First look at iphone 5S

iPhone 5S

"The most forward-thinking phone we've ever created, perhaps that anyone has ever made. Packed with incredible technologies in service of using these in the way we want to."

iPhone 5S: diamond-cut chamfered edges

"It is the gold standard in smartphones." 3 metal finishes: "silver, gold and "space grey". (Wait, not champagne? We're going to call it champagne.)

Performance... used to mean graphics cards and fans. Now consumers want great performance that fits in the palm of their hands. 

A7 chip - 64-bit - "the first-ever in a phone of any kind.. the PC world took years to go from 32 bit to 64 bit. We're going to do it in one day, with hardware, and all-new applications."

"A 64-bit desktop-class architecture. Over a billion transistors. 2 floating point registers. iOS 7 has been reengineered for 64-bit as well." (They kept that quiet.) "All built-in apps re-engineered. This is seamless for customers."

iPhone 5S: M7 motion co-processor

It continuously measures motion data. And with new software and applications "you'll get a whole new level of fitness apps." Also: "optimisations based on contextual awareness. Identifies user movement."

This is Apple prodding into the health space (Tim Cook is reckoned to be a fitness enthusiast). Worked with Nike to produce a new app telling you what you've done and where and how far you've gone.

iPhone 5S: camera

"Most of us just want to take a picture," Schiller says - a dig at Samsung's tons of options which quickly overwhelm you.

f2.2, 15% larger sensor area. "Our competitors would stack more on there to get a number on the spec sheet." He says "bigger pixels = better picture." (Really?)

"The new software in iOS 7 has been designed to take advantage of the new image sensor." Automatically does auto white balance, exposure, dynamic local tone map (for highlights and shadows), autofocuson and picks sharpest one of multiple photos "unbeknownst to you". 

And "True Tone Flash" - which allows for ambient light. "Whatever colour your flash is it's going to clash with the colours." And a dual-LED, as predicted.

iPhone 5S: "burst mode"

Can take 10 frames per second while you hold down. Oh - this is the same as we've seen with many other cameras. "If every time you did this you had to sort the photos... that would be boring." Instead it presents what it thinks will be the favourite from the camera roll. (Smart, but it brings it up to the others.)

And next feature: Slo-Mo. (Again - forecast in leaks.) "Capturing HD video at 720p at 120 frames per second.. all these are simply in service of taking a great picture."

iPhone 5S battery life

10 hours 3G talk, 10 hours LTE browsing, 10 hours of video. Let's get that in.

iPhone 5S: security: fingerprint sensing

Schiller is setting up the security story. "A passcode.. some people find it too cumbersome. In our research about half of smartphone customers do not set up a passcode on their device, and they really, really should."

Touch ID: "uses a key you have wherever you go. Your fingerprint. It reads your fingerprint.. Touch ID capacitative sensor. 500ppi resolution. 170 microns thin. Scans sub-epidermal skin layers. 360-degree readability."

"And they put it right into the home button.. it now includes the Touch ID sensor in a ring around it. It knows that you're there." A sapphire lens over the top.

"Touch ID has been built deeply into iOS 7. You can simply touch the home button to unlock your phone."

And can also use it for purchases.... from Apple online accounts.

Source : theguardian.com

First look at iPhone 5C

First look at iPhone 5C

"Made with all the incredible technology that customers have loved with the iPhone 5.. more colorful than any iPhone we've made yet. A few of you may have seen some shots on the web.. and that's cool.. but you haven't really seen it yet."

iPhone 5C construction

"As close as you look you won't see seams or part lines. Vibrant icons, translucency, it creates an entire experience of colour. And it doesn't stop with the phone design." And cases too, made of silicon. With cutouts. Which you can combine "to create exactly the look that you want."

"It's made of a hard-coated polycarbonate" (isn't that plastic, mommy?) .

Spec time! 4in retina display. Widescreen video. A6 chip. Higher capacity battery than in the iPhone 5. 8 megapixel iSight camera. 3x zoom.

Supports more LTE bands "than any other smartphone in the world". Bluetooth 4.0.

(So the question now, is, what is the price going to be? If this is the low end, what is the high end?)

"A price of just $99." Translated from the American, that's about $550outside the US on prepay.

Quick analysis: So Apple isn't chasing the low end of the market. Or, really, even the middle range. How, then, is this going to drive sales? It might work in the US, but won't - unless the "new" and the "colour" works together to get people to buy them.

In pricing terms, this will cost about what the iPhone 4S was costing last week. Except it's new. So Apple will appear to be at the lower end - but it's really not mixing it with the midrange Android phones.

That said, it'll probably sell by the gazillion. Remember, Cosmo magazine is here: cheaper, colourful and new phones will have big appeal.

Apple unveils new iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s smartphones

Apple unveils new iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s smartphones

Apple's Tim Cook is on stage live from Cupertino, California, to reveal the latest iPhones, and iOS7 software. And... one more thing?

• iPhone 5C confirmed, in green, yellow, blue, white and pink

• 4-inch retina, 8MP camera, A6 processor

• US handset only 16GB $549, 32GB $649

• UK handset only 16GB £469, 32GB £549

• iPhone 5S confirmed in black, silver and gold

• First ever 64-bit A7 processor in a smartphone

• Finger print 'touch ID' on home button

• US handset only 16GB $649, 32GB $749, 64GB $849

• UK handset only 16GB £549, 32GB £629, 64GB £709

In US, UK, Australian stores 20 September

10 hottest upcoming smartphones

10 hottest upcoming smartphones

Internet media is abuzz with leaks of many upcoming gadgets. From Apple’s Budget iPhone to Sony’s 20MP camera phone to Samsung’s Note III, online media’s long hands seems to have got ‘details’ on all. The rumour mill is rife with speculations on their specs, launch date, pricing, variants and more.

