iPhone 5 launching with 3.95-inch display, more pixels?

That's the word from Apple blog 9to5Mac, which claims to have heard Apple is testing two iPhones featuring a 3.95-inch display.

May 22, 2012 5:16 AM PDT

iPhone 5

(Credit: Apple)

 

With each new Apple product launch, there's typically one feature that gets the most attention in the rumor mill. This time around, it's the iPhone 5's display.

According to Apple blog 9to5Mac, citing sources, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is currently testing at its headquarters two iPhones -- only one of which will be released -- boasting larger displays. And although rumors have suggested the device will come with a true 4-inch screen, 9to5Mac claims it'll actually boast a 3.95-inch display.

The new iPhone's screen will be just as wide as its predecessor, 9to5Mac claims, but will be slightly taller, allowing Apple to add 176 pixels. The new resolution on the iPhone will be 640 x 1,136, according to the blog. Apple's current Retina Display on the iPhone 4S features a 640 x 960 resolution.
 
Although Apple hasn't confirmed it'll even launch a new iPhone, let alone what size screen it'll have, the rumor mill has been saying for months now that the device will come with a larger display.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported Apple is currently buying 4-inch screens for its next handset. Earlier this month, Apple-focused site iLounge made the same claim 9to5Mac has, saying that the iPhone 5 will have a taller screen measuring about 4 inches.

The larger screen should help Apple make some customizations to iOS 6, according to 9to5Mac. The blog claims Apple is currently considering adding a fifth row of icons to the operating system's home screen, thanks to the additional screen real estate. It might also change the look and feel of built-in applications to accommodate the taller display.

One other tidbit from the 9to5Mac story: its sources say Apple's next iPhone will, in fact, come with the long-rumored smaller Dock connector.

Hands-on: BubbleScope 360-degree iPhone

 

camera accessory - Panoramic photography and video

An iPhone accessory that enables you to capture both 360-degree stills and video before sharing them online will soon be available.

Pocket-lint saw the BubbleScope camera accessory in person at the Digital Summer event in London and after years in the making, the company behind the kit, BubblePix confirmed its arrival in July.
We say years in the making, as way back in July 2011, BubbleScope creator Tom Lawton spoke in depth about the technology used in the accessory. Then it was simply a device that could capture 360-degree photographs, but Pocket-lint can now confirm that the gadget will also be capable of recording video too.

The BubbleScope accessory is small enough to fit in your pocket and rather than clip onto the case (included with the camera lens) that encompasses your iPhone it screws on giving it a tighter grip – particularly useful should you be filming while in a moving vehicle for example.

The lens itself rises out of the tube like container before being stowed away once you’ve finished snapping which should help avoid any accidental scratches to the lens while in your pocket or bag.

The device can be turned to any position, which not only enables you to capture snaps at any angle, it also doubles up as a useful desk stand too.

Due to the poor lighting in the showroom, it was difficult to get a true feel for how well the BubbleScope captured imagery, but we were treated to a sample shot taken earlier outside which looked great albeit a tad unusual.

To capture your 360-degree stills and video you only have to press the camera key once just be wary of how you’re holding the phone to avoid a sudden close up of your face.

Once you’re happy with your snaps (or “Bubbles” as they’re known) you can share them online via bubblepix.com (you need to download the free BubblePix app) to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram et al.

 

Though the BubbleScope accessory will initially only be compatible with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, BubblePix says it is working on other leading smartphones and platforms.

The BubblePix app is available now for free from the Apple App Store (it will be updated once the device lands) while BubbleScope itself will be available for £69.99 from the BubbleScope website as well as other major retailers from July.

 

LG Optimus Elite brings Google Wallet to Virgin Mobile

Virgin Mobile's first phone to support Google Wallet goes on sale next week.

 

 

Optimus Elite

LG's Optimus Elite goes to Virgin Mobile.

(Credit: Pocketnow)

 

Following in Sprint's footsteps, Virgin Mobile is getting Google Wallet thanks to the LG Optimus Elite.
The Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone is Virgin Mobile's first phone with support for Google Wallet and NFC, or near field communication, a short-range communication protocol similar in concept to Bluetooth.
The silver LG Optimus Elite, which also features a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera, and a 800MHz processor, goes on sale May 15 for $149.99, but preorders begin today.

3G/4G Performance Map: Data speeds for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon

May 8, 2012 12:30 pm  

 

In our April 16 article “3G and 4G Wireless Speed Showdown,” we reported the results of our exclusive 13-city tests of the four national wireless services: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Our study is the largest and best-known independent test of wireless service in the United States.

