iPhone 4 Vs. Galaxy SII -- Apple Beats Samsung in the Battle of "Thinnest Smartphone"

At least one patent battle is over between Apple and Samsung as the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on Wednesday adjudicated that the Apple’s claims of having the world’s thinnest smartphone with its iPhone 4 is certainly correct. 

Apple iPhone 4 Ruled as the "Thinnest Smartphone"

According to details; a website ad for the iPhone 4 included the claim "And it's all contained in a beautiful enclosure a mere 9.3 millimetres thin, making iPhone 4 the world's thinnest smartphone". The complainant, Samsung, challenged whether this claim was misleading because he believed that the Samsung Galaxy S II phone was thinner.

The ASA agreed with Apple, and ruled that “Apple’s methodology for making the thinnest claim was reasonable.” The problem, according to the ASA, is that while the Galaxy S II is indeed thinner in certain sections, the iPhone 4 is still the thinnest overall.

“Because the iPhone4′s thickest point was thinner than the thickest point of the Samsung Galaxy S II we concluded that the claim ‘the world’s thinnest smartphone’ was not misleading,” ASA asserted.

Apple iPad 2 for sale in 26 Countries Including U.S. on Friday, March 25

Apple announced in an official statement of Tuesday revealed their plans to launch their tablet iPad 2 in U.S. and 25 other countries on coming Friday (march 25, 2011).

The online sale o iPad 2 outside U.S. will follow the same timing like in the U.S. launch that will start on at 5pm local time, and will be available up to 1am.

The names of the 25 other countries where the iPad 2 will be available on Friday include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Pricing will be the same as those in the U.S., from $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version to $829 for the 64GB Wi-Fi+3G tablet.

Apple's iPad 2 Expected to be Launched on March 2 at Yerba Buena Center

According to reports first popped up on ‘ALL THINGS DIGITAL’; iPad is set to be launched on March 2 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, exactly same place where the original device was launched by Steve Jobs. 

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been on medical leave since mid-January, and was spotted last week leaving a cancer clinic in Silicon Valley. Tim Cook, the firm's chief operating officer, is looking after day-to-day operations in his absence. But reportedly, Steve Jobs is still taking an active role in Apple's decision making and will more probably be present at the launching event.

Apple is also expected to uncover some new products before iPad 2 - its  MacBook Pro line of high-end laptops is expected to be refreshed on Thursday, with faster processors, new graphics capabilities, a storage mechanism between between solid state and traditional drives, and Intel's new 'Light Peak' connection technology which allows for rapid data transfer.

Vogue Cover Exclusive iPad App - - Unprecedented Access to Exclusive Content Through This New App

Fresh off the stands, or more so, the digital iTunes store, is the revolutionary Vogue Cover Exclusive iPad App.

Fashionista techies who stay stylishly updated through their iPad can get unprecedented access to exclusive content through this new app, as it provides behind-the-scenes information and videos of its cover celebrities. Furthermore, It also gives digital readers access to exclusive content which is not available in the magazine or on the Vogue website such as additional interviews, videos and more. The Vogue Cover Exclusive iPad App has kicked off its launch in time with the release of Vogue’s stunning Lady Gaga cover and portfolio.

Official Release Date Announced for iPhone 4 at Verizon After End of 4-years Exclusive Agreement With AT&T

After many months of speculation, Verizon has now announced the Verizon iPhone 4. The launch of the iPhone on Verizon marks the end of the almost 4 year exclusivity agreement that Apple had with AT&T.

As for the release date, expect it as early as February.

The iPhone going to the Verizon network has been in testing for about a year now and is capable of connecting to the CDMA network. All the features are practically the same such as FaceTime availability, the Retina Display as well as the insides. The only main difference is the way it connects up, ie its CDMA technology inside.

So that Verizon can handle the network load the smartphone will bring to it, they have increased network capacity.

A few questions have been asked such as why they don't use LTE technology. Using LTE chips required small design changes to the phone which Apple didn't want to make. Using LTE would make the roll out longer, so CDMA was opted for on this version of the iPhone.

Expect to hear the exact release date and pricing revealed in the next few days, perhaps weeks.