Here we bring to you hottest 10 from the lot. Read on to decide which one is worth waiting for.

HTC One Max

HTC One Max is said to have the bigger version of the company's critically acclaimed flagship handset, the One. It is expected to have the same design language but feature a 5.9-inch screen with 1920x1080p resolution.

The One Max is rumoured to pack the quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset clocked at 2.3GHz under the hood, backed by 2GB RAM. It is said that this smartphone will be launched around the time Samsung launches its Galaxy Note III.

Budget iPhone

The allegedly upcoming budget iPhone has been in the news for the past couple of months with numerous leaks about its pricing, launch date and images. Tech websites speculate that the phone will come in multiple colours, with leaked photos showing back panels in red, blue, white, green, yellow and black colours. The cheaper iPhone, made using glossy polycarbonate plastic, is expected to launch in September.

Sonny Dickson, who has leaked several details about Apple gadgets in the past, tweeted that the handset will come in 16, 32 and 64GB variants, priced at $349, $449 and $549, respectively. While not much is known about the device’s hardware specs, rumours say that it will have a 4-inch screen, camera with LED flash on the back and Lightning port as well as speakers at the bottom.

Samsung Galaxy Note III

Samsung Galaxy Note III is among the most eagerly awaited smartphones of the year, and it has appeared in several leaked photos too. The device is expected to either have a 5.7-inch screen, with rumours suggesting an unbreakable display, Galaxy Note 3.

Speculation is rife that the upcoming Galaxy Note III will come in four variants for different markets. Expected to be launched on September 4, this smartphone is said to have features like 13MP camera with optical image stabilization, quad-core 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 chipset, 3GB RAM and Android 4.3 operating system.

Apple iPhone 5S

The next-generation Apple smartphone, currently being called the iPhone 5S, has also been leaked ample number of times. The handset seems to have the same look and size as that of its predecessor.

Speculation is rife that the iPhone 5S will have a faster processor, 13MP camera, dual LED flash, bigger battery and fingerprint sensor technology. Rumours say that this phone will be unveiled on September 10 and come in multiple colour options.

Nokia phablet

The leaked photo of the Nokia phablet comes courtesy a Chinese microblogging website. The image shows just the front panel with the Nokia logo on top and the standard three-key layout of Windows Phone smartphones at the bottom. The display has space for a front-facing camera and very thin bezels on the side. The report by Weibo user ICTech claims that the screen size is 6-inch and the device is already under mass production in China.

Microsoft is due to release its GDR3 update for Windows Phone mobile operating system. This update will bring several new features to the platform, including support for quad-core processors and 1080p resolution displays. It will also introduce another row of home screen Live Tiles, which will help phablets make full use of the big screen.

Sony Xperia i1 Honami

Sony is said to be working on an Android phone with 20MP camera, which will rival the likes of Nokia Lumia 1020 and Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom.

The upcoming phone, being developed under the code name Xpeia i1 Honami, will have a Exmor RS camera on the back, according to a report in ePrice.com. This camera will have a 1/2.3" sensor, Sony G-lens and Bionz image processor.

The screen of the upcoming smartphone will measure 5-inch and the operating system would be Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). The report claims that the upcoming Xperia i1 Honami will have 16GB internal storage and microSD card support. It is said to run on a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, backed by 2GB RAM. The phone will have a 3,000mAh battery, 8.3mm thickness and 2MP secondary camera.

Sony's upcoming handset is expected to be IP57 certified, making it resistant to water and dust. The company has sent out press invites for a launch on September 4, the first day of IFA 2013. The report claims that Honami will be unveiled at the event.

Samsung Galaxy Folder

Ever since the touchscreen became the primary mode of input in smartphones, keyboards have taken a backseat. However, Samsung is said to be working on an Android-powered clamshell phone that has a touchscreen as well as an old-school T9 keypad.

Though the image of the device has leaked, details about its specs are sparse. Samsung Galaxy Folder is said to have display resolution of 800x480p, run on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and pack a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor under the hood. Reported to be launched in South Korea this year, this handset also features LTE (4G) connectivity.

Unnamed Nokia phone

An image of an announced Nokia phone has surfaced on the internet. The device in the photo has an aluminium body and a large camera hump on the back. The picture shows cut-outs for the camera lens, microUSB port, sim card slot and LED flash. This photo has given rise to speculation that the Finnish manufacturer is preparing a second device with metal body, after Lumia 925.

LG Vu III

Rumours about LG Vu III recently hit the internet, suggesting that the third-generation handset will have a 5.2-inch screen with the 4:3 aspect ratio. It is said to come in three variants and have 1280x960p resolution. Other speculation about the phone includes 13MP camera, Snapdragon 800 chipset and launch date of early September, at IFA 2013.

BlackBerry Z30

BlackBerry seems to have done most of the work on its upcoming flagship smartphone, the Z30. An official slide, dating to May this year, detailing all the specs of this device has been leaked. However, there is no word on its price and launch date. The yet-to-be-announced BlackBerry A10 will have a 5-inch screen (making it the biggest BB phone till now) with 1280x720p resolution and 294ppi pixel density.

This phone will be powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core CPU, 2GB RAM and run on the upcoming BlackBerry 10.2 operating system. The phone will have 16GB internal storage, microSD storage up to 64GB and have a 2,800mAh battery. Connectivity options in BlackBerry Z10 will include 4G, Wi-Fi, NFC, microUSB and microHDMI out. On the back is an 8MP camera with flash, while the front has a 2MP unit.