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iPhone Taken For A Ride With Ice Cream Sandwich

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online on May 11, 2012 · 0 comments

ICS_Android

iPhones are taken for a ride with Android based smartphones powered by Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) Operating System. Apple revises or releases new products once in a year. On the other hand, Android based versions will keep on flooding the market on round the year basis. It is a great setback for Apple and a great tempting time for Apple loyalists.

The only advantage Apple offers for its customers are the backward compatibility. You can happily install the latest iOS version on your old Apple device and enjoy the features. It is a great challenge to customers if they have to vote for, either Apple or Android.

Especially it is a tough time for those who are using iPhone 4S and those who are waiting for iPhone 5 as was announced by Apple. On the other hand, the popularity of HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III is growing posing a great alternative to iPhones. Let us check the possibilities.

ICS attractions

It is expected that Apple will announce a better product by this summer. Samsung Galaxy III offers promising features as a better alternative to iPhone 4S. It has some really cool features like high speed network connection and camera with very high shutter speed.

Credit goes to Ice Cream Sandwich for the sheer performance of Samsung Galaxy III. ICS lets you create large images. New ICS based smartphones fare well in terms of hardware and software proportions compared to the iPhone. There is significant improvement in browser performance. You will we able to save web pages that can be read later in offline mode.

ICS lets you pull down the notifications from the lock screen. You will be able to view the thumbnails of recently used applications. This is a new feature implemented on ICS. The only advantage iPhone offers are the easy transfer of applications, contents and contacts from one iOS based system to another iOS based system. If you are looking for immediate change, iPhone is not an option as it will take time to book new iPhone.

Apple has ambitious plans to upgrade iPhone 4S and it will certainly take time. If you are a staunch Apple user and really exploring options to switch gears to a new platform, ICS is really attractive and it is a timely opportunity to draw the best features from a smartphone. Windows based smartphones are far behind in this scenario.

iPhone alternatives

If you are sure about marching ahead with ICS, the next challenge is how to figure out the best in ICS based smartphones. In terms of specifications released by Samsung Galaxy III and HTC One X, there are a number of similarities between them.

These two phones are of almost the same size. 8MP camera is common between them. These cameras come with fast shutter speed. You will have the capability to capture pictures at the rate of 3 frames per second. You can select the best shot out of these captured snaps and the rest of the shots will be deleted automatically.

1080p HD video recording is the benchmark of Samsung Galaxy III and HTC One X. Voice recognition and gesture sign-up are available in Samsung Galaxy III. The device will not run into sleep mode as long as there is activity on your phone. It will be able to sense your usage like phone calls or performing a task on any smart application. Even if you are reading a book, the phone will not go down to sleep mode.

Precautions before selection

If you are really serious about your new ICS choice, you are advised to visit the showroom nearest to your area where you will be able to compare the products with your own eyes. As you check these phones physically you will be able to judge their features and will help you take a better decision.

These phones are likely to implement extra features in addition to the native ICS capability. The relevance of these new features which are driven by the new software can be figured out as you check the available features yourself.

Conclusion

With the introduction of the Google Android 4.0 version the intense hot debate goes on in tech circles. ICS has some unique and powerful features.

Improved voice commands, enhanced browser, facial recognition, enhanced image capturing capability and improved core applications such as Gmail and Calendar makes ICS attractive and really tempting for new entrants into smartphone market. It is also tempting Apple users to switch over to Android from iOS to have the new and impeccable experience.

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Important Factors in Choosing a New Smartphone

by Joe Pawlikowski on April 20, 2012 · 4 comments

Choosing a Smartphone

Does anyone not have fun picking out new gadgets? It’s an exhilarating feeling. We get to shop among dozens of shiny new products, finally deciding on just one that meets our needs. In the U.S. smartphone users get this feeling every two years.

Since we sign two-year contracts in exchange for a discounted handset, we can choose a new one regularly. While that is exciting in many ways, it’s also a difficult decision in many others. There are just so many factors to consider when choosing a new smartphone.

For many people, both in the U.S. and worldwide, there is one factor above all that should frame our new smartphone choices. It’s not about processor, or display. Really, it’s not even about the smartphone itself.

No, the most important factor in choosing a new smartphone is the network it runs on.