Here, in Part Two of our story, we drill deeper into the massive amounts of data that we collected over six weeks in February and March of this year. Whereas the first article reported the 13-city average speeds of the carriers, in this story we detail the carriers’ performance in each of the ten testing locations we visited in each city.

We’ve assembled a full-page map showing all 127 of our testing locations in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. When you zoom in on a particular city, you’ll see ten blue map markers—one for each place we tested. Click the pin, and you’ll see our full testing results for that location.

T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 21 service dominated the 3G testing, earning the highest marks for upload speed and download speed in 11 of the 13 cities we studied. The exceptions were Chicago (where AT&T captured the best download and upload speeds for 3G) and Dallas (where AT&T took the lead for 3G downloads, and Verizon won for 3G uploads).

We saw three major patterns in our 4G test results. In five cities (Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco), AT&T swept the 4G upload and download competitions; in four (Denver, New Orleans, San Jose, and Seattle), Verizon swept both; and in the remaining four (Chicago, Dallas, New York, and Washington, D.C.), AT&T won for downloads and Verizon prevailed for uploads. Notably, in two of the cities where Verizon ruled (Denver and Seattle), AT&T doesn’t offer 4G LTE service.

webpage and Video Load Times

In addition to the speed results, you can see the results of our “behavioral” tests, which are meant to closely approximate the wireless usage of real people. At each of our testing locations, our field researcher loaded a 100KB static webpage and viewed a 1-minute video while connected to each of the 3G and 4G services of the carriers. For each one, the researcher logged the time the webpage took to load, as well as the time necessary to stream the video.

In Video: Demystifying Spotty Cell Phone Coverage

You can see a lot of variance in the performance scores from location to location within our testing cities. The same service may deliver radically different results in two locations in the same part of town. Or two different wireless services might produce very different connection speeds and call quality at the same location.
That’s because a number of variables are constantly affecting the quality of the wireless service you get—factors such as nearby physical structures, your distance from a cell tower, whether you’re connecting from indoors or outdoors, the time of day, and the total number of users connecting to a nearby cell tower at the same time.
Such variables are important to remember when you’re selecting a cell service. Keeping them in mind is also key when you’re choosing a device, because some phones and tablets do much better than others in challenging cellular environments.
In this video we drove around San Francisco to demonstrate how some of these conditions can affect your wireless coverage.
<p>Your browser does not support iframes.</p>

Quick Facts by City

Atlanta: T-Mobile had a strong showing in Atlanta on the 3G side, with average download speeds at 4.53 mbps and uploads at 1.93 mbps. In 4G, AT&T showed the fastest average download speed of any carrier in any city we tested, at 11.60 mbps. Verizon had its next-to-worst 4G download showing in Atlanta, at 6.24 mbps on average.
Boston: T-Mobile clocked the fastest 3G speeds in Boston, while AT&T won on the 4G side. Both AT&T and Verizon delivered solid download averages, at 8.60 mbps and 7.24 mbps, respectively. Sprint’s WiMax service performed unusually well in Boston, averaging 3.90 mbps for downloads.

Photograph by Robert Cardin

Chicago: AT&T finished first in average 3G download speed (3.45 mbps), despite the fact that its 3G numbers weren’t great in Chicago compared with its performance in other cities. AT&T also had the fastest average 4G download speed (9.70 mbps). Dallas: AT&T’s best numbers came in Dallas, with an average 3G download speed of 3.73 mbps and an average 4G download speed of 10.22 mbps. Meanwhile, T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 21 service registered 13-city worsts for average download rate (2.62 mbps) and average upload rate (0.45 mbps).
Denver: Verizon had the top marks in average 4G download speed (6.68 mbps) and average upload speed (3.70 mbps). T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 21 service rolled past its rivals on the 3G side, with solid averages for downloads (3.59 mbps) and uploads (1.53 mbps).
Las Vegas: AT&T delivered an excellent average download rate of 11.15 mbps, the third-highest rate for any carrier in any city. T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 21 was the fastest 3G service, though its download average (3.11 mbps) ranked as the lowest city-winning mark for 3G download speed in our study.
Los Angeles: We recorded the fastest average 3G download speeds in our study in Los Angeles, where T-Mobile won with a robust 4.78 mbps. AT&T had the best 4G scores in L.A., although its average download speed of 6.62 mbps was the second-slowest winning download speed in our tests.

