually reserved for high ranking executives at the company. Throughout the past few years, Apple has also featured Path in a number of its earlier advertising campaigns and keynotes for the iPhone.
However, the social networking service caused a fair amount of controversy in 2012 when it was discovered to be uploading users’ entire address books to its servers without alerting users or asking for authorization. The issue prompted an investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission as Morin was even summoned to Apple’s Cupertino headquarters to be grilled by CEO Tim Cook and other executives.
Path’s last major development came in June when the company announced that it would be launching its own separate messaging app, complete with quick reply capabilities and Apple Maps integration.
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Apple Watch Tidbits: Charging Retail Box, Water Resistance, Calls and More
While Apple announced the Apple Watch today at its special event, it didn’t go over all of the new device’s features, noting that the company has a lot more to share in the future. Yahoo Tech’s David Pogue has found out some of the details Apple didn’t share on stage.
The watch is water resistant, allowing users to not worry about the device when in the rain, or washing hands. However, the watch must be taken off before going for a swim or taking a shower. Additionally, the watch includes a microphone that can allow users to make calls directly from their Apple Watch.
Users will also be able to load apps onto the Apple Watch from their iPhone. To rearrange the apps, users will have to hold their finger on an app’s icon and move it around, similar to how one rearranges icons on an iPhone. There’s also a “Ping My iPhone” feature, which will allow users to play a sound on their iPhone so they can locate it in case they have misplaced it.
Finally, Pogue explains that the Apple Watch Edition, the most high end of the Apple Watches, comes with a special box.
The fanciest model, the gold Apple Phone Edition, comes in a gorgeous jewelry box — which doubles as a charger. The back of the box has a Lightning connector, and the inside of the box has the watch’s magnetic round charger pad, standing vertically. So as you retire each night, you can just lay your gold watch into its case and let it charge.
The Apple Watch will launch in early 2015 with its lowest end model costing $350.
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Engadget Daily: The best non-Apple news all in one place!
So, even aside from the bevy of news that came out of Apple’s iPhone 6 and Watch event today, there was still a ton of pretty interesting reads from the past 24 hours: Destiny developer Bungie spilled on what truly separates the game from its previous work, Stephen Hawking made a plea for a connected wheelchair and much, much more — it’s all in the gallery below!
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Mobile, Samsung, Microsoft, Dell
.CPlase_panel display:none;
AIVAnet 