Network Coverage

As so many commercials tell us, a smartphone is only as good as its network. To a large extent that’s true. You can have a state of the art phone, but if you don’t get full reception in your area, or the network is always bogged down with traffic, you’re not going to get the most out of it.

Not even close. What you’ll have is a glorified device, effective in theory but not in practice. That hardly seems useful.

The newest, shiniest smartphone might have just become available. You might be clamoring to get it. But if you check a cellular coverage map and see that the phone’s carrier doesn’t cover your area, it’s tough to justify.

After all, you’d get better performance out of a lesser phone on a stronger network. Really, it’s all about the network signal. It drives all we do. And it should absolutely be the first thing you consider when buying a smartphone.

Handset Selection

While it’s not true everywhere in the world, in the U.S. handsets are tied to a particular network. If you buy a smartphone on Verizon, it’s pretty much staying on the Verizon network. Each carrier offers a different selection of smartphones, so the carrier again plays a large role in handset selection.

While carriers do tend to carry similar handsets, and even the same handsets under a different name, there are differences that can greatly affect a smartphone-buying decision.

One of the biggest considerations is the presence of the iPhone, which continues to be the most popular smartphone in the U.S.

Thankfully for consumers, three of the four major carriers do carry the iPhone. Plenty of people prefer Android, though, and for them there are choices on any carrier.

A look through the T-Mobile smartphone inventory reveals plenty of excellent iPhone alternatives. But that’s a different Android selection than AT&T, so users will have to pick the carrier that offers the phone they want.

Monthly Fees

One thing that greatly separates carriers is the monthly rate selections they offer to customers. These rates can vary widely among carriers and can often play a definitive factor in a smartphone purchase decision.

After all it’s tough for some to justify spending $120 per month on smartphone service when they can get similar service for about half the price on another network.

With AT&T and Verizon, the U.S.’s two largest wireless carriers, consumers are in part paying for the big brand name. In many areas (but not most) their services pale in comparison to competitors Sprint and T-Mobile, but still cost considerably more.

Smartphone users also have the alternative of prepaid carriers, many of which now offer Android smartphones at a much cheaper monthly rate.

When we buy a TV, it’s all about the TV itself. When we buy an MP3 player, it’s about the quality of that particular MP3 player. But when we buy a new smartphone, there are factors that go beyond the phone itself.

The network on which the smartphone runs plays an even larger factor than the phone itself. Poor coverage, thin handset selection, and high monthly fees can greatly alter a smartphone-buying decision.

Tips to Increase Iphone Battery Life

by Mohd on April 13, 2012 · 10 comments

If you have an iPhone, then you will most likely understand the value of saving the battery. Apple iPhone is one of the superb devices that allow users to perform a wide range of features.

The only thing that stops the ability of the iPhone is the battery. This is because the battery is finite and decreases rapidly according to the usage of the iPhone.

To help you expand your iPhone’s battery while Apple builds a fix, I’ve got a few tips that can definitely help you clench a little more juice from your iDevice. Some are simple, some need little additional fixtures. This should help your iPhone make it through the day.

Here are some simple tips, you can easily save power and enjoy long-lasting iPhone battery life.

Turn Off Your iPhone Wireless Applications

Your iPhone comes with wireless applications like the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi that depletes the battery. If you keep these apps off when not in use, you can extend the life of your iPhone for several hours.

It is also recommended to disable your 3G as well, but this will depend on how often you use it. 3G actually take some of the energy of the battery, and you can choose to turn off it if possible.

And, turn on the auto brightness of your iPhone, the feature that automatically adjusts the back light of the screen.

Shorten Screen Brightness

Although the feature of auto brightness helps, it is not perfect and many times you can see that even in areas with little ambient light brightness is not reduced much.

In cases like this, it is the best practice to manually dim the back-light when not needed for saving you battery. Setting low-level screen brightness to about 49% seems to radically improve the life of the battery of the iPhone.

End Background Apps

According to Apple, the background apps are not technically ‘running’, unless they are front and centre, which means they should not draw any power.

The multitasking application for the iPhone continues to use resources of system more efficiently depletes your battery.

Applications, for example, Skype or even other VoIP can be especially benefit from the battery when you perform within the setting and so it is better to start launching the applications only when you need which can save the battery life.

Keep the iPhone cool

The temperature also affects the battery life duration. You may find that your phone is heating up during charging. If this happens, be sure to remove the case before charging.