New Orleans: T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 21 service proved fastest among the 3G field in the Big Easy, with averages of 4.49 mbps for downloads and 1.70 mbps for uploads. Verizon’s winning average 4G download speed (8.46 mbps) was the second-highest city score for the service in our tests.
New York: In New York we found a wide gap between the best 3G download average (3.30 mbps for T-Mobile) and the best 4G download average (11.35 mbps for AT&T)—an 8.05-mbps difference.
San Francisco: AT&T posted the best average 4G download speed, producing an impressive 10.71 mbps, while Verizon turned in a solid 8.40-mbps download average. AT&T’s 3G service performed very well in San Francisco, delivering the company’s second-highest average download rate at 3.47 mbps; but T-Mobile was faster, with downloads averaging 4.08 mbps.
San Jose: Verizon 4G clocked average speeds of 7.66 mbps for downloads and 6.52 mbps for uploads, compared with 4.74 mbps for downloads and 2.5 mbps for uploads from AT&T LTE. T-Mobile delivered a winning average 3G download rate of 4.61 mbps.
Seattle: T-Mobile turned in the top 3G download speeds (averaging 3.87 mbps) in Seattle, while its 4G HSPA+ 42 service generated a surprisingly fast average download speed of 7.46 mbps, the carrier’s 13-city high. Verizon posted its best 13-city mark for 4G downloads (10.87 mbps on average), making it easily the fastest 4G service in town.
Washington D.C.: T-Mobile had the fastest average 3G download speeds (4.14 mbps), handily beating AT&T, whose 3G scores in D.C. were the worst from the carrier in our 13 test cities. AT&T, however, won on the 4G side with an average download speed of 8.52 mbps.
For details on how we conducted the testing for our 13-city study, see “Methodology in a Nutshell.” And, again, for a close-up look at the individual charts for each city, see our full-page testing locations map.

Opinion: Why is Samsung so hot right now?

Fri May 4, 2012

Samsung

Samsung unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III, at Earls Court in London on Thursday.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Jenkins: Samsung's strategy different to its main rival, Apple
• The South Korean company has a phone to suit pretty much every potential customer
• But Samsung's scale could turn out to be a weakness as well as a strength, says Jenkins
• "In some respects, Samsung reminds me of Sony in the years before it all went wrong"

This summer, Earls Court in London will be the venue for Olympic volleyball, but last night Samsung hired this vast space to launch a single product -- its new flagship phone, the Galaxy S III. (We really liked it incidentally, check out our hands-on preview here).

Hiring such a large space and filling it full of tech heads from all over the world was a sign of extreme confidence from the Korean electronics giant, and you only have to take a look at its last set of figures to see where the bravado is coming from. Net profit for the quarter was 5.05tn won, up 81%, and the main driver for this success was Samsung's Galaxy range of phones.

The Galaxy range has certainly been selling like hot cakes. This week, trend-watchers IDC put the company ahead of the competition in its latest state of the market analysis.

What's interesting to me is how different Samsung's strategy is to its other major smartphone competitor, Apple. There is only one iPhone released every year, and design-wise, each one has been broadly the same as the previous model, with the same size screen.

Samsung Galaxy S III primed for release

 

Read more: Samsung unveils Galaxy S III smartphone with face, voice recognition

In contrast, Samsung has a bewildering number of different models that, viewed together, make almost no sense at all to the casual observer. This might seem like a recipe for confusion, but it also means that that Samsung has a phone to suit pretty much every potential customer. Want something pocketable that's cheap? There's a Samsung Galaxy for that. Need lots of power, a massive screen and a stylus to draw pictures with? Samsung Galaxy can help. And on it goes.

Apple is fantastic at making a product that's very aspirational, and it makes an enormous amount of money on every iPhone, but in terms of simply shifting a lot of phones and achieving huge scale, it's Samsung that has the winning strategy.

 

Both Apple and Samsung are so successful in fact, the battle for the top smartphone slot is starting to look like a two-horse race.

But it won't necessarily always be this way. HTC was the darling of the mobile industry a while back until Samsung arrived to eat its lunch. The transformation in the company's fortunes was rapid, and there's every possibility that Samsung could see an equally rapid turnaround at some point in the future -- in mobiles, you're only as good as your last hit product.

There's also a chance that Samsung's scale could turn out to be a weakness as well as a strength. In some respects, Samsung reminds me of Sony in the years before it all went wrong. There are lots of divisions that don't appear to communicate with each other very well, making a vast number of different products, most of which are decent, but not outstanding.