Source: Engadget

iPad 2 Coming on Within 3-4 Weeks - - Revealed by Founder of Digg Kevin Rose

Now that the Consumer Electronics Show 2011 has come to an end, all eyes are on Apple for it to announce the iPad 2 tablet. So far we've only heard rumors about the iPad 2 but there has been no confirmations whatsoever. Kevin Rose, blogger and founder of Digg stated on his blog that he had information from a "good authority" that Apple might be launching the new iPad 2 in the coming three-four weeks, most probably on February 1, Tuesday. In the past, Rose's sources managed to get him a hands on with the iPod nano and even a confirmation on the Copy-Paste feature in the iPhone 3.0 update.

 

 

According to Rose's sources, the iPad 2 will have high resolution (higher dpi) display compared to the current generation iPad and will get video chat support with front and back panel cameras. Well, most Android tablets as well as high-end smartphones unveiled at CES 2011 have front-back panel cameras. 

Our last report about the iPad 2 mockup gave us a hint of how slim the iPad 2 would be. Also, we reported " a blurb about iPad 2 having front-back panel cameras based on the reports by Taiwan based component makers. Until we see any official information, we'll continue getting rumors about the iPad 2's announcement dates.

Apple Likely to Build WiFi, UMTS and CDMA Models of the Next Race of iPad - - According to DigiTimes

According to DigiTimes, Taiwanese industry publication, reports on Tuesday; Apple is likely to build WiFi, UMTS and CDMA models of the next race of iPad in a respective build ratio of 3:4:3. Production of the device is expected to start as early as the first half of January, with about a half-million iPads expected to be assembled.

Referring to industry sources the report claimed that between 60 to 65 percent of current iPad shipments are the UMTS 3G model. Because of this, Apple is expected to work even more closely with wireless partners for the second-generation tablet.

The report also pointed to the fact that Apple is expected to have shipped about 16 million iPads in 2010, and between 2 million and 3 million units will remain in the channel at the start of 2011. That number is expected to satisfy demand as Apple gradually stops production of the first-generation device, in time for the debut of "iPad 2."

Pictures if iPad Mini Found Again on The Web - - This Time It Looks to Be WiFi Version

Just before Christmas, on December 22, we featured pictures of a mini iPad in the hands of Taiwanese Pop Star, Jimmy Lin. Although it couldn't be confirmed if it was the real deal or not, it did look quite convincing in that the proportions were about right, the bezel was quite thin and you could see iOS (or a photograph of iOS) running on the screen.

 

Late Christmas day, we received a tip from Edd Withers who claims he was sent more pictures of a mini iPad. Although we'd love to think they were the real thing, they just don't quite convince us as much as we want.

One thing to note is that the previous version posted was a 3G model (black antenna seen on top bezel). This model looks to be the WiFi version. The bezel on these new pictures is huge which leads us to think it's a fake. Also, it looks marginally thicker than a 9.7 inch iPad.

"iPad Mini": 7-inched Version of iPad - - Taiwanese Pop Star, Jimmy Lin Source of The Latest Rumour

Apple fans always looking something new in all kinds of rumours associated with Apple; regardless of the truth and reality behind such rumours. The seven-inch ‘iPad Mini’ the latest one among the long list but that is also strictly denied by Steve Jobs; as in the earlier cases. 

Despite the denial from Steve Jobs, Apple fans are keenly waiting for the micro version of their beloved gadget. The much discussed rumour is reportedly took off from the doors of Taiwanese pop star, Jimmy Lin with a picture below holding both version in the hands. 

 The 7-inch iPad Mini, pictured above, can’t be regarded as solid evidence of fate of rumoured device as it could be easily faked, but it does make us wonder what Apple [AAPL] is planning, regardless of what Steve Jobs has said. For now just enjoy the picture and play with smaller version of your beloved gadget just indreams.

Time’s List of Top 10 Gadgets of 2010 - - Apple Regain The Number One Position with iPad Followed by Samsung Galaxy S Android Smartphone

With the highly popular and loved gadget, iPad, Apple has bounced back to its superior place this year and snatched the number one position in Time’s list of top 10 gadgets of 2010. Last year Apple was beaten by the Motorola Droid as the top-ranking status gadget.

About the amazing success of the iPad, Time's Doug Aamoth wrote: "It's not the first touchscreen tablet in the history of computing, but it's easily the most successful so far. With 3 million iPads sold in their first month alone and a market for interactive magazines and newspapers created almost overnight, Apple finally managed to make tablet computing cool." 