Putting the iPhone away from your wallet or other packed spaces aid in keeping it cool and keep your battery functioning at standard volume. The temperatures maintained between 32° to 95° F are the best for iPhone and the battery.

Make Use of Solar Chargers for your iPhone

By using solar chargers, you can enjoy the convenience of charging from anywhere. So if the battery is low, there is no need for waiting to find a plug for the device.

Another advantage is that it reduces the usage of electricity which in turn protects the environment. These solar chargers are not so expensive, and therefore easily accessible to anyone using the iPhone.

Regularly Use your iPhone:

By not using the iPhone for a long time can also reduce its battery life. Therefore, you should use it regularly and charge iPhone battery at least once every 6 months.

It is strongly recommended by Apple to have 100% iPhone battery charging when it is completely empty. It means the easy option, to charge it fully when the battery got completely finished.

Although these are also not the only tips to save the battery life of the iPhone, they are definitely wonderful guidelines that make a big dissimilarity in battery overall performance.

Additionally, it is said that doing stuff like rotating off the push email from mail application and rotating off the push notifications will also assist in increase iPhone battery life.

Has any one of the above mentioned tips helped improve the iPhone’s battery overall performance? Chime in with your views in the comments.

Eavesdropping Antennas: Smartphones Fall Prey

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online on March 19, 2012 · 3 comments

Eavesdropping Antenna

Mobile phones are very convenient to make calls and receive calls. The same mobile phone may cause inconvenience as well, as it poses the risk through eavesdropping antennas.

The key disadvantage with the processors employed in Smartphones is that they fail to uphold the integrity of encrypted data when the same is conveyed through radio signals.

An interesting revelation was made when the data transmission signal through iPad was intercepted through an ordinary television antenna.

It has been demonstrated that the antenna was able to pick the signal and when the same signal is processed through specialized software after amplifying many times has revealed the secret key i.e., the encryption key.

Most Smartphones are Vulnerable to Eavesdropping

This revelation gives the picture of the current state of affairs of Smartphone communication. When the encryption key is obtained through eavesdropping antennas it will be easy to intrude into others’ networks.

It is easy to impersonate and access resources of a company’s server. Transistors which are impregnated into chips will process the encrypted information. There is every possibility of leakage of information through these transistors.

Hence, these should be concealed in such a way that signal will not leak. Although it is possible to intercept signals through eavesdropping antennas, the same technique cannot be applied for all brands and all models of smartphones.

It is easy to catch signals from a Smartphone at a considerable distance without being noticed by users through eavesdropping antennas. However sophisticated might be your Smartphone, it is not completely isolated from deceptive interceptions through eavesdropping.

Signal from some smartphones can be detected from short distances and signal from some smartphones can also be intercepted from long distances.

Overcoming the Eavesdropping Menace

The vulnerability of mobile communication through eavesdropping gives an opportunity to strengthen systems to carry out financial transactions through smartphones.

Google and many leading phone manufacturers are ambitious to launch NFC chips for contactless mobile payments.

Great care should be taken to protect the interests of Smartphone users from eavesdropping menace. It has been established by researchers that it is possible to intercept signal processed through any kind of mobile application and mobile software.

While mobile phone offers flexibility and many comforts, the potential dangers through the usage of the same devices should be properly addressed especially from eavesdropping antennas.

Concerted efforts should be made by mobile phone manufactures, internet service providers and researchers to give safety and security to mobile users.

Cryptographic Research has made progress in finding the loopholes in various mobile phones including some of the reputed brands present in the market to withstand efforts made through eavesdropping antennas.

The same has been conveyed to the respective companies to forewarn the potential dangers through these data leakage conditions.

Subtle Variation in Encryption to tackle Eavesdropping

There is life saving techniques to address this eavesdropping concern. Instead of going for hardware and software updates, changes in the way tasks are processed will yield definitive results.

For example, a single task can be divided into multiple tasks and each task can be processed with cryptographic keys. However, the disadvantage is that it demands more processing power with the increase in number of tasks.

Higher processing will lead to higher power consumption as well. When processing increases the response rate of many applications will hit drastically.

The solutions to prevent eavesdropping should not reduce the overall performance of the phone. Mobile phone manufacturers have got a new opportunity to produce not only radiation free but also interception free Smartphones!

