BlackBerry Messenger Across iOS And Android Will be Possible Soon

BlackBerry Messenger will hit both the Google Play and iOS App Stores this summer, and will be absolutely free of charge from the get-go. Those looking to get in on BBM will need to be running fairly recent versions of both iOS and Android, with the requirements set at a minimum of iOS 6 for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for those on the Google mobile OS.

BlackBerry is on the cusp of turning its proprietary BlackBerry Messenger service (BBM) into a multi-platform experience. Keeping BBM specific to the company’s own devices worked wonders when the company was flying high atop the market, but in looking to reestablish its presence in the iOS / Android-dominated market, BlackBerry is now looking to spread its popular messaging tool to users of those two pivotal platforms.

Speaking of the company’s decision to take BBM to multiple platforms, the company’s CEO Thorsten Heins said: "It’s time to bring BBM to a greater audience . . no matter what mobile device they carry."

Although the decision is not perhaps all that surprising given BlackBerry’s recent plight, it is one of intrigue. BBM’s exclusivity has tended to work in BlackBerry’s favor, drawing in new consumers wishing to be a part of the popular network. But as the company continued to stick with the tired style of keyboarded handset while the likes of Samsung, HTC and Apple flourished with more contemporary designs, BlackBerry definitely lost its way somewhat.

The new-look BBM will no doubt go head-to-head with the likes of WhatsApp, a very well established cross-platform app which already boasts millions of users. Heins also promised that the experience of BBM on both iOS and Android would be fully-fledged, rather than a half-baked effort cooked up as a marketing ruse, adding: "We’re starting with messaging and groups, but we’ll bring voice, screen share, and of course, channels later on."

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New Apple Ipad Officially Announced to Bring Faster and Sharper

Apparently Apple was launched the successor of iPad 2 comes with new features but not a new name not iPad 3 nor iPad HD, but it is officially given the name "New iPad". This similiar to the name of new model of iPod, which simply called iPod. This Apple's new iPad model comes with a sharper screen and a faster processor, will go on sale in Canada and the U.S. next Friday, the company confirmed Wednesday.

As being expected from public of the new iPad, this new iPad does come with sharper screen with high-definition television set in the living room, and show more saturated colours than previous models. A graphics chip with four processing "cores" will drive the screen, accounting for some of the added power consumption. Of these, the new iPad will be thicker and heavier than the iPad 2, because it needs a more powerful battery to drive the high-resolution screen.

The new iPad will be 9.4 millimetres thick, or 0.37 inches. That compares with 8.8 millimetres, or 0.34 inches, for the iPad 2. The weight is going up from 0.6 kilograms to 0.64 kilograms. The battery life remains the same: about 10 hours of use.

Some of the new features presented on this new iPad is the this new iPad will be able to use  "LTE" wireless broadband networks offered by Bell, Rogers and Telus. The offer speeds that are faster than the "3G" networks used by previous iPads, and current iPhones. They also introducing a version of the Mac's iPhoto photo organization and manipulation program for the iPad. In addition, they would start letting users store movies in its iCloud remote storage service, so they can be accessed through the Internet by PCs and Apple devices. It already lets users store photos, music and documents in the service.

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Apple iPhone 5 Features, Release Date And Price

Apple iPhone 5 Illustration

As the iPhone 5 is on the verge of being released, and with all the speculations spreading on the Internet, people are anticipating and desperately waiting for the announcement of the Apple iPhone 5 release date, which is now expected to happen in Summer 2012. Many fans and current Apple iPhone consumers are wondering what groundbreaking features Apple will add to the new iPhone 5.

UPDATE: The most recent rumors indicate that the iPhone 5 will have a 4+ inch display, possibly made by Korean giant LG. However rumors of a teardrop-shaped device have been shelved after a Foxconn employee in China revealed that samples so far are symmetrical in thickness. (Foxconn is the company that currently manufactures the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 for Apple.) The same source reveals that neither of the samples have the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S forms, and that neither of the devices seen so far are the final versions. This employee has however failed to indicate any concrete features that are set to appear in this next generation of iPhone.

This article summarizes the various features and specifications that are expected to sport the device.

iPhone 5 Features

Although Apple does not reveal the exact specifications and features until the device is officially unveiled, we could dictate some of the main features that are expected. However, rumor of the new iPhone 5 features, in terms of both hardware and software upgrades, will definitely entice any smartphone buyer.

The upcoming phone is expected to sport the Apple’s latest and greatest A5 processor chip, iCloud service, higher-resolution camera, and a 4+ inch screen size. Here are some of the most anticipated iPhone 5 features:

iOS 5

Apple announced iOS 5.0 and its features during the WWDC 2011 keynote address on June 6, 2011. The user interface is based on the concept of direct manipulation, using multi-touch gestures. It is expected to come with more than 200 new features that will include improved Notification System, News Stand and iMessage.

iMessage is an application that is developed to compete with Blackberry Messenger. The app will allow iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad users to communicate (much like a chat service) with each other. The iMessage feature has been integrated into the SMS/MMS application used originally on the iPhone models.

iCloud

The iPhone5 is expected to have the iCloud service.

Apple’s iPhone 5 is expected to feature the new iCloud service for wireless remote access of music from all computers and mobile devices.

The iPhone5 will automatically sync with the iCloud which will allow users to store photos, apps, calendars and documents without having them to store in the phone’s memory. Apple is also looking to tie up with top music label companies to license songs for the iCloud service.

However, rumors state that Apple might release a low-cost “iCloud iPhone” alongside the iPhone 5. It could be named the “iPhone Mini”

“The iPhone Mini (or iPhone Nano, or whatever) could have significantly less storage than a typical iPhone. Most likely 8 gigabytes of storage – the same as the lowest end iPhones right now. Apple won’t prevent users from storing their own content, because that would be crazy. But since it has a small amount of memory, Apple will likely push the ability to stream media via MobileMe as well.”

A5 Processor to power the iPhone5

iPhone 5 will house the A5 as the main processor, which technically is the same chip that currently powers the iPad 2. The A5 contains a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU with NEON SIMD accelerator and a dual core PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU, which means that the iPhone5 can do twice the work at once. The processor speed will be somewhere between 1.2 to 1.5 GHz, with probably a 1GB RAM.

The processor upgrade is done not just to increase the processing speed of the phone, but also to compete with the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S II.

The A5 chip might effectively increase the power use, however, it is said that the chip has “got a dynamic power management”, which can lower the [speed] depending on the workload, and thus efficiently make use of the power.

iPhone 5 to Sport a Better Camera

The iPhone 4 sports a 5 megapixel camera, so I’m expecting that the iPhone 5 will have a rear-facing 8MP dual-LED flash camera. However, this isn’t really “awesome”, since most of the high-end Android smartphones come with an 8MP camera. Along with that, the iPhone 5 is expected to have a front-facing camera for video chatting.

According to sources, Apple has filed several patent applications relating to 3D picture capturing to the US Patent and Trademark Office later in March. This indicates that the iPhone 5 might feature a 3D camera. The filing indicates that the device will be capable of capturing, processing and rendering 3D images with dual-camera hardware.

Another interesting feature is that the iPhone 5 will be capable of taking pictures in Panorama. It will work similarly to the ’360 Panorama’ application in the App Store. It will let you take pictures in a sequence as you move the camera from one side to another, which in the end will effortlessly stitch the images together to create a panorama.

Additionally, if Apple really wants to keep up with the competition to Android, then it might consider improving upon the video resolution to a full 1080p HD recording. Currently iPhone 4 has a 720p video capture at 30 frames per second.

Display and Resolution

There hasn’t been a better screen resolution since the release of the iPhone 4. Currently the iPhone 4 has a 3.5 inches screen size, and sources indicate that Apple might stay locked with the current size. But a few other sources (including a recent rumor from a Foxconn employee in China) say that Apple is planning to increase the screen size to 4+ inch with higher screen resolution.

However, the iPhone 5 could be slightly wider and thinner. The dimensions are calculated to be: 4.33″ x 2.36″ and .27″ thickness at the top and .21″ at the bottom, whereas the dimensions of iPhone 4 are: 4.5″ x 2.31″ x .37″

Other iPhone5 Features

Here are some of the other features that we can expect from the iPhone 5:

• Face Recognition Security
• 4G/LTE support *
• A new, sleeker body design
• OLED screen
• Scratch proof and shatter proof screen
• Wireless sync with iTunes
• Extended battery life
• Flash support
• SIM-less phone **
• Physical keyboard
• Increased RAM (from 512MB to 1GB)
• New multi-tasking look
• HD audio
• Built-in GPS

(*) According the AT&T documents leaked by LulzSec, the Apple iPhone 5 will offer 4G and will be LTE (Long Term Evolution) network compatible. LTE is a project of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and is the latest standard in the mobile network technology.

(**) According to International Business Times, it is rumoured that the iPhone 5 will feature a new SIM-less design with 2 to 3 internal antennas for CDMA and GSM compatibility, which will make it a “worldphone”.

The above mentioned features are some of the improvements that we can expect from Apple. However, we cannot assure you that they can be true, but most of the upgrades are more likely to be utilized.

Apple definitely wants to fight back against Android smartphone makers like HTC and Samsung, and perhaps it is why the new iPhone 5 will host some of the outstanding features.

iPhone 4S Mock Illustration

iPhone 5 Launch Date

Apple follows a tradition to launch new devices in their summer Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), but that didn’t happen this year.

However, BGR reported that an AT&T Vice President has confirmed to several employees that the iPhone 5 that boasts a stronger chip for processing data and a more advanced camera is scheduled to be launched in early October. Additionally, the VP communicated the following to a group of managers: “Expect things to get really, really busy in the next 35-50 days, so prepare your teams accordingly.”

We can expect the announcement of the iPhone 5 later this year, possibly at the 2012 edition of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which is likely to take place in June 2012. The Apple iPhone 5 release date would then be set for a few months later.

The iPhone 4 has proven to be one of the most successful smartphones of all time with selling over 1.7 million devices in just three days of availability, and iPhone 4S sales hit the roof with more than 600,000 units sold on the first day. We are expecting that the iPhone 5 will certainly replicate this success, and one thing is for sure – the sales of iPhone 5 will definitely boom and we can expect a huge number of people lined up at Apple stores when the device is available for sale.

iPhone 5 Price

At this stage no official price has been unveiled but we expect the iPhone 5 to be the same price than the iPhone 4S when it was released. We will update this section as soon as we have more information on that topic. In the meantime you can read the latest iPhone 5 news and rumors.

What do you think of iPhone 5? Will you buy it? When do you think the Apple iPhone 5 release date will be announced? What additional iPhone 5 features are you expecting? Please let us know by leaving your comments below.

Source: thetechlabs

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Apple Seeks Bankruptcy Court's Blessing to Sue Kodak over Patents

With Kodak having filed last-minute patent lawsuits against Apple and HTC as it was heading into bankruptcy last month, Bloomberg reports that Apple is looking to assert itself against the pioneering photography company with a new lawsuit alleging infringement of Apple-held patents.

While Apple says in its filing with the bankruptcy court overseeing Kodak's case that it is not required to seek approval for a lawsuit, Apple notes that it is requesting the court's blessing "out of an abundance of caution".

Quote:

Apple Inc. asked a bankruptcy judge for permission to sue Eastman Kodak Co. over allegations it's infringing patents that Apple says cover technologies used in printers, digital cameras and digital picture frames. [...]

While arguing bankruptcy law doesn't prevent the filing of infringement suits against a company in court protection, "Apple requests express authority from this court before it initiates the actions out of an abundance of caution," the company's lawyers wrote in the filing.

In a separate case, Apple has been contending that it is the rightful owner of a patent currently held by Kodak. Apple claims that through its partnership with Kodak to produce QuickTake digital cameras during the mid-1990s, Kodak misappropriated intellectual property involved in the project and patented it for itself.

Apple QuickTake 100, manufactured by Kodak (Source: Time)

Apple last month filed a petition with Kodak's bankruptcy court requesting that Kodak not be permitted to use the disputed patent to secure loans supporting the company's restructuring until ownership of the patent is resolved. The U.S. International Trade Commission has preliminarily rejected Apple's ownership claims, but the case and a parallel federal lawsuit remain pending.

Source: forums.macrumors 

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Apple to Require Explicit Permission for iOS Apps Accessing Address Book Data

iOS Apps Accessing Address Book Data

Just hours after a pair of U.S. Congressmen sent a letter to Apple requesting information on privacy practices, specifically as they relate to address book data being collected and stored by the apps' developers, Apple has issued a statement to AllThingsD indicating that the issue will be addressed in a forthcoming iOS software update.

Quote:

"Apps that collect or transmit a user's contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines," Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told AllThingsD. "We're working to make this even better for our customers, and as we have done with location services, any app wishing to access contact data will require explicit user approval in a future software release."

Apple has been testing iOS 5.1 for some time, but appears to have slowed development as the company is assumed to be waiting to release it to the public alongside the iPad 3 early next month. The company has not, however, specified whether the new address book permission feature will be included as part of iOS 5.1 or if it will arrive in the form of a separate update, perhaps as an iOS 5.0.2 update to enable a faster turnaround on the fix.

Source: Forum.Macrumors

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Is Apple's Potential Impact on Television Market being Underestimated by Samsung ?

Samsung as the leadest vendor to release their product of TVs has been known wideworld. They also become the giant manufacturer of mobile phone, LCD TVs, and other electronics. Considering this situation, they might forget of other competition on marker.

Soon after rumors of Apple's plans for entering the television market began to gain significant momentum late last year, analysts noted that the industry's existing players were already "scrambling" to react to Apple's likely entry and its chances of remaking the industry.

But perhaps not all television manufacturers are sweating Apple's arrival, as Pocket-lint reports on comments from a Samsung product manager indicating that his company is confident that its massive investment in picture quality improvements will trump anything Apple might be able to put together in other areas.

Quote:

"We've not seen what they've done but what we can say is that they don't have 10,000 people in R&D in the vision category," [Samsung product manager Chris Moseley] said.

"They don't have the best scaling engine in the world and they don't have world renowned picture quality that has been awarded more than anyone else.

"TVs are ultimately about picture quality. Ultimately. How smart they are...great, but let's face it that's a secondary consideration. The ultimate is about picture quality and there is no way that anyone, new or old, can come along this year or next year and beat us on picture quality.

"So, from that perspective, it's not a great concern but it remains to be seen what they're going to come out with, if anything."

As a product manager, Moseley's words carry less weight than if they had come from a senior executive with broader responsibility for the company's overall direction, and so it remains unclear whether Moseley's lack of concern about Apple's plans is a personal perspective or a broader indication of the company's thinking on the matter. Moseley is also obviously charged with promoting his company's products and thus would be expected to position them as industry leaders.

Nevertheless, Moseley's comments leave him open to comparisons with other representatives of Apple's competitors who underestimated the company as it entered new markets. Executives at Microsoft and Research in Motion famously panned Apple's iPhone announcement, while others scoffed at Apple's plans to completely reinvent the tablet market with the iPad.

Apple's ultimate plans for a television set are unknown, and its ability to drive a revolution in the well-established and low-profit television industry remains to be seen, but the company's success over the past 10-15 years has proven that competitors would be wise to keep an eye on Apple's efforts.

Source: Forum.Macrumors

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