Who is the Giant..? Galaxy S4 or iPhone 5...?

Samsung Galaxy S IV, or Galaxy S4 as Samsung has been calling it so far, was officially unveiled Thursday at an event accompanied by a live orchestra while an audience of thousands watched the theatrics unfold on a four-level stage.

The Galaxy S4, which crams a 5-inch screen into body slightly smaller than the S III's, will go sale starting April. Samsung didn't say what the phone will cost, but it can be expected to start at $200 with a two-year contract in the U.S. That's comparable to the iPhone 5.

JK Shin, the executive in charge of Samsung's mobile communications division, promised the money would be well spent for a "life companion" that will "improve the way most people live every day."

That bold promise set the tone for the kind of flashy presentation associated with the showmanship of Apple, the company that Samsung has been trying to upstage. Apple contends Samsung has been trying to do it by stealing its ideas - an allegation has triggered bitter courtroom battles around the world.

One way Samsung and other makers of Android phone have been one-upping Apple is by increasing the screen size. Every successive generation of the Galaxy line has been bigger than the one before. The S III sported a screen that measures 4.8 inches on the diagonal, already substantially larger than the iPhone 5's 4-inch screen. The S4's screen is 56 percent larger than the iPhone's.

Apart from the larger screen and upgraded processor, the S4 has a battery that's 20 percent larger than that of the S III. Samsung didn't say if that translates into a longer battery life - the added capacity might be gobbled up by the bigger screen or other internal changes.

The S4 comes with a built-in infra-red diode, so it can control an entertainment center as a universal remote. This is a feature that has showed up in Android tablets before.

The S4 comes with several new technologies intended to help users interact with the phone. For instance, the screen now senses fingers hovering just above the screen, and some applications react. The Mail application shows the first few lines of an email when a finger hovers above it in the list, and the Gallery application shows an expanded thumbnail.

Users can control some other applications by making gestures in the air above the phone. In the browser, you can command the screen to scroll up by swiping from top to bottom a few inches from the phone.

The Camera application can now use both the front and rear cameras simultaneously, inserting a small picture of the user even as he's capturing the scene in front of him.

When several S4s are in close proximity, they can link up to play the same music, simultaneously - perfect for headphone dance parties.

The Galaxy S4 also will include a tool that enables users to create a dividing line so part of the phone is devoted exclusively to work while the other part is filled with personal information and photos. The feature is similar to a function on the latest BlackBerry - an indication that Samsung is going after other smartphone makers besides Apple with its latest model.

Let's take a look at how Samsung Galaxy S4's specifications compare to Apple's iPhone 5 and the rest of its competition.


Galaxy S IV launch in pictures

(Source)

iSMSer is coming soon for iPhone and iPad

sisia solutions

Apple announces much awaited iPhone 5 - here's an overview

The new iPhone is finally official. Apple has named its sixth-generation smartphone the iPhone 5 and Phil Schiller is presently detailing its full set of features, specs, and release details.

Measuring 7.6mm in thickness and 112 grams in weight, this is the thinnest and lightest iPhone that Apple has ever made, and is constructed "entirely" out of glass and aluminum. The device shown behind Schiller looks pretty much identical to all the leaks and mockups we've seen in the past few weeks — looks like Apple wasn't able to keep a lid on its most anticipated product after all.

"WE'RE ABLE TO ADD A 5TH ROW OF ICONS."

And yes, it has a 4-inch display! The new screen resolution is the oft-rumored 1136 x 640, meaning the display of the iPhone 4 and 4S has simply been elongated, both physically and in terms of pixel rows. To quote Phil, "you see, we're able to add a 5th row of icons." All of Apple's own software has been updated for the new resolution and screen size, while older third-party apps will be letterboxed where necessary. Also in line with pre-launch rumors, the new iPhone's display features in-cell touchscreen technology, integrating the touch sensors right into the display itself. This should make for a thinner panel, though Apple also touts it as "the most accurate display in the industry."

There's also LTE connectivity, with a single chip, single radio, and what Apple describes as a "dynamic" antenna. Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T LTE flavors will all be supported by the iPhone 5. Apple rates this new handset's battery life at 8 hours of LTE web browsing.

A new 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture and a hybrid IR filter will be present on the iPhone 5, with a promise of improved low light performance and 40 percent faster photo capture. The sensor is backside-illuminated. Catching up with the competition, Apple is also adding in a new Panorama mode to its camera software. Much like with HTC's ImageSense, the new iPhone 5 camera will allow you to also take still photos while recording video, which maxes out at 1080p resolution.

The iPhone 5's processor has been upgraded to Apple's A6 SoC, which Apple suggests will result in double the CPU performance and two times faster graphics. There are three microphones in the iPhone 5, which will support HD voice and also includes a redesigned loudspeaker that's 20 percent smaller than before.