The Time magazine, which last year said that the Droid represented "Android's first credible challenge to the iPhone," recently said that 2010 was a big year for Apple. 

Other than the iPad being acknowledged the top-most status gadget for the year, Apple's newly-launched 11-inch MacBook Air bagged the third spot, while the iPhone 4 ranked sixth and the new streaming Apple TV was placed at No. 7 on Time's list. 

Meanwhile, Google also had a good year, and apparently gave Apple a run for its money. The second spot on the Time's top 2010 gadgets list was bagged by the Samsung Galaxy S Android smartphone; while the Google TV, specifically the Logitech Revue, featured in the fourth place. In addition, Google's own Nexus One beat the Apple iPhone 4, bagging the fifth place - one spot ahead of the new Apple handset.

Next-generation iPad 2: With Dual Cameras - - The iPad 2 Will Hit the Market in first Quarter 2011, Latest Rumours

According to the latest rumours; the next-generation iPad 2 will support dual cameras, and Apple might begin production January and shipping the new iPad 2 will start as early as the first quarter of 2011.

Additionally, on Thursday, new iPad cases were spotted with cutouts for a rear-facing camera and space for what could be an SD card slot.

Camera component suppliers Genius Electronic Optical CO and Largan Precision Co were also reportedly starting new "supply deals" with Apple, though sources were unable to confirm for which products.

The report lined up with what RBS analyst Steven Tseng has been hearing. "It makes sense for these suppliers to begin delivering their goods in February," he said. "I think Steve Jobs will announce the new product in January, and we should see the new product hitting shops in about April."

Other reports from sources close to Apple's Asian-based component suppliers have also predicted a Q1 2011 production date for the next-gen iPad. Earlier this week, Taiwan industry publication DigiTimes reported that Foxconn will begin shipping the iPad 2 within the next 100 days. The publication also released a similar report naming potential suppliers for the next iPad in November.

Free Movie Rental Codes Offer for Registerd iTune Users - - Apple's New Spirit For Christmas and New Year

Registered iTune users are going to enjoy holiday special gift from Apple; in shape of free movie codes. This special offer from Apple is just unannounced and no official statement came from Apple regarding Free Movie Rental Codes Offer. 

But reportedly random iTune users are getting such movie rental codes; that can be used to rent any one of the 8,500 movies that are available in the Apple library. These Free Movie Rental Codes have 30 days to be used before the same expired and once it is used for your favourite movie, there would be only 24 hours to finish the viewing the selected movie. 

The code is valid for use with any of the Apple products including Apple TV, the iPad, iPod Touch, or the iPhone and you can also watch it on a computer, even if you’re running a Microsoft operating system.

ATV Flash: Fully Featured Web Browser Adds Support for HTML5 Video on Apple TV

Since Apple started selling the new Apple TV back in October, we have seen a number of different hacks that have added extra functions to the Apple TV, one of those was a fully featured web browser called ATV Flash.

Now another one has appeared, and as you will see in the video below, this latest hack for the new Apple TV uses the previous browser we mentioned above, but it now adds support for HTML5 Video.

Apple recently updated the OS on the Apple TV to 4.1, which has put the release of the aTV Flash back a little, although no doubt the hackers will have found a work around in a short time.

As we can see from the various hacks on the Apple TV, this little set top box from Apple certainly has a lot of potential, in its current state the device is somewhat limited, and Apple could bring lots of functions to it by enabling apps on the Apple TV, I wonder how long it will take them to realise that if they want the Apple TV to be a success it needs a lot more functions.

Original Apple 1 Computer Auctioned at Christies in London Fetched £150,000 About $213,600

We told  you, about 10 days before, that one of the original Apple 1 computers was going up for auction at Christies in London, this was one of the original Apple computers that was built by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and shipped from Steve Jobs’s garage.

The Apple 1 computer sold at the auction for £150,000, which is about $213,600, quite a bit more that the original purchase price of $666.66.

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak only made 200 of these Apple 1 computers, and there are reported to be between 30 to 50 of them around today, so the price of £150,000 isn’t surprising.

Colorware Gives You Trendy and Stylish Colors Option for Your New Macbook Air

As soon as Apple releases a new gadget, the guys over at Colorware give you a range of color options for your new Apple gadget, the latest gadget to get the Colorware treatment is the new MacBook Air.