Read more: New Samsung 'not for everyone'

There's a desire to be the number one player in every category Samsung is in, which is laudable, but probably unachievable. Does Samsung really need to be the number one maker of cameras in the world? Or MP3 players? Probably not. I can't help but wonder whether its smartphone profits are covering up some deeper organizational problems. Then again, it seems to be working for now, so it may all turn out fine.

If a company was to snatch the smartphone crown from Samsung, which would it be? One answer might be Nokia, which may seem like a crazy thing to say following its latest set of disastrous financial results. But there is still a chance that it might not be game over.

Nokia's flagship mobile running Microsoft's Windows Phone, the Lumia 900, has recently appeared in America to decent critical acclaim. In the U.S., Android doesn't have quite the same grip on the market that it does in the UK in particular, so there's an outside chance Nokia could sell enough handsets to convince developers deal with the platform's biggest problem -- a lack of apps.

If that happens, the launch of Windows Phone 8 could open the whole field up again.

Hands on: Samsung Galaxy SIII review

04/05/2012 12:10pm

The Samsung Galaxy SIII was launched to major fanfare the worldwide Samsung Unpacked event at Earls Court, and What Laptop Tablet & Smartphone were there to get hands-on.

Samsung has upped the size of the Galaxy SIII to 4.8-inch and included a 1,280 x 720 AMOLED display, which looks stunning. On first impressions, the SIII’s screen wasn’t as vibrant as the recently released HTC One X, but viewing angles were excellent, and visuals sharp.

Elsewhere, there’s a quad-core processor running the show, which keeps the Ice Cream Sandwich toting handset running smoothly. This really shows when shooting on the 8MP camera, where shutter lag is abolished, and burst mode can fire off 20 shots, and quickly chooses eight of the best to display. There’s also a larger 2100mAH for longer battery life.

Quality of the photos was hard to gauge as the handset was tethered to a table, but even in low light shots were sharp and well focussed with a minimum of fuss.

We used the photo editor to make some crops, trims, and apply effects to our photos, which were all carried out in the blink of an eye.

However, there were still significant loading times when loading apps and games, which still left us waiting over five seconds for Cut The Rope to launch.

The handset itself will be available in blue and white, with Samsung keen to point out that nature inspired its design. The back is smooth, but made of thin plastic, which helps keen the Galaxy SIII down to a paltry 133g, but it doesn’t feel anywhere near as solid or well-manufactured as the HTC One X, which weighs 130g.

With handsets becoming extremely similar in specification, Samsung has been keen to push software as a differentiator, and there are loads of features to enjoy.

S Voice is a Siri for Samsung, which brings a host of voice commands, such as ‘Hi Samsung’ to wake the handset up, but was equally as finicky to use in the noisy Earls Court. The SIII also monitors your face, preventing it from locking while you’re reading on screen.


There are other nifty additions too: if someone sends you a message, just put the phone to your ear and it will call them. It’s a simple feature, but tangibly beneficial.

Elsewhere, there’s a heap of proprietary Samsung software, which will be of dubious use, unless you convince all your friends to buy in as well.

All Share Play lets you send media to different supported devices, and you can buy a separate dongle. What’s more, you can wirelessly charge using a separate peripheral, and even monitor your health.
In short, the Samsung Galaxy SIII has delivered nearly everything we expected, with a few extras. There’s no doubt it will be a success this year, and puts Samsung back onto the smartphone podium in this Olympics year.

The Samsung Galaxy SIII will be out on May 29, but if your contract isn’t up, follow our guide on how to upgrade your Samsung Galaxy SII to Ice Cream Sandwich.

Samsung cloud service to launch with Galaxy S3, says report

Samsung

Samsung is reportedly planning to roll out a cloud-based service alongside the Galaxy S3 on May 3.

Korean site Maeil Business (via The Verge) claims that the electronics giant is planning to challenge Apple's iCloud with its own equivalent dubbed S-Cloud.

iCloud allows users to store data remotely and access it via an iPhone, iPad or Mac computer. The report states that Samsung's rival service will not impose any of the content restrictions of its Apple counterpart, and will offer 5GB of storage.

Microsoft is allegedly on board to ensure wide availability of the service, which is expected to be compatible with Samsung smart televisions, tablets, smartphones and PCs.

Media content including movies, music and TV shows could also be served to S-Cloud subscribers. It is yet to be confirmed whether the service will be free or premium.

Samsung previously confirmed that it will launch a new Galaxy product, widely tipped to be the S3 smartphone, at Earls Court Exhibition Center in London on May 3 at 7pm.