Keep your iPhone safe

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online

The best way to keep your iPhone working is to keep your iPhone safe. A lot of people don’t know the value of an iPhone. The truth is that not many bother to keep it safe. I had a friend of mine who got a brand new iPhone as a gift from her brother and [...]

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Mobile Applications Sweeping Offices

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online

Mobile office solution application value

After creating much applause and enriching the personal lives of millions of people around the world, mobile applications are going to hit the market in a big way. Smart applications deployed on smart phones are exhilarating corporate to get the most from their associates. As more and more people are depending on various smart applications [...]

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Samsung Galaxy Note Review: A New Life Into PDAs

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online

Samsung Galaxy Note – With the enormous success of smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDA) came to the state of extinction. Smartphones with their ability to offer innovative features through smart applications are expanding their horizon every day. It became people’s choice for convenience, comfort and quick access. A majority of operations performed on laptops and [...]

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Extend Your Smartphone Battery Life

by Joe Pawlikowski

It happens far too often. After a day out of the house, I’ll look down at my Android phone and notice that the battery is nearly empty. If this were an MP3 player or even a digital camera it might not be that big a deal. After all, we can all get by without them. [...]

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Siri Works For You While You Talk On iPhone 4S

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online

Even though speech recognition technology has been around for many years, breakthroughs in technology made it possible to achieve innovative features that can be accomplished through mobile phones. SIRI – an intelligent software personal assistant offers natural language user interface. The application is capable of answering questions, offer recommendations and perform intelligent operations. Siri was [...]

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Top Applications That Made The Year 2011

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online

Many new applications are introduced in the year 2011 that made life easy. Some applications have entertainment proportion and some are helpful to increase the productivity. Let us check applications which top the list for the year 2011. Evernote ‘Evernote’ is a useful application to take notes. It is useful for students, business executives and [...]

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How To Make Your Wireless Broadband Faster

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online

Are you experiencing slow network problems with your wireless broadband connection? There are various forms of broadband connection in the world today, and one of the most prominent forms of broadband connection in developed countries is the wireless broadband. There are several reasons for this; first, it is mobile and flexible, and second, it is [...]

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BlackBerry Will Never Ditch The Keyboard, Why?

by Joe Pawlikowski

A new day is coming for the BlackBerry. It started earlier this year, with the release of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Research In Motion turned away from its legacy operating system and went in a new direction, and by most reviews the change was a welcome one. Now they’re ready to take the operating system [...]

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iPhone’s Three New Apps Designed to Entertain

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online

The iPhone has been one of the most desired mobile systems since the time we saw its launch in the market by Apple Inc. The various versions of the iPhone have been good upgrades to its earlier versions. Adding to its fame and popularity are the innumerable iPhone/iOS applications showing up almost every day. These [...]

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Gmail App For BlackBerry To Be Discontinued

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online

Gmail App service stopped for BlackBerry

The maker of Android software, Google Inc, said in an “end-of-life announcement” that it will no longer support the Gmail App to its rival Research in Motion (RIM) BlackBerry smart phones. Google said “Beginning on November 22 2011, we will end the support for Gmail App for BlackBerry (installed native app). Over the past year [...]

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iOS5: Twitter Friendly Features

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online

Apple’s new mobile operating system, iOS 5 has enhanced Twitter integration. This integration of Twitter on iOS5 makes it easy to tweet from Apple handheld devices like iPhone, iPad and iPod. There is tremendous increase in active user participation which goes from 30 per cent to 50 per cent and more than 50 million tweets [...]

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Android: The New Platform For Intel Architecture

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online

Android Platform with Intel Architecture

Intel has been missing in the mobile scene for quite some time now. However, with the most recent of its developmental decisions, the tech-giant is looking to make a substantial headway in the mobile market. Intel in collaboration with Google will work at developing compatibility of Intel’s Atom processors with Google’s Android operating system. [...]

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Paper Phone: A Flexi Phone At Your Service

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online

Queen’s University, based at Ontario, Canada has come up with an innovative product called as an ‘interactive paper phone’ at their research centre Human Media Lab in collaboration with Arizona State University’s Motivational Environments research group. It is considered to be the ‘next big thing’ by Mr. Roel Vertegaal, the director of the Queen’s University [...]

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