If you don’t fancy the stylish, sleek apple designed look of your MacBook air and want to make it look a little more colorful, then Colorware can help you out, with a range of different options.

As you can see in the photo above, we went a little crazy with the different colors available, and we wouldn’t recommend getting your MacBook Air painted like the photo above.

Colorware will sell you a brand new MacBook Air, with your own custom colors with prices starting at around $1,870.

Beatles iTunes: A Successful First Week With Sales of Massive 450,000 Albums, Plus 2 Million Individual Songs - - Apple Annoucement

Featured on Trends & Styles 4U few days back, the Beatles catalog landed on iTunes just over a week ago, and it seems that the addition of the Beatles to iTunes has been a great success for Apple and the owners of the Beatles catalog.

Apple has announced that in the first week since the Beatles landed on iTunes, they have sold a massive 450,000 albums, plus 2 million individual songs.

Obviously this is the first week of sales, and it will be interesting to see what sales are like per week after a few weeks, Apple will also be stepping up the publicity in an attempt to sell more Beatles albums over the next few weeks.

Google Voice iPhone App: Finally Available as a Free Download From iTunes - - Currently Google Voice Service only Available in the US

This is one app that has taken a long time to get into Apple’s iPhone app store, the Google Voice iPhone app, which is finally available as a free download from iTunes.

To use the app you will need a Google Voice account, and this will give you access to your voicemail, messages, and you can also send text messages and make Google Voice calls.

It seems that the app is only available in the US at the moment, we have no idea when it will be available in other countries as the Google Voice service is only available in the US.

Treat for Beatles Fans; Apple Brings Beatles Songs to iTunes - - According to a Report in the Wall Street Journal

Apple is expected to announce today awaited the start of sales of Beatles songs in your iTunes Store, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

The recordings of the legendary boys of Liverpool, who separated for nearly 40 years, will be sold for the first time in the shop of the company, reports an article published yesterday by the WSJ, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The arrival of the works of the Beatles to iTunes, and for legal downloading in general, have been delayed for years. Apple has had several disputes with Apple Corps, the band’s label. In addition, group members and their families have had some battles over the rights of royalty to EMI, which owns the recordings.

The WSJ says it has managed to find out details about the deal.

Since yesterday Apple promises big news for iTunes from today.

” Tomorrow is just another day. You’ll never forget.” Says the teaser on the website. The message could be a reference to lyrics of a song by Paul, “Another Day” which includes the phrase “It’s Just Another Day” in its chorus.

Another “proof” (and enforced) the arrival of the Fab Four on iTunes would be the position of the clocks with the time of the announcement today at four locations around the world and the positions of the arms of the band on the cover of the classic album “Help”, 1965.

And the news spread so quickly that even has a personal lampooning of “similarity” between Apple and watches cover of “Help.”

"Historic Relic," The Apple-1 Introduced in 1976 - - Up for Auction Through Christie's and Hope to Fetch $242,400

The first Apple computer - along with a letter signed by Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs to the original owner - will be sold at a London auction on Nov. 23.

This machine was hand-carved and contained 8K of memory. It was the first fully pre-assembled computer, produced with a 1.0 MHz MOS 6502 processor and a cassette for read/write capability. (Imagine saving info on a cassette tape instead of a CD or a flash drive!) It would now be considered a "glorified calculator." It comes in its original packaging, complete with instruction manual and a letter signed by Jobs.

Described by Christie's as a "historic relic," the Apple-1 was introduced in 1976 and sold without a casing, power supply, keyboard or monitor.

But it was the first personal computer with a fully assembled motherboard, at a time when personal computers were sold as self-assembly kits.

It is expected to fetch as much as $242,400.

The first Apple-1 computers were priced at $666.66.

Cloned MacBook Air From Chinese Company E-Stary - - Bit Thicker Than Original and With Fake Apple Logo

Apple only recently launched the new MacBook Air, and already the Chinese cloners have started to produce copies of it like this one which even comes with its own fake Apple logo.

The fake MacBook Air picture below is made by a company called E-Stary from China, and it features an 11.6 inch LCD display with a resolution of 1366 x 768, a 160GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM.

As you can see from the photo the MacBook Air clone looks quite a bit thicker than the original MacBook Air, and it is available in China for $260, even at that price I think I would rather stick to the real thing.