Apple is today also introducing an all-new Lightning dock connector — 80 percent smaller than its traditional 30-pin cable, this 8-pin all-digital connector offers a reversible design and improved durability. Apple will naturally provide an adapter for all your old accessories.

source:(the verge)

Apple announces second quarter financial results

Apple has announced its financial results for the fiscal second quarter of 2012 that ended in March 31, 2012. Their total revenue for this quarter was $39.2 billion and the quarterly net profit was $11.6 billion. In comparison, the figures were $24.7 billion and $6.0 billion respectively for the same quarter last year.

As usual, the iPhone did very well this quarter, with Apple selling 35.1 million of those, up by 88 percent compared to year-ago quarter. Sales were down compared to the first quarter, however, where Apple managed to sell 37.04 million iPhones, the reason for this being chalked down to the holiday season that boosted the sales in the previous quarter.

As far as iPads are concerned, Apple sold 11.8 million of them, a 151 percent jump over the year-ago quarter but still down from the 15.43 million sold in the previous quarter. Apple also sold 4 million Macs (7 percent increase) and 7.7 million iPods (15 percent increase).

The current amount of cash in Apple’s bank account now stands at a staggering $110 billion, up by $12.4 billion since the last quarter.

For more information, check out the source link below.

Source

Android dominates iOS in China

A recent report by a Beijing analytics company rated Android device penetration in China to a whopping 68.4% by the end of 2011.

By comparison, iOS was only able to snag just 5.7% of that same pie.

Such a drastic deviation may come as quite a surprise to some people, especially considering a recent report pointing to one in ten people in Beijing and Shanghai owning iOS devices. This same report also states that China has recently overtaken the US as the country where the most smartphone devices are activated, so one in ten people owning an Apple device is not exactly a drop in the bucket.

And we all remember that iPhone 4S launch fiasco at the beginning of the year, where Apple had to suspend sales of its latest iPhone in Beijing and Shanghai due to unruly crowds on opening day.

So why the huge disparity between the Android and iOS market share? Most sources point to price being the deciding factor, as Android is able to take advantage of lower-cost devices on which to put their OS on. This is especially true for China, the backyard of price competitive smartphone manufacturers such as Huawei and ZTE.

With the anticipated announcement of the latest iPhone somewhere in the near future, we’ll have to wait and see if Apple can make up some of their lost ground in 2012
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Apple serves up 25 billion iOS apps to users

Apple has crossed the 25 billion milestone. A few days ago the company posted a countdown to the 25 billionth download along with a competition for the worth $10,000 to spend on iTunes. The company has not yet announced who downloaded the 25 billionth app, or the app that was downloaded to bring up the remarkable figure.

Apple has crossed the 25 billion app milestone a mere three years after it crested the 1 billion apps downloaded. It also comes slightly less than fours after Apple first started selling apps through the iTunes store, marking an incredible acceleration in downloads. The app downloads have been generated through sales to the estimated combined 300 million iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners.

Update: Apple has announced that the 25 billionth download was made by Chunli Fu, of Qingdao, China. The app in question was Where's My Water? Free. The title has regularly scored high in App Store charts.

New ipad 3... "is it old wine in a new bottle? "

Are you trying to decide whether to buy the iPad 2 vs. the new iPad 3? The good news is that you can not go wrong with this decision. In this article, we take a look at the pros and cons for both iPad models to help you decide which iPad is right for you. With the launch of the new iPad (also called iPad 3), there are a number of questions you’ll want to ask yourself before making your choice.

The iPad 2 retails at $399 (16GB Wi-Fi) or $529 (16GB 3G)  whereas the new iPad (iPad 3) retails for $499 to $829 depending on memory and 4G options. The new iPad 3 weighs a bit more at 1.44lbs versus the iPad 2 which has a 1.33lb weight.

So the iPad 3 vs iPad 2 question really comes down to this: is an extra $100 worth it for the additional features and benefits that the iPad 3 offers.  Well what are those features? The new iPad 3 features a host of impressive improvements over the iPad 2:

• 4G LTE data – up to 10x faster than 3G
• High resolution retina display
• Improved rear camera (same used in iPhone 4s)-5 megapixel and 1080p video recording
•  A5X processor with quad core graphics processing
• iPad dictation

With that in mind, it’s important to point out that the iPad 2 is no slouch. The iPad 2 received many much-needed improvements over the original iPad.  Dual facing cameras, an improved form factor (no longer wobbles on tables), and a much faster processor all make for a wonderful device.

If money is not much of an issue, it is absolutely worthwhile to spend the additional money and purchase the new iPad 3.  As you will likely be keeping the new iPad for many years (although you can sell the iPad), it’s worthwhile to get the device that will be current for the longest period of time. With all of this said, you will not be disappointed if you decide to save a bit of money and buy the second generation iPad.  As we noted in the beginning of the article, you can’t go wrong either way. Many would be iPad owners spend a lot of time wondering “which iPad should I buy?” when they could just be enjoying their new toy.

Whatever iPad you end up buying, there are plenty of great aftermarket accessories such cases and screen protectors to customize your new toy. Ultimately, if you want iPad it is hard to go wrong whatever your answer to the iPad 2 vs. iPad 3